Senior Originator

About the Role

The Senior Originator is an experienced buyer with developed origination skills. This role will strive to develop and enhance strong working relationships with producers, drive cost efficiency in purchasing decisions, provide excellence in marketing services to producers, successfully purchase the correct commodity and quality, and show gains in the market share of commodity purchases.

• Identify and grow the grower base by creating new opportunities for the business.
• Serve as a market expert in the region with a strong overall concept of the special crops market.
• Responsible for all execution activity from buying grain on a contract to actual delivery.
• Partner closely with the logistics team, accounting team, merchandisers, and plant/facility staff.
• Mentor and guide the Originator team members and collaborate with the Scoular team.
• Plan, develop, and implement complex purchasing strategies and tactics.
• Utilize Scoular's risk management tools and digital interaction tools.
• Understand local producer trends and communicate this information to the team.
• Execute purchase contracts with accurate documentation and ensure contract compliance.
• Participate in industry-relevant trade shows, including arranging booths, working events, and attending producer meetings.
• Proficient in Scoular systems, tools, and reports (CTRM, LMS, ScoularView, Power BI, etc.).
• Leverage marketing alternatives and digital origination tools to enhance and manage grower relationships.
• Support the build and implementation of applicable regenerative agriculture initiatives.
• Formulate and articulate thoughts and insights on the markets.
• Manage relationships with freight providers.
• Achieve maximum savings in incoming freight by focusing on least delivered cost purchases.
• Share ideas on purchases with arbitrage opportunities.
• Demonstrate knowledge of logistics and supply chain management, truck/rail execution, and commodity arbitrage.
• Grow knowledge of systems and procedures that document and support executions.
• Maintain and grow strong working relationships with farm producers by providing credible and trustworthy marketing services.
• Build relationships with new producers.
• Create and maintain a producer target list and profile producer operations.
• Plan calls based on purchase requirement priorities and system queries on producers, commodities, and target prices.
• Ensure crop tours are conducted through assigned management areas.
• Interact with customers, express ideas, and share opinions.
• Provide customers with accurate market information and answers to questions about their business transactions.
• Build effective, ongoing interactions with both current and potential customers with support from the merchandising team and manager.
• Handle contract management, including freight responsibilities and reconciling balances with customers.

Requirements

• Minimum college degree in a business-related field or equivalent experience.
• 4+ years of commodity or grain trading experience (farm grain buying experience is also relevant).
• Knowledge of the agricultural industry’s origination standards and procedures.
• Ability to make grain deals independently.
• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of agricultural macroeconomics.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot grain quality concerns.
• Strong ability to create and maintain relationships.
• Exceptional customer service skills and relationship-building capability.
• Ability to perform in a fast-paced environment.
• Highly skilled in problem-solving techniques.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Ability to travel as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active involvement in industry agriculture association groups.
• Demonstrated aptitude in accounting and financial practices and procedures.

About the Company

Scoular has been leading the way in safe, reliable, and innovative supply chain solutions for over 130 years. Our business focuses on feed and food, transportation, and logistics, with people as our passion. We are a $7 billion company with 1,400 employees and over 100 offices and facilities across North America and Asia. Scoular is committed to building a culture of real inclusion for all employees and supports diversity through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).

Benefits

• Competitive health plans that begin on the employee's first day.
• Incentive opportunities in addition to competitive base pay.
• 401k safe harbor with additional company match.
• 12 paid holidays, plus vacation, sick, and wellbeing time off.
• 8 hours of paid volunteer time every year to give back to the community.
• Eligibility for annual incentive opportunities based on business and individual performance.