Sr. Director, Commodity Purchasing and Risk Management North America

Ingredion Incorporated•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Sr. Director of Commodity Purchasing & Risk Management provides leadership and direction for the company’s end‑to-end commodity procurement and risk exposure across the U.S. and Canada. The role ensures that all commodity positions—corn, feed, meal, and oil—are accurately maintained and aligned with corporate financial and operational objectives. This leader oversees the daily hedging process, including hedge placement and execution, while managing futures and cash ownership to achieve targeted hedge ratios. Working closely with physical corn procurement and agribusiness sales teams, the Sr. Director ensures that all hedge activities are executed efficiently, accurately, and in full compliance with corporate policy and Commodities Leadership directives. A critical aspect of the role involves leading the analytical framework that informs the company’s risk posture. The Sr. Director ensures the integrity of all commodity and agribusiness forecasts, sales obligations, physical and derivative positions, and pricing curve inputs that support the Net Corn Commodity Risk process. Using this analytical foundation, the role recommends appropriate risk mitigation actions and ensures the organization remains within established risk metrics. These insights directly support the US/Canada Commodity Committee, influencing decisions on market exposure, procurement strategies, and commercial alignment. This role also oversees the company’s gross corn forecasting efforts across all grain types, guiding the development of real‑time and forward‑looking gross and net corn forecasts that support Goal, Latest Estimate, and operational planning cycles. The Sr. Director collaborates across functions to ensure forecasting accuracy, scenario readiness, and market‑aligned decision support. This requires a deep understanding of supply and demand fundamentals, market structure, and the financial implications of commodity price movements. In addition, the Sr. Director acts as a subject‑matter expert for the systems and data infrastructure that underpin commodity risk management. This includes understanding and supporting the digital ecosystem—CTRM systems, Triple Point, AgTech, SAP, BW & PowerBI, which collectively enable accurate, real‑time risk measurement and reporting. A key responsibility is helping drive the Risk Management Strategic Initiative and advancing the digital solutions that support a modern, integrated risk management environment. Finally, the role serves as the primary interface between the Hedge Desk, Commercial teams, and external customers—particularly for high‑volume Customer Directed Agreements. The Sr. Director ensures that hedging decisions and hedge allocations for customer‑directed volumes are grounded in a comprehensive understanding of risk metrics, physical basis positions, and the company’s overall commodity exposure. Through strong cross‑functional partnership and market expertise, this role ensures that both commercial commitments and risk management objectives are met in a disciplined, value‑protective manner.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics, Finance, Mathematics, Statistics or other quantitative fields with relevant work experience.
10+ years of work experience in grain or grain processing / merchandising industry and /or similar experience managing financial derivative commodity positions that would include knowledge and understanding of commodity futures & physical transactions, record keeping, and grain accounting.
Deep expertise in agricultural markets, commodity risk management, hedging, and physical grain systems.
Strong analytical and quantitative capabilities with advanced knowledge of statistics, forecasting, and market modeling.
Proven leadership in cross-functional alignment, supplier negotiations, and senior‑level communication.
Experience with commodity trading systems, risk systems, and data platforms (e.g., Triple Point, PBI, DTN ProphetX).
Strong understanding of transportation economics, supply chains, and quality management in grain markets.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership for the Hedge Desk, ensuring effective execution of the US / Canada commodity risk management objectives within the Front Office.
Direct decisions related to hedge structure and the overall financial book, aligning all positions with corporate risk strategy and market conditions.
Ensure compliance with policy‑defined hedge ratios and position limits, maintaining disciplined and transparent oversight of market exposures.
Set and manage hedge parameters, including the upper and lower bounds of hedge ratios and the targeted hedge percentage for the portfolio.
Oversee the development and execution of strategies designed to mitigate market volatility, protecting operating income from adverse commodity price movements.
Review, authorize, and govern all derivative transactions, including futures, options, OTC accumulators, and swaps, ensuring proper risk controls and best‑practice execution.
Develop and guide hedging strategies informed by market fundamentals, technical indicators, and risk‑reward considerations.
Develop and direct the short & long‑term commodity strategy for agricultural markets and energy.
Lead fundamental market analysis for corn, soybeans, and related agri‑products to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
Provide a global perspective on agriculture markets, supply/demand dynamics & price relationships.
Evaluate futures spreads, basis behavior, and the connection between futures and physical markets.
Deliver actionable recommendations for commodity purchases, market timing, and risk positioning.
Oversee Value at Risk (VaR) methodologies and risk quantification frameworks.
Engage in sustainability strategy related to agriculture and energy markets.
Design and implement hedge strategies consistent with corporate risk appetite and policy.
Oversee daily margin activity and manage relationships with futures brokers, FCMs, and market exchanges (CBOT, CME, NYMEX).
Ensure adherence to CFTC requirements and internal governance standards.
Provide oversight for hedging activities related to natural gas.
Guide the use of Triple Point and other hedge execution systems.
Oversee physical contract structures, legal terms, trade rules, and grain industry standards.
Manage pricing strategies for physical commodities including EFP’s.
Provide support on rail & truck transportation strategies to support commodity sourcing.
Evaluate logistical constraints and their impact on procurement, basis, and market exposure.
Lead governance for commodity risk management including policies, controls, and audit readiness.
Own and evolve hedge policies to align with best practices and regulatory standards.
Guide internal and advise on compliance with USDA, & GISPA standards.
Interpret and apply National Grain & Feed Association (NGFA) trade rules and arbitration processes to physical purchase contracts.
Drive alignment across finance, S&OP, operations, and executive leadership.
When needed, lead supplier negotiations and commercial discussions around price, risk, and contract structure.
Act as the internal subject-matter expert on agricultural markets, commodity economics, and physical grain fundamentals.
Serve as the primary external subject matter expert on corn markets, delivering presentations and insights to customers, industry groups, and commercial partners.
Chair and guide the Commodity Committee.
Lead data modeling, forecasting, and statistical analysis using Power BI, ProphetX, and other platforms.
Own and manage key digital systems, including the AgTech platform and Agri-Business SharePoint environment.
Act as process owner for the procure‑to‑pay framework, ensuring that AgTech and SAP operate cohesively to support commodity purchasing and settlement activities.
Oversee market charting, visualization, and analytical tools that support trading, procurement, and executive decision‑making.