Senior Grain Merchant

cgb; Gladstone (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

CGB Enterprises, Inc. is seeking a grain merchandising professional to support customer service and regional origination at our Gladstone facility.

You will build and maintain grower relationships, manage contracts, and assist in training staff while coordinating day-to-day facility operations. The role emphasizes analyzing producer accounts, expanding customer bases, and contributing to profit and efficiency through effective logistics and communications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent education and experience.
• 3 years' related working experience, including 18 months in grain merchandising.

Responsibilities

• Originate grain purchases from growers and coordinate with origination staff.
• Conduct annual farm/business visits for major accounts.
• Add new business accounts to manage/service and document them.
• Track and analyze customer accounts to evaluate market share and growth.
• Identify underperforming accounts and develop marketing strategies.

Skills

Grain merchandising

Customer relationship management

Contract management

Analytical skills

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM software

Excel

Job description

Thank you for your interest in joining our team! At CGB, you can contribute to meaningful work, grow professionally and personally, and belong in a place where everyone has a voice.

Founded in 1969, CGB Enterprises, Inc. is known as an innovative and progressive leader in the grain and transportation industries. Today, CGB operates an enterprise with over 100 locations and nearly 2,000 U.S. employees overseeing a diverse family of businesses that provide an array of services for producers and logistics services for an international base of customers. The combination of our assets provides a growing organization that is celebrating over 50 years of strength and stability!

Ready to make an impact in grain merchandising? Join our Gladstone team and play a key role in grain origination, commodity trading, customer development, and regional logistics while helping producers maximize value in today's market.

This job is primarily responsible for supporting all day to day needs of customer service and regional and facility origination. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, establishing, maintaining and growing customer relationships, developing a base knowledge of the customer's business, identifying potential customers, mentoring and assisting in the training of staff; managing and maintaining customer contracts and agreements; and leading day to day facility operations, logistics fob trucking, communications, and customer accounting services.

In this job, you will:

• Originate grain purchases from growers; work with origination staff to maximize commercial and producer origination thru team communication and execution.
• Conduct annual farm/business visits for all major accounts.
• Add new business accounts to manage/service.
• Document new accounts and track success.
• Work with manager and others to analyze three year handle information on all producer/commercial accounts assigned to evaluate customer market share and growth/retention.
• Identify accounts that are underperforming and develop a marketing strategy to correct.
• Execute and manage contract including signing and execution of terms, conditions and delivery.
• Review facility and region profit and loss statements; discuss findings and ideas/issues with Facility Manager and Commercial Manager.
• Attend and participate in all producer meetings organized by the organization within assigned facility draw territory.
• Input customer information into the CRM product.
• Other duties as assigned.

Here’s what you’ll need to be considered:

Education

• Required - Bachelor's degree or equivalent education and experience.

Experience

• Required - 3 years' related working experience, including 18 months in grain merchandising.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of grain merchandising, facility cost structures, mix and blend analysis, carry, interest, freight, FOB and CIF marketing/sales, as well as a basic knowledge of facility operations.
• Advanced knowledge of farmer marketing and company marketing tools and underlying functionality.
• Advanced knowledge of how company generates revenue and creates profitability.
• Diverse knowledge of company's overall business, how the industry makes money, futures, options on futures, managing contracts to maximize facility revenue, operational efficiencies and customer service.
• Basic computer skills, including working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Effective interpersonal, oral and written communication skills with the ability to interact with all levels of people within and outside the organization.
• Strong decision making, negotiation, and conflict management skills.
• Contract and customer management skills; including ability to relay accurate information concerning contract balances and settlements.
• Strong time management and prioritization skills, with ability to remain flexible to changing priorities.
• Ability to take direction and willingness to assist where needed and take on new tasks.
• Ability to read/analyze domestic and global industry information.
• Ability to work effectively both autonomously and in a team environment.

Here’s additional information you need to know:

Physical Demands & Requirements

Light work. Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for sedentary work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for light work.

Hearing. Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discriminations in sound.

The employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, and/or operation of machines (