Head of Barley Trading

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

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