Overview
As Head of Barley Trading you lead the combined Feed Barley and Malting Barley books, delivering key P/L and growth objectives within risk parameters. You will set barley strategy, partner with commodity leads, and drive execution across physical and derivative markets. You’ll synthesize market intelligence, manage a barley trading team, and escalate material risks to enable informed commercial decisions. This is a senior role shaping barley trading capability, risk discipline, and cross-commodity collaboration within ADM’s Grain Trading team.
Pay / Benefits
- subsidised health & fitness offers
- flexible work models
- mentorship programme
- Women’s and Multicultural Employee Resource Groups
- ADM Pride Employee Network
- mental health support and Mental Health First Aiders
Responsibilities
- Lead the combined Feed Barley and Malting Barley books to achieve GM, P/L, volume, and return targets
- Develop and execute a growth plan to increase annual combined GM
- Set barley trading strategy with commodity leads across positions, basis, futures, spreads, and exports
- Identify and execute physical and derivative trading opportunities within delegated authority
- Coordinate with commodity leads to clarify ownership and exposures
- Consolidate market data and provide book-level risk, forecast, and P/L reporting with escalation of material issues
- Provide line management to barley commodity leads and team members, setting objectives and developing capability
- Oversee aggregate barley exposure and ensure adherence to strategy and risk controls
- Agree origination priorities and ensure timely pricing, buying requirements, and market updates
- Build strategic relationships with merchants, maltsters, exporters, and trading partners
- Identify value across barley through liquidity, exports, freight, and cross-commodity links
- Collaborate with Farm Trading, Logistics, and wider Trading to improve decisions
- Ensure correct contractual execution and resolve issues with escalation as needed
- Review haulage overspend, claims, defaults, and quality issues; implement improvement actions
- Work with seed breeders and Seed trading team on varieties, supply programmes, and new market opportunities
- Act as senior leader promoting trading discipline, risk management, integrity, and capability development
Key requirements
- Significant senior agricultural commodity trading experience with demonstrated P/L generation
- Experience managing sizeable physical and derivative trading books; knowledge of basis, futures, spreads, and risk management
- Strong understanding of UK and European grain markets; direct barley experience beneficial
- Proven leadership and performance management capability with ability to lead and develop traders
- High numeracy and commercial judgement; able to take accountable risk-based decisions
- Strong negotiating and relationship-building skills with major customers and stakeholders
- Highly results-oriented, self-motivated, and capable of setting challenging objectives
- Ability to operate as a senior commercial leader within a trading team
- strong leadership
- commercial judgement
- risk-aware decision-making
- basis, futures, spreads, and risk management
- commodity supply chains across barley
- market analysis and forecasting
Head of Barley Trading employer: ADM
At ADM Erith, we pride ourselves on fostering a culture of continuous improvement and safety, making us an exceptional employer for Process Engineers. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through ongoing training opportunities and collaboration with a dedicated team that values innovation and efficiency. Located in a dynamic environment, we offer a supportive workplace where your contributions directly impact production excellence and safety standards.
