Feed Ingredients Buyer

Job Summary :

The Feed Ingredient Buyer is responsible for developing and executing sourcing, procurement, and supply strategies for bulk feed ingredients, including corn, soybean meal, and other raw materials used in proprietary feed formulations. This role serves as a senior subject matter expert, independently managing complex sourcing decisions, supplier negotiations, commodity market considerations, and multimodal inbound logistics while balancing cost, quality, inventory, supply continuity, and risk.

The role partners with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, brokers, producers, and transportation providers to optimize total delivered cost, resolve complex supply and logistics issues, and ensure reliable ingredient availability across assigned mill locations.

Develop and execute sourcing and procurement strategies for corn, soybean meal, and other bulk feed ingredients based on demand, market conditions, supplier capabilities, transportation availability, inventory requirements, and operational priorities.

Independently evaluate sourcing alternatives and make procurement decisions balancing commodity and transportation costs, supply reliability, quality, inventory exposure, and operational risk.

Lead complex commercial negotiations with producers, brokers, trading partners, and suppliers regarding pricing, volumes, delivery requirements, contract terms, and freight arrangements, exercising independent negotiation authority within established business parameters.

Monitor commodity markets, supply conditions, production factors, and transportation constraints and apply price-risk management and derivative hedging knowledge to sourcing and purchasing decisions.

Identify and implement opportunities to improve sourcing economics, supplier diversification, commercial terms, and overall supply reliability.

Apply knowledge of agricultural commodity price-risk management and derivative hedging concepts when evaluating purchasing strategies, market exposure, and sourcing alternatives.

Identify opportunities to improve sourcing economics, supplier diversification, contractual terms, and overall supply reliability.

Manage the inbound supply pipeline for assigned feed ingredients and mill locations, maintaining appropriate inventory levels to support production requirements and supply continuity.

Develop and coordinate logistics strategies across rail, barge, truck, and other transportation modes based on cost, capacity, lead times, inventory positions, and operational requirements.

Independently adjust purchasing and logistics plans and develop alternative solutions in response to market volatility, transportation disruptions, supplier constraints, weather events, and changing production requirements.

Coordinate shipping and delivery requirements with suppliers, carriers, mill operations, and internal stakeholders and manage demurrage, detention, freight, and other logistics-related costs to minimize avoidable expense.

Evaluate significant supply and transportation risks and their potential operational and financial impact, recommending and implementing appropriate actions and escalating material issues to leadership.

Establish and maintain strategic relationships with commodity producers, brokers, trading partners, suppliers, and transportation providers to support reliable and competitive ingredient supply.

Evaluate supplier performance across cost, quality, reliability, service, contract compliance, and delivery, partnering with Quality and Operations to ensure established ingredient specifications and requirements are met.

Manage and negotiate resolution of complex supplier and transportation claims, including quantity, quality, pricing, and delivery discrepancies, while protecting the organization's commercial interests and supplier relationships.

Identify opportunities to strengthen and diversify the supplier base, reduce supply risk, improve commercial terms, and enhance sourcing flexibility.

Serve as a senior subject matter expert on feed ingredient sourcing, agricultural commodity markets, supply conditions, and related procurement and logistics activities.

Analyze commodity, transportation, inventory, supplier, and market data and translate complex information into actionable recommendations for Operations, Supply…