Safex Certified Maize Trader

**Maize Trader**

**1. RESPONSIBILITIES**

**Strategy**
- Develop grain marketing strategies from analysing the markets and supply and demand
- Utilize internal and external networks with International Futures Exchange entities and specialized areas such as Agricultural Products Division SA, SAFEX, agricultural advisors, credit agricultural department, and farmers associations to formulate and optimize the customer’s grain marketing strategy.
- Implement maize grain marketing strategies via SAFEX, Futures Markets
- Negotiate and facilitate transactions in person.
- Manage maize grain prices through daily trading on Futures Exchanges, SAFEX, and supervising bids to Co-ops where applicable to achieve budgeted financial results.
- Identify opportunities for continuous business development, risk analysis and mitigation along the entire supply chain (procurement, logistics, clearing, storage, processing, and distribution)
- Support manager with the long-term plan for business initiatives to address constraints (capital, system, and people), understanding the changing business landscape, considering the macro-economic environment e.g., international trade volumes, values, prices and seasonality, country specific legislation or economic conditions; trade agreements that could influence exposure, collateral valuations and strategic decisions

**Risk Management**
- Monitor the agricultural market, including climatic conditions and competitor activity, to understand portfolio risk profile.
- Perform regular crop estimates for input cost insurance purposes.
- Monitor and report on customer exposures that could place the company at risk.
- Regularly review, analyse, ensure compliance and understand the impact of statutory and regulatory requirements in agri-markets
- Identify risks, propose mitigating measures to contain or manage the it in an iterative manner from project inception to close
- Keep abreast of technology developments, process changes and customer facilities within portfolio of responsibility

**Stakeholder Management**
- Manage relationships with third parties to establish and maintain robust networks with key personnel at leading global, regional, and local suppliers
- Develop professional relationships with a portfolio of agricultural customers by providing proactive grain marketing strategies that consider customer needs, profitability, market information, and risk.
- Advise customers on the risks associated with grain marketing strategies.
- Manage distribution channels and partnerships to ensure efficient and effective delivery of products within respective portfolio to customers
- Support relevant stakeholders by providing customer insights through regular communication delivered through presentations to enhance decision making

**Business Development**
- Identify trading opportunities through supply and demand analysis, arbitration potential, spread trading, and flat price trading.
- Identify potential customers, develop and establish long-term relationships
- Develop value propositions, negotiate and conclude contracts with customers, using all instruments to maximize value
- Develop, manage and retain customer relationships
- Provide input into business development strategies for the pipeline of exports
- Manage sales targets and plan marketing initiatives in line with portfolio goals
- Conduct market analysis to execute trades
- Research and develop trade finance frameworks for the portfolio and capture on database for day-to-day pricing, credit lines, confirmation service and operational trouble-shooting requirements in agri-market
- Demonstrate a firm understanding and working knowledge of Agribusiness - export enhancing projects to enhance production of agricultural products
- Disseminate relevant agri-market information to customers
- Develop context-specific, market-aligned strategies for business development on acceptable, sales and cost of sales metrics for the portfolio
- Identify efficiency improvement opportunities within the process

**2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE (INHERENT JOB REQUIREMENTS)**

**Qualifications**

.Safex certified Maize Trader
- BSc Agriculture or BCom International Trade (Essential)
- 5 years’ experience in trading agriculture markets
- Transport and Logistics experience (Advantageous)
- Good understanding of commodity, financial and trading markets and strategies

**Competencies and Skills**
- Excellent interpersonal, relationship building and communication skills
- Excellent project management, planning, organisational and coordinating skills
- Excellent research skills
- Good business acumen
- Risk management and compliance monitoring
- Understand the regulatory landscape in trading and financial markets