Director - Wood Products and Timber

Fastmarkets•Boston, MA

About The Position

This is an exciting opportunity for a growth-minded candidate eager to lead the group responsible for economic analysis of wood products and timberland markets including North American lumber, panels and timber forecasts, global woodchip markets, and wood bioenergy/ forest carbon analysis. The Director, Wood Products and Timber leads the team that develops and authors the forecasts that inform executives with invaluable data and insights and underpin the cost inputs to many of our grade-specific forecasts. The Director, Wood Products and Timber takes direct responsibility for the overall house wood products and wood fiber view, through their management of the team, overseeing data collection and analysis, developing and producing medium and long term forecasts, and coordinating with our short-term prices and predictions to provide a coherent picture of supply, demand, capacity, costs and key trends and drivers. The ideal candidate will thrive in our fast-paced and innovative environment. They will employ a can-do attitude with a passion for advising clients while managing a wide variety of resources and processes to meet delivery requirements.

Requirements

In-depth, senior level knowledge of timberland and wood products commodities
Experience in analysis and characterization of North American lumber, panels, and wood fiber markets
Excellent written and verbal English skills
Confident presenting at industry events, in front of customers, and with internal stakeholders
Able to foster and develop relationships in the relevant industry
Strong analytical/mathematical/econometric modelling skills
Comfortable with coaching and career development for junior colleagues Collaborative team player with demonstrated thought-leadership capability
Comprehensive understanding of statistical foundations, particularly with regards to time series data and forecasting.
Desire to apply economics analysis to a complex commodity markets
Appreciation of advanced statistical modelling and forecasting, some exposure to machine learning a plus. Able to critically assess statistical analyses and forecast models and suggest improvements.

Responsibilities

Supervise and produce recurring reports and data on North American and global wood products and timber markets.
Ensure timely and accurate delivery of all Fastmarkets RISI WP/ Timber area forecast products.
Provide thought leadership for continued development of the full practice area and forecasting models and methodologies, including emerging areas such as hardwood, pallets, and forest carbon/ carbon sequestration markets.
Model entrepreneurship by fostering innovative practice area initiatives.
Maintain marketplace contacts to stay in touch with industry developments and market fundamentals.
Speak and/or represent Fastmarkets RISI as a leading global practitioner at conferences and outside events as requested or identified as value-adding opportunities.
Communicate with customers regularly to support the sales team, deepen relationships and assist with business development.
Scope, lead and/or deliver single and multi-client studies in wood and timber area.
Manage the global wood and timber team including supervision, engagement, and employee development.
Assist in planning and delivering group and company-wide initiatives
Collaborate with and mentor other members of the broader analytics team.
Control input to our products from internal and external contributors to guarantee timely and coherent updates for our customers.
Partner with Fastmarkets Events producers to develop compelling event programs, leverage relationships in the marketplace to recruit external speakers, and present forecast content on stage and online.