Merchant Trainee

Louis Dreyfus Company • Portage, IN

17d

About The Position

This position will be responsible for merchandising grains and oilseeds with specific emphasis on origination into the Burns Harbor, IN lake terminal. This position starts summer 2026.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• Must have valid driver’s license
• Internship experience in one or more of the following: Commodity Merchandising/Origination/Trading. Commodity Risk Management Logistics (i.e., coordination of shipments and deliveries)
• Basic knowledge of futures markets, hedging and arbitrage
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong quantitative skills, including basic knowledge of statistics, algebra (e.g., supply and demand relationships, analysis of price relationships)
• Ability to organize multiple responsibilities, prioritize workload and perform multiple tasks simultaneously
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Must be able to climb stairs
• Must be able to periodically work outdoors and lift small objects
• Proficiency with spreadsheet and word processing software, (e.g., Excel and MS Word).
• Must be a motivated self-starter

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Finance, Business Administration or other business discipline.
• Previous experience in corn, soybeans, soymeal, or DDGs, ethanol and/or energy products.

Responsibilities

• Train to aggressively originate commodities by developing a rapport with local farming/commercial community through direct communication.
• Report real-time market information on the Louis Dreyfus intercompany chat system.
• Gain understanding to organize and execute FOB bushel ownership program and dispatching trucks.
• Begin foundational understanding of the capabilities of the facility for logistics scheduling.
• Gain foundational knowledge to organize rail schedules for grain/product transload to barge/vessel at facility.
• Help to devise and execute origination strategies for commodities.
• Learn to track daily positions, inventory and assist in hedging and composing sales to the export desk.
• Learn to assist and resolve customer discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Participate in daily conference calls reporting market information to regional traders.
• Help to compose market wires and distribute facility updates.
• Participate in customer visits and industry social events.
• Gather news, statistics and information related to individual commodity supply and demand from customers and trade sources and distribute that information to the remainder of the group to support overall strategic trading/positioning (i.e., contributes to research function).
• Train to identify, qualify and capture new business.
• Learn to operate the CINCH program, Compuweigh and probing / grading operations.
• Participate in regular crop tours to assess conditions and potential yields to anticipate markets.

Benefits

• We provide a dynamic and stimulating international environment, which will stretch and develop your abilities and channel your skills and expertise with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the largest and most solid private companies in the world.
• - Comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental and vision care coverage, flexible spending account plans, employee assistance program, life insurance and disability coverage
• - 401k with Company Match
• - Family Friendly Benefits including childbirth and parental leave, fertility and family building benefits
• - Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays
• - Flexible work available (not applicable to all roles)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees