Coffee Trader

Role purpose The Coffee Trader will develop and manage profitable physical green coffee business, with a particular focus on origination from Ethiopia. The role owns the trading cycle from origin development, market analysis and customer development through pricing, hedging, contract execution, logistics coordination, collection and final P&L. The successful candidate will combine a strong Ethiopian sourcing network with commercial initiative, disciplined risk management and close cross‑functional execution.

Key responsibilities
* Develop and execute the green coffee trading strategy for assigned origins, products and customer markets.
* Lead Ethiopia origination by developing reliable supply channels with exporters, cooperatives, washing stations, producers and other approved origin partners.
* Maintain current knowledge of Ethiopian crop cycles, producing regions, grades, quality differentials, availability, local market dynamics and export requirements.
* Build and maintain relationships with producers, exporters, merchants, roasters and other commercial counterparties.
* Originate physical coffee and negotiate purchase and sales contracts, including price, quality, delivery, payment and Incoterms.
* Maintain the position book, forward book and daily P&L, ensuring accurate mark‑to‑market valuations and timely reporting.
* Monitor coffee futures, differentials, foreign exchange, freight, crop developments, weather, supply‑demand fundamentals and regional market conditions.
* Hedge price exposure using appropriate futures and other approved instruments, operating within authorised trading and risk limits.
* Manage inventory, open positions and contractual exposures to protect margins and minimise basis, price, counterparty and execution risk.
* Coordinate closely with operations, logistics, quality, finance, trade finance and legal teams to ensure accurate and timely contract execution.
* Follow shipments, documents, claims, receivables and collections through to completion, escalating issues promptly.
* Identify new routes, origins, customers and product opportunities that can deliver sustainable volume and gross margin.
* Prepare forecasts, budgets, market reports and commercial recommendations for senior management.
* Comply with internal policies, counterparty limits, sanctions requirements, anti‑bribery controls and applicable trading regulations. Candidate profile
* At least five years of relevant experience in physical green coffee trading, origination or a closely related soft‑commodity trading role.
* Proven hands‑on green coffee origination experience in Ethiopia is essential, supported by an active network of credible exporters, cooperatives, washing stations or producers.
* Strong knowledge of Ethiopian coffee regions, crop calendars, grades, quality profiles, differentials, local purchasing practices and export logistics.
* Demonstrated ownership of physical positions, trading P&L, forward books and mark‑to‑market reporting.
* Practical experience using coffee futures to hedge physical exposure and protect trading margins.
* Strong understanding of physical commodity contracts, logistics, quality specifications, Incoterms, trade finance and counterparty risk.
* Established commercial relationships in Ethiopia and the wider East African coffee market.
* Strong numerical, analytical and Excel skills, with the ability to turn market information into clear trading decisions.
* Commercially confident, disciplined and able to work independently while collaborating effectively with operational teams.
* Clear written and verbal communication skills and the ability to negotiate across cultures and markets.
* Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, finance, supply chain or another relevant discipline. A postgraduate qualification is advantageous.
* Willingness to travel internationally to origins, suppliers, customers and industry events.
* Success measures
* Profitable trading performance against agreed volume and gross‑margin objectives.
* Accurate daily position, P&L and mark‑to‑market reporting.
* Compliance with approved risk, credit and counterparty limits.
* Timely contract execution, shipment performance and collection of receivables.
* Growth of sustainable supplier and customer relationships and development of viable new trading routes. Personal attributes Commercially driven and entrepreneurial, with sound judgement, integrity and a disciplined approach to risk. Comfortable taking ownership, working at pace and remaining close to the operational detail required to turn a trade into realised cash and margin. Competitive salary with performance-based bonus. Opportunity to work in a global commodity environment. Exposure to international markets and leading industry players. Career development in a fast‑growing trading team. #J-18808-Ljbffr