Grain Specialist - Royal, NE

Central Valley Ag Cooperative•Orchard, NE

About The Position

As a Grain Specialist, you will originate grain for Central Valley Ag’s overall position profitably through direct producer contact. You will manage sales activities from lead generation through close in an assigned territory, working with sales and support teams to achieve customer satisfaction, generate revenue, and meet long-term account goals aligned with the CVA brand, vision, and values. The role involves developing a customer base, conducting on-farm sales calls, identifying producer needs, and offering whole-farm solutions. You will educate producers about CVA risk-management tools, follow cooperative grain marketing policies, stay informed about market trends and customer and competitor activity, and maintain sales records in the CRM. You will also develop an annual business plan and strategic customer list with the sales manager and coordinate with CVA location managers, operational support staff, and sales professionals to promote cross-selling.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Agriculture, Agribusiness, or a related field.
Have or be able to obtain a Series 3 license.
Proven background in profitably purchasing grain from farmers and commercial elevators for ethanol production.
Clear understanding of grain marketing, including hedging, basis analysis, and flat pricing grain.
Understanding of grain accounting and contract recordkeeping.
Leadership skills and high integrity.
Solid business profit-management experience.
Ability to research and prepare analyses to respond to internal and external inquiries in a timely, professional, and thorough manner.
Proficiency in Excel and ability to learn AgriCharts.
Proven results and sustained growth in sales and market share.
Ability to communicate professionally and establish effective working relationships with internal operations and external customers.
Works in a way that makes safety a priority and promotes a safe work environment.
Strong listening and interpersonal skills.
Ability to plan, prioritize, organize, and manage resources to accomplish goals within defined timelines.
Works well with others to achieve common goals.
Strong computer-application competencies, including Microsoft products.

Responsibilities

Originate grain profitably in accordance with Central Valley Ag’s overall position, using merchandising principles and risk-management tools.
Develop a customer base of strategic customers and prospects through direct personal contact and support in an assigned territory.
Conduct on-farm sales calls to identify customer needs and engage customers with Central Valley Ag whole-farm solutions.
Educate producers about the benefits of CVA risk-management tools for mitigating operational risk.
Follow the cooperative’s grain marketing policy, including policies concerning transportation-based bids, margins, inventory and open grain positions, price-later contracts, sales and hedging contracts, deferred-payment contracts, grain bank policy and rates, and drying rates and shrink discounts.
Stay abreast of market trends, CVA’s credit policy, competitor practices, and customer behavior.
Maintain accurate records of sales and prospecting activities, including sales calls and follow-up, in Central Valley Ag’s CRM tool.
Develop an annual business plan and strategic customer list with the sales manager to focus on meeting or exceeding sales and profit goals.
Identify customers’ preferred communication methods and use technology to make doing business with Central Valley Ag easier and more effective.
Communicate with Central Valley Ag location managers, operational support staff, and sales professionals in the territory to promote cross-selling.
Represent the Central Valley Ag brand by building trust, valuing others, communicating effectively, driving execution, fostering innovation and problem-solving, focusing on customers, collaborating, and demonstrating integrity.
Perform other duties as assigned.