Senior Merchant

The Senior Merchant is an experienced commodity trader with developed trade skills.  This role has responsibility to interpret a market, formulate and communicate market opinions and take risk/reward positions for the Scoular company. A Senior Merchant builds deep customer relationships and leverages those relationships into business growth. The Senior Merchant plays a critical role in mentoring and guiding other Merchandisers on the team.

Market Analytics: 

• Assure that the trade unit is in compliance with all risk management policies. 
• Assess market trends, key leading indicators and is proficient in the market 
• Review product supply and demand and formulate opinions related to the market to make trade decisions that create revenue for the trade unit or product group.  
• Manage a position or subset of the overall position for the business 
• Expected to have opinion on market everyday 

Logistics/Execution: 

• Lead execution logistics planning and strategy.  Includes fundamental knowledge of truck/rail execution and commodity arbitrage. 
• Manage relationships with the freight providers. 
• Negotiate freight contracts. 
• Arbitrage the position for optimal execution. 
• Expected to problem solve in midst of execution and day to day execution issues. 

Customer Relationship Building: 

• Recruit customers and business that support the business unit’s business strategy. 
• Develop and maintain the extensive and varied business relationships in the marketplace. 
• Provide customers with accurate market information and answers to questions about their business transactions, such as settlements. 
• Build effective, on-going interaction with both current and potential customers.  
• Act as a front line negotiator for handling trading conflicts. Responsible for customer experience to ensure Scoular delivers a favorable customer experience (supplier, end user, carrier). 

P&L Planning & Management: 

• Manage the P&L for the assigned business or subset of the business. 
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, annual P&L estimates for the trade unit or product group. 
• Provide monthly P&L results and quarterly forecasts. 
• Manage daily position report for the trade unit. 
• Accountable to maintain position limits, credit limits and in store inventories as defined by division leadership and trade finance. 
• Create forecasts to inform the Trade Unit Manager/Product Group Manager.

People Development/Training: 

• Coach/mentor other Merchandisers on the team and give Merchandiser Assistants daily direction. 
• Create/drive collaboration within the division and company. 

  Qualifications

• ​4+ years merchandising experience. 

• ​College degree in business related field or equivalent experience. 

• ​Proven critical thinking skills and ability to drive strategy forward. 

• ​Demonstrated exceptional customer service skills and relationship building capability. 

• ​Proven ability to perform in a fast-paced environment. 

• ​Demonstrated aptitude in accounting and financial practices and procedures. 

• ​Highly skilled in problem solving techniques. 

• ​Demonstrated understanding of grain markets, hedging, commodity flows and logistics. 

• ​Knowledge of the agricultural industry’s trading standards and procedures. 

• ​Ability to travel, as needed