Buyer jobs in Akeley, MN

Description

Organizational Background

Columbia Grain International, LLC is a full-service grain and pulses company headquartered in Portland, OR. We own and operate over 60 facilities such as grain elevators and processing plants across WA, ID, MT, NE, and ND to deliver a wide variety of grains, pulses, and oilseeds to a diverse and wide-ranging number of markets both domestically and internationally.

At all levels of our organization, the employees of Columbia Grain represent some of the most experienced and knowledgeable in the industry. The partnerships that Columbia Grain employees have with the farmers and communities surrounding our facilities has created relationships that have lasted for years and given us the ability to consistently produce high quality products to take to market.

Position Description

The Buyer is primarily responsible for procuring (negotiating, buying) and contract management for pulses and grains from local farmers. This includes assurance that procurement is done to maximize returns while maintaining competitive pricing, managing transactions to follow Columbia Grain and customer risk management strategies, ensuring locations do not run out of product, and establishing long-term relationships with suppliers. The Buyer will work with team members to accomplish operational goals while maintaining quality and efficiencies.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for procurement, contracting and transportation of pulses, grain and other products.
• Oversee shipments and logistics that may include off-site storage at other locations.
• Purchase products for any of the regional locations based on supply and demand.
• Develop arbitrage/merchandising opportunities for grain.
• Analyze local supply/demand, competition, and crop and market conditions to buy grain at optimum price levels.
• Gather market intelligence on competitor activities and share with pulse and grain teams.
• Support the processing facility's managers to ensure they have the product they need to operate.
• Assist with sampling, weighing, and contract settlements as necessary.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Skills, Knowledge, Education and Experience

• Bachelors degree in agriculture or business-related field, or 2 - 5 years of industry experience.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Knowledge of fundamental and technical market drivers pertaining to pulses and grains.
• High attention to detail and ability to multi-task.
• Ability to read and interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with all levels of management.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to be flexible and adaptive to successfully achieve the function of the position.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and the ability to calculate figures and divide in units of measure (BU, ST, MT and CWT) using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Good work ethic (team environment, both safe and quality), efficiency and willingness to perform all required work with good attendance.

Benefits Offered

• Comprehensive health, dental, and RX benefits
• Company paid life insurance and disability
• Flexible spending plans
• Employee assistance program
• 401K retirement savings plan
• Paid holidays, vacation and sick leave

Successful completion of initial and ongoing employment screens, including but not limited to criminal background and vehicle record as required.

Columbia Grain is an Equal Opportunity Employer