Sales Manager, Glycerin

Company Description

Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. Our activities span the entire value chain from farm to fork, across a broad range of business lines, we leverage our global reach and extensive asset network to serve our customers and consumers around the world. Structured as a matrix organization of six geographical regions and ten platforms, Louis Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries and employs approximately 18,000 people globally.

Job Description

This role will support commercial efforts for the LDC NAM Ingredients Group, with a focus on glycerin sales and a secondary focus on the broader ingredients portfolio. This individual will market both LDC and third-party produced glycerin, determine pricing, and maintain a book of suppliers and customers.  Successful candidates will leverage their existing customer relationships and glycerin market knowledge to elevate LDC’s customer portfolio with a focus on imported glycerin from LDC Lampung and LDC Brazil.  The candidate will negotiate trades, build relationships with trading partners, and seek opportunities to generate margin and support business growth.  The candidate will also help guide LDC to determine the best new glycerin investments and guide our industry team to create product specifications that customers seek.

This position will sit in Wilton, CT. 

Primary Responsibilities/Essential Functions:

• Manage key customer accounts for glycerin and relationships internal and external glycerin suppliers
• Manage the new customer acquisition process in its entirety including sampling and documentation reviews

• Conduct trades and execute contracts

• Assist in balancing plant production and/or purchases with product sales book to maintain comfortable inventory levels to ensure adherence to contracts and world class customer service and logistics performance
• Understand market trends, pricing, risk management, and commercial landscape for glycerin with a North American Focus, but also have a view on global trends and price evolution
• Foster discussion with the global ingredients team to continually look to take a “world-view” on glycerin and assist the Global Glycerin Product Manager in maintaining an accurate balance sheet for the region.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Report on sales activity and contribute to PNL discussions
• Become knowledgeable of LDC products outside of glycerin with an expectation to cross market those products into glycerin customers
• Communicate customer purchasing specifications with LDC team and liaise with the industry and quality teams to support them to achieve best product quality to meet customer needs
• Follow up with customers on a regular cadence to ensure their needs are met in a timely manner

• Develop a good working relationship with the production plants, warehouse, logistics, quality, credit, legal, and back-office teams and drive information flow between groups as needed for business success
• Create presentations for customers or internal management as needed

• Maintain customer knowledge, price offers, booked business, and contact information in CRM

• Contribute to team discussions with trading ideas and risk management, inside & outside of the ingredients group

Qualifications

Education/Professional Certifications/Licenses

Basic qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a business discipline, economics, or statistics

Preferred qualifications:

• Food safety knowledge

Experience

Basic qualifications:

• 3-5 years commercial experience in glycerin, with customer relationship ownership
• Proven track record of building a customer book and successfully adding/keeping new business relationships
• Current contacts and relationships with glycerin customers in North America
• Fundamental understanding of glycerin market sizing and price evolution
• Fundamental understanding of glycerin feedstocks and associated label claims and end uses/applications

Preferred qualifications:

• International trade experience
• Proficient knowledge of Incoterms and shipping via container/vessel for international shipments
• Familiarity with rail, bulk truck, and dry van shipments
• Familiarity with packaging food products and warehouse storage
• Marketing and sales presentation experience
• Previous experience managing commodity arbitrage opportunities

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (including any physical demands)

Basic qualifications:

• Interpersonal relationship skills