Operations Leadership Trainee

Thank you for your interest in joining our team!  At CGB, you can contribute to meaningful work, grow professionally and personally, and belong in a place where everyone has a voice.  

Founded in 1969, CGB Enterprises, Inc. is known as an innovative and progressive leader in the grain and transportation industries.  Today, CGB operates an enterprise with over 100 locations and nearly 2,000 U.S. employees overseeing a diverse family of businesses that provide an array of services for producers and logistics services for an international base of customers. The combination of our assets provides a growing organization that is celebrating over 50 years of strength and stability!

CGB believes strongly in developing well rounded leaders in order to drive successful business results. The central responsibility of this role is to gain the business knowledge necessary that will enable timely and capable decision making in order to assume a management/leadership role within the Grain division. Developmental opportunities in this role will allow the incumbent to gain broad-based knowledge of our industry and organization and may last up to 36 months. Training will involve classroom sessions, on-the-job training, computer-based training and self-study projects. Training may occur in one or more market locations with the candidate accepting responsibilities across the business’ functional groups. This role will learn and practice leadership skills and assume responsibilities during training to ensure their department operates in an efficient and profitable manner while facing different and new challenges every day. Upon completion of the trainee program, candidates will have demonstrated proficiency in commercial decision making across a broad range of business functions. The job has direct input on personnel issues, financial decisions, construction projects and proposals, as well as the daily operations of the department.

In this job, you will:

• Regularly review and analyze income statements in order to understand business achievement and monitor the downstream effects of commercial decisions.
• Leverage facility capabilities while maximizing efficiency and profitability; this will include directing daily work to include staffing, loading, receiving, and storage plans.
• Provide recommendations and strategies for business improvement to best utilize hard and soft assets. 
• Issue and execute cash contracts and grower agreements with a strong understanding of risks associated.
• Originate grain to drive profitability and increase sales, establish rapport with existing customers while increasing customer base.
• Develop and implement a strong knowledge of risk positions and available hedging mechanisms in order to maximize profit.   
• Perform market research and establish opinions based upon available information that become the basis for local strategies in origination, operations, and trading. 
• Leverage available resources to create revenue through grain and transportation positions.
• Independently negotiate price, quality specifications, and delivery details associated with cash grain and transportation contracts
• Communicate market trends and information to regional staff; ensuring timely and quality market information.
• Assist in preparing regular forecasts and budgets.
• Adopt the company's safety culture: work with management and assumes authority to lead, direct, communicate, and enforce the company's safety program at assigned facility/facilities.
• Other job duties as assigned.

Here’s what you’ll need to be considered:

Education

Required - Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent training and work experience.

Preferred - Bachelor's degree in Agriculture or Technical Systems Management.

Experience

Required – None.

Preferred - Experience leading a group of people.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of grain or bulk materials handling.
• Effective interpersonal, oral and written communication skills with the ability to interact with all levels of people within and outside the organization.
• Intermediate computer skills, including working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Leadership and managerial skills.
• Conflict management skills.
• Ability to relocate once tr