Head of Trading (USA)

Title: Head of Trading North America (Nuts/Foods Desk)
Contract type: Permanent
Location: California, USA or New York, USA
Salary: Negotiable (newly created position)
Search: Retained & Exclusive Mandate

Imperium Commodity Search has been retained by one of the global leaders in soft commodity and agricultural commodity trading.  In their next phase of exciting growth, our client is seeking to establish an edible nuts trading desk, focused on the under-served US export and intra-US nut trading markets.

Our client is both a leader in physical agro-trading, and in the drive for sustainability and ESG as part of the trading cycle.  As part of this growth, sustainability and market share will coincide to establish a desk that is profitable, rapidly growing, and future-proofed to the ever increasing demand for sustainable supply chain and food-service.

Benefits: 

• Long standing team and senior management, with a proven meritocratic system.  Many of the management associated with this role have worked for the company for well over a decade and grown in seniority from within
• Excellent name for sustainability and specialist desks/brands across a number of soft commodity products
• Newly created desk; the incoming candidate will be responsible for driving the edible nuts desk forward on revenues, market share, PnL and sustainability goals
• ‘on the ground’ experience; many senior management have a background in the production/supply chain of soft commodity products and are incredibly knowledgeable in the full trade cycle, from farm to fork.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Establish a trading desk covering Edible Nuts (Cashew, Almond, Pistachio etc.) in the US, sitting as a product specialist desk within the nuts and ingredients division
• Focus primarily on the sales, trading and merchandising of Cashew Nuts
• Manage and maintain relationships at all stages of the trading cycle, from growers, farmers, suppliers, brokers and customers
• Ensure operational efficiencies and full utilisation of the businesses logistics and operations set up to maintain smooth trade flows of edible nuts, particularly cashews
• Develop relationships with new customers int he US market for the sale of edible nuts (Cashews, Almond, Pistachio etc.) with a particular focus on food groups and wholesalers
• Leverage from existing client relationships that the business has across its other soft commodity trading desks (cocoa, coffee, cotton, sugar etc.)
• Ensure all relevant documentation and operational requirements are timely, accurate and efficient
• Manage relationships with relevant third party suppliers relevant to the cashew/edible nuts trading desk
• Merchandise/Trade Cashew Kernels/Edible Nuts on both FOB and DPP basis across varius US market clients (wholesalers, food-service, brokers etc.)

Experience: 

• Degree educated in a relevant field (agriculture, marketing, sales, finance, trade or business related field)
• Minimum of 5 years experience in a trading or related position, handling sales/trading into wholesalers and distributors in the North American market in a related product area (pulses, coffee, sugar, cocoa, foods, grains, fruits, vegetables etc).  Our client will consider commercially focused operations and middle office candidates that have a genuine desire to move into the trading space but are limited in their current role to do so
• Understanding of shipping operations within commodity trade, particularly foods or nuts and containerised soft commodity products
• Excellent business development and sales ability
• Analytical and entrepreneurial mindset
• Excellent communication skills

If you meet the above criteria, please send your CV/Cover Letter to Mark Taylor & Josh Clark at mark.taylor@imperiumcs.com& Josh.Clark@imperiumcs.comor click the apply button

All conversations are handled in the strictest confidence. You can also reach out to Mark or Josh via LinkedIn, or by telephone to +44 (0) 203 927 5090 or using our local US number +1 312 380 0225