Head of Operations Cotton

Role Overview

This is a key opportunity to join ED&F Man Commodities’ cotton trading business as  Head of Operations India , leading and continuously improving the domestic operations and trade execution function. Through close commercial partnership with the front office, global trading teams and external logistics providers, you will drive efficient, reliable and cost-effective execution across trucking, warehousing, inventory and delivery operations.

The role will focus on building and strengthening back office processes, leveraging data and digital tools, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement to enhance operational performance, visibility and control. You will also lead and develop a high-performing operations team that plays an integral role in supporting the seamless, compliant and commercially effective movement of cotton.

Position Title:

Head of Cotton Operations India

Location:

Mumbai, India
Position Type:  Full-time

Schedule:

Office based

Business Overview

ED&F Man Cotton  driven by an ambition to become a leading trader of raw cotton, serving customers around the world. The breadth of ED&F Man Commodities existing operations provides ED&F Man Cotton with offices in major cotton producing regions and expertise in operating sustainable containerised supply chains, underpinned by robust risk management procedures.
ED&F Man is owned by  Hartree Partners, LP  a leading global merchant commodities firm facilitating the flow of energy, metals, agriculture, and environmental products across the full commodity supply chain, connecting producers and consumers. Hartree was founded in 1997, is jointly owned by senior management and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, LP, and employs around 5,000 individuals worldwide.

Key Accountabilities:

Oversee the end-to-end domestic execution of cotton trades, including trucking, warehousing, inventory movements, delivery scheduling and documentation.
With support from the Head of Cotton India, build middle and back office resources to enable execution of significant volumes of Indian raw cotton.
Coordinate with trading, contracts, finance and commercial teams to ensure efficient and timely contract fulfilment.
Manage trucking, warehousing and third-party logistics providers, ensuring agreed service, cost and performance standards are met.
Monitor operational performance, resolve delivery and inventory issues, and proactively identify and mitigate operational risks.
Maintain appropriate operational controls, governance and auditable records across domestic logistics activities.
Develop strong relationships with key service providers and drive accountability against agreed KPIs and service levels.
Collaborate with global and regional operations teams to share best practice and leverage existing capabilities.
Ensure the operations team, processes and capabilities remain fit-for-purpose as the business develops.
Optimise existing systems and digital workflows across trucking, warehousing, inventory and trade execution, reducing manual intervention and operational errors.
Develop and enhance data-driven dashboards and KPIs covering transport performance, warehouse utilisation, inventory, costs, service levels and exceptions.
Use data, root-cause analysis and benchmarking to identify and deliver measurable improvements, ensuring benefits are sustained.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging simplification of processes, better use of technology and stronger cross-functional collaboration.

Skills and Experience:

Minimum 5 years’ operations management experience within agricultural commodities, with strong preference for experience in the cotton trading industry.
Proven experience managing domestic logistics operations, including trucking, warehousing, inventory movements, delivery execution and third-party service providers.
Strong understanding of commodity trade operations, contract fulfilment, operational controls and risk management.
Demonstrated track record of continuous improvement, with the ability to identify inefficiencies, analyse root causes and deliver measurable improvements to processes, cost and service.
Experience using data, systems and digital tools to improve operational visibility, automate workflows and enhance performance management.
Strategic and commercially minded, combined with a hands-on, pragmatic and problem-solving approach in a fast-paced trading environment.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work…