Ingredient Commodity Merchant

As the Ingredient Commodity Merchant, you will play a key role in supporting our feed milling operations across PA, IN, and NC. Reporting directly to the Procurement Director, you will take a hands-on leadership approach, overseeing grain and ingredient purchasing, transportation logistics, quality assurance, and purchasing data management. Your leadership will emphasize cost-effective feed production, meticulous attention to detail, and logistical efficiency. Remote work available but, must be able to visit PA Feed Mill once a week to work with feed mill team.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Cost Savings

• Expand and manage direct grain sourcing from local producers.
• Understand relative value of alternative ingredients and price relationship to major ingredients to guide purchasing decisions
• Solicit vendors for quarterly amino acids, and vitamin and trace mineral premix bids, select winning bids, and communicate with all feed mills of premix source changes
• Evaluation of rail vs. truck freight spreads for major commodities deliveries
• Analyze and understand CBOT / CME ingredient market technical conditions and basic commodities fundamentals, as well as local basis conditions for making purchasing decisions
• Secure claims from soybean meal processors when soybean meal protein levels are below guaranteed minimums
• Collecting ingredient market information/market intelligence from various sources (i.e. rail, grain farmers, ingredient vendors, export/global news, local basis)
• Analysis of toll mill ingredient pricing and benchmarking CVFF toll mill ingredient pricing to market prices and competitive data analysis

Purchasing and Inventory Management

• Create and manage purchase contracts in IT ERP system for grain and ingredients.
• Overseeing and managing the IT ERP systems that track ingredient shipments, inventories, and the supply of goods to meet all demands
• Monitor inventory levels to place appropriate orders for the demands of production
• Maintain current and historical cost data for all ingredient purchased items
• Use a IT ERP ordering system for requisition and Purchase order creation to order all ingredients to stock the feed mills and bagged warehouses
• Monitor and resolve purchasing issues or discrepancies and complete all required reports
• Complete all purchase orders, organizing, and confirming delivery of goods and services

Vendor Management

• Maintain Vendor contact list (multiple levels of each vendor organization - CSR, Sales Rep, VP of Sales, President, Plant production Manager, other)
• Develop and maintain grain origination from large grain producers to provide a local market with added value and a secure supply for CVFF.
• Develop and maintain grain origination from selected CVFF production partners
• Build and maintaining long-term relationships with all vendors and key suppliers

Communication

• Prepare all required procurement reports
• Notify the management team immediately with any purchasing issues or discrepancies that affect the production system for the current day/week.
• Communication with feed milling, feed desk, production, and accounting/ finance personnel

Team CVFF

• Participate in weekly Level 10 department meeting
• Performance Excellence participation and developmental programs as required
• Periodically attend production and accounting meetings
• Participate in Monthly Area leadership meetings as requested

QUALIFICATIONS:

• You have 1-year Micro/Amino Sourcing
• You have 2 years' experience of RV trading / alternative by-products/feed ingredients, truck/rail logistics and cash/futures trading.
• You are multi-task oriented and a team player.
• You have the ability to define problems, collect and interpret data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• You thrive in a fast-paced environment and can physically be standing on your feet a majority of the day with the ability to lift 50 lbs.
• You are available to work Monday thru Friday, with some weekends and holiday work required.
• You are committed to meeting and exceeding industry standards in care and welfare of our animals.