Seed Sales and Origination Manager

 

Seed Sales and Origination Manager

About Us:
Welcome to Ardent Mills, a company dedicated to helping our customers innovate and grow, with the industry’s broadest range of traditional and organic flours, alternative grains, customized blends and specialty bread products. Our ingredients are backed by unrivaled technical support, food safety solutions and the supply assurance of a coast-to-coast network of more than 35 community mills and blending facilities, an artisan commercial bakery, and gluten-free pulse and ancient grains cleaning, milling and packaging facilities. We are Ardent Mills, working with you for the good of grain. And we’re looking for dynamic people to join our team. 

About Ardent Mills Emerging Nutrition:
Ardent Mills is committed to being the one-stop partner of choice for customers seeking alternative grains and traditional flour solutions. Ardent Mills Emerging Nutrition is our center of expertise, supporting customers as they innovate with and incorporate alternative grains with confidence. As a center of expertise, we provide specific capabilities to support our customers’ growth through exploration, sourcing, and development. We provide specialized knowledge in on-farm programs, alternative grains, both form and function along with internal expertise from field to fork. The Emerging Nutrition group is a dedicated team committed to cultivating the future of alternative grains and plant-based ingredients. As a member of the Emerging Nutrition Risk and Grower Relations team, the Emerging Nutrition Specialty Grain Originator will explore, development, source and market alternative grains, ingredients and other value-added products aligned with Ardent Mills Emerging Nutrition Vision, Mission and Strategy.  The Emerging Nutrition Risk and Grower Relations team will manage risk while collaborating cross-functionally to grow and market the organic wheat and alternative grains portfolio. 

The Role:
Under the direction of the Specialty Grain Risk Merchant, the Specialty Grain Originator is considered a “boots on the ground” person that will cover the Emerging Nutrition origination in the Palouse region. This role will be instrumental in building producer relationships while originating alternative grains, pulses and organic wheat to support the Emerging Nutrition Product Portfolio. The Specialty Grain Originator should be familiar with origination strategies including the relative value of commodities, monitoring of competing crop rotation options and understanding of underlying commodity price direction. This role will need to understand the relationship between futures and cash markets, have a comprehension of wheat class spreads, freight, and possess a working knowledge of customer specifications and the grain optimization process.
The Specialty Grain Originator must have excellent interpersonal, relationship building and communication skills. This role requires a person that can apply creativity, passion and entrepreneurial spirit to source and build out the Emerging Nutrition raw material supply chain. This role is an integral part of the Emerging Nutrition Risk and Grower Relations team. The expectation of the Specialty Grain Originator is to identify origination opportunities, expand the grower footprint and contract acres that align with our strategic intent.

A successful candidate will have the following attributes:
•    The ability to deliver results in first-time situations, inspire others, and earn trust every day
•    The willingness to serve others with understanding, respect, and care
•    The ability to originate grain through an honest approach with integrity and price discipline
•    Willingness to engage with growers, administration staff and commercial teams to execute timely shipment of grain purchases and monitor contract applications
•    The competency to execute strategic origination plans tailored to enhance the EN Risk position
•    The ability to operate with simplicity, clarity, and transparency cross-functionally with Sales, Commercial Teams, RQT and Operations.
•    The ability to organize, prioritize, and own multiple tasks while meeting and/or exceeding deadlines
•    The ability to learn and apply new technology, with the willingness to share knowledge with others
 

Above all, you will be expected to carry out all your activities with reliability, integrity, compliance, and in a safe, environmentally responsible, and efficient manner.
 

Your Responsibilities:
•    Frequent on-farm visits with growers throughout the Palouse region.
•    While collaborating with the Specialty Grain Merchant, execute the Emerging Nutrition Alternative Grains origination strategy through analysis of market data, customer needs, and market position.
•    Source specialty grains that align with business needs and growth opportunities to support the Ardent Mills Emerging Nutrition Product Portfolio, while maximizing the total business margin for Ardent Mills.
•    Regularly engage with customers and growers to understand their business, understand their needs, develop business relationships, and become the supplier/partner of choice. This will include phone calls, physical visits, and participation in industry sponsored events where applicable.
•    As needed, serve as a subject matter expert that will support strategy and growth plans for the business. 
 

Essential Skills & Experience:
•    Bachelor’s Degree Required
•    Minimum 5 years of experience in the following areas: commodity origination, applying commodity transaction principles, managing commodity margins, logistics and freight planning
•    Knowledge of agriculture and agronomy production 
•    Proven experience working in a fast paced, transactional environment where you had accountability for decisions that had direct impact on a company’s ability to generate revenue
•    Proven communication, teamwork and leadership skills with the ability to deliver results by inspiring, serving others, and working to earn trust every day
•    Proven problem solving and analytical skills while operating with simplicity, clarity and transparency
•    Ability to formulate strategy, make decisions, and execute plans effectively
•    Ability to work as a member of a team towards a team goal, while managing one’s own projects
•    Demonstrated communication skills, both written and verbal
•    Demonstrated flexibility to adapt to changing conditions in the business and effectively apply change management leadership
•    Motivation and ability to execute projects/tasks on time, strong prioritization and time management skills
•    Must have an entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to drive innovation and passion for the Emerging Nutrition Product Portfolio and specialty processing across the business
 

Nice to Have:
•    Farm origination experience in the Palouse region.
 

Other Considerations:
•    Ability to travel up to 50%
•    Ardent Mills is headquartered in Denver, CO. This role is remote with a home base located in Montana.  The successful candidate will be expected to commit to periodic presence in the Denver HQ office, the frequency of which is open to discussion with the hiring manager. 

EEO Commitment
At Ardent Mills, everyone matters, and everyone has a voice. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and team members and the decisions will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs.  We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, aboriginality, ancestry, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, age, political affiliation, or any other non-merit characteristic protected by law or not.  Together, celebrating our differences, we make Ardent Mills.
The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this position.  It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees in this position. The description, duties, functions, and responsibilities are subject to change at the discretion of Ardent Mills.  

 

 

Location:

 

 

Pullman WA

Address:

1652 Old Wawawai Rd, Pullman WA, 99163

Additional Locations (if applicable):

Employment Type:

Full time

Additional Information:

Competitive Compensation:

We provide market-driven base pay, based on skills, abilities, and level of experiences. Our salary ranges are broad, and individual salary will be market competitive based on a candidate’s unique set of skills and level of experience. The starting range for this position is $110,000. - $130,000., with additional earning potential possible commensurate with experience. Additionally, we believe that our team members are the reason for our success and all team members are incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and individual results achieved. While the specific bonus plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions, the targeted bonus plan and targeted percentage amount for this role is Bonus - MIP, 10% Annual.

Benefits:

At Ardent Mills we offer a wide range of benefits to our team members and their eligible family members. Some of our great benefit programs you may be eligible for include: • Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage• Health and Dependent Savings Accounts • Life and Disability Programs • Voluntary Benefit Programs • Company Sponsored Wellness Programs • Retirement Savings with Company Match • Team Member and Family Assistance Program (EAP) • Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays • Employee Recognition Program with Rewards (RAVE).

Application Deadline:

EEO Commitment:

At Ardent Mills, everyone matters and everyone has a voice. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal opportunities are available to all applicants and team members and the decisions will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, age, political affiliation, or any other non-merit characteristic protected by law or not. Together, celebrating our differences, we make Ardent Mills. The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this position. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees in this position. The description, duties, functions, and responsibilities are subject to change at the discretion of Ardent Mills.

En Ardent Mills, todos importan y todos tienen voz. Estamos comprometidos a brindar un ambiente de respeto mutuo donde haya igualdad de oportunidades disponibles para todos los solicitantes y miembros del equipo y las decisiones se basarán en el mérito, la competencia, el desempeño y las necesidades comerciales. Estamos orgullosos de ser un empleador que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades. No discriminamos por motivos de raza, color, religión, credo, origen nacional, ascendencia, estado civil, sexo, orientación sexual, identidad o expresión de género, discapacidad física o mental, embarazo, información genética, condición de veterano, edad, política. afiliación, o cualquier otra característica no meritoria protegida por ley o no. Juntos, celebrando nuestras diferencias, formamos Ardent Mills. La descripción del puesto anterior ha sido diseñada para indicar la naturaleza general y los deberes y responsabilidades esenciales del trabajo realizado por los empleados dentro de este puesto. Es posible que no contenga un inventario completo de todos los deberes, responsabilidades y calificaciones requeridas de los empleados en este puesto. La descripción, los deberes, las funciones y las responsabilidades están sujetos a cambios a discreción de Ardent Mills.

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