Western Rail Trader

About the role

This position is responsible for rail origination and logistics management of grains and oilseeds for LDC’s export terminals and processing assets.

Responsibilities

• Originates grain and oilseeds from interior rail terminals
• Communicates with country network daily to drive information flow & strengthen customer relationships
• Optimizes rail and port/vessel logistics through coordination with balance of the KC rail team
• Identifies and executes arbitrage opportunities to maximize logistics value
• Works with US product line traders to develop & implement regional premium positioning strategy
• Ensures positions are accurately reflected & ties P&L out daily
• Stays abreast of market developments, ensuring timely group updates & interpretation of market data
• Creates market wires, position updates, track lineups and vessel lineups as necessary
• Coordinates information flow between departments to meet internal and external customer requirements
• Participates in customer visits and industry social events as well as LDC acreage and yield tours
• Uses historical information to analyze pricing trends and project forward market pricing outlook

Requirements

• Five or more years of experience in an agribusiness firm in a merchandising or trading capacity
• Thorough understanding of grain markets, basis trading and rail logistics
• Three or more years of direct position ownership & experience with logistics management
• Demonstrated strong negotiating skills and commercial understanding combined with the right commercial attitude and results orientation
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to select relevant information from a flow of information (distinction between main and side issues)
• Demonstrated ability to manage trading, logistics and execution risks
• Extensive knowledge of the U.S. transportation systems, relationships with all the major transportation providers and a good working knowledge of grain trading and transportation
• Knowledge of railroad logistics specifically and vessel logistics preferably
• Knowledge of demurrage/despatch concepts helpful
• Familiarity with current commodity transportation issues
• Proficiency with MS Excel, database administration and online systems/websites
• Basic qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree preferably in Agriculture, Economics or related discipline

Qualifications

• Strong organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize multiple tasks, prioritize workload, and meet tight deadlines
• Strong communication and documentation skills

Skills

• Knowledge of fundamentals of grain accounting, basis/flat price trading and futures markets
• Ability to prioritize workload and meet tight deadlines

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental and vision care coverage, flexible spending account plans, employee assistance program, life insurance and disability coverage, 401k with Company Match, family friendly benefits, paid time off (PTO) and holidays, flexible work available (not applicable to all roles), diversity & inclusion, equal employment opportunity (EEO), sustainability, and community involvement.