Merchant Trainee

Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. Our activities span the entire value chain from farm to fork, across a broad range of business lines. We leverage our global reach and extensive asset network to serve our customers and consumers around the world. Structured as a matrix organization of six geographical regions and ten platforms, Louis Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries and employs approximately 18,000 people globally.

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

• 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 inter‑company chat system.
• Gain understanding to organize and execute FOB bushel ownership program and dispatch trucks.
• Build foundational understanding of the facilities for logistics scheduling.
• Gain foundational knowledge to organize rail schedules for grain/product trans‑load to barge/vessel at facility.
• Help 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 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, compute weigh and probing/grading operations.
• Participate in regular crop tours to assess conditions and potential yields to anticipate markets.

Must have a valid driver’s license.

Preferred:
Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Finance, Business Administration or other business discipline.

• Commodity merchandising/origination/trading.
• Commodity risk management.
• Logistics (coordination of shipments and deliveries).

Preferred:
Previous experience in corn, soybeans, soymeal, or DDGs, ethanol and/or energy products.

• Basic knowledge of futures markets, hedging and arbitrage.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong quantitative skills, including basic knowledge of statistics and 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.

Equipment Use – typical office equipment: PC, telephone, scanner, PDA’s. Where appropriate, personal protective equipment (PPE) will be worn in compliance with company standards and governmental regulations.

Working Conditions – primarily works in a climate‑controlled office environment with periodic visits to operational areas resulting in exposure to a variety of temperatures and prevailing weather conditions. May also result in occasional exposure to dust, odors, gases, vapors, wet or slick surfaces and loud noises. Occasional extension of regular working hours may be necessary to complete time‑sensitive projects, attend training or respond to emergencies.

Processes a variety of information and data to devise and execute trading strategies. Negotiates with trade counterparts to maximize corporate returns.…