Business Planning & Commodity Specialist at Olam Agri – Kaduna

Olam Agri is recruiting a Business Planning and Commodity Specialist in Kaduna to analyse groundnut procurement economics, seasonal pricing, raw-material sourcing and inventory strategies for a proposed processing operation.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Business Planning & Commodity Economics Analyst to evaluate the commercial viability of a proposed groundnut processing venture, with primary focus on groundnut procurement economics, seasonal pricing patterns, inventory carry opportunities, and raw material sourcing strategy.

The successful candidate will analyze historical groundnut pricing cycles, supply-demand dynamics, storage economics, and procurement strategies to determine whether significant value can be created through peak-season procurement and inventory management. The role will also support business planning, financial modelling, and investment decision-making.

Responsibilities

Commodity Market & Pricing Analysis

• Analyze historical groundnut pricing trends across key producing regions.
• Assess seasonality, harvest cycles, supply fluctuations, and price movements.
• Identify opportunities for value creation through harvest-season buying and off-season sales/processing.
• Evaluate the economics of inventory carry, including storage costs, financing costs, wastage, shrinkage, and quality deterioration.
• Build procurement and inventory optimization models.
• Develop price forecasting scenarios and sensitivity analyses.
• Assess market dynamics affecting groundnut oil, groundnut cake, and related by-products.

Raw Material Sourcing & Supply Chain Assessment

• Map key groundnut-producing regions and sourcing channels.
• Evaluate supplier networks, aggregation models, and procurement risks.
• Assess availability, quality, logistics, seasonality, and supply reliability.
• Recommend optimal procurement and storage strategies.

Financial Modelling & Commercial Evaluation

• Develop pricing and margin models for processing operations.
• Evaluate procurement economics under multiple market scenarios.
• Build cash flow and working capital models linked to procurement strategies.
• Perform sensitivity analyses covering commodity prices, storage costs, financing costs, yields, and inventory holding periods.
• Support investment decision-making through commercial and profitability assessments.

Business Planning Support

• Translate commodity analysis into strategic recommendations.
• Develop commercial assumptions for the business case.
• Identify key risks, constraints, and mitigation strategies.
• Support preparation of investment memoranda and management presentations.

Technical & Operational Assessment (Secondary)

• Validate key assumptions relating to processing yield and operational efficiency.
• Review indicative processing capacities and operational requirements.
• Support development of high-level CAPEX and OPEX assumptions where required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Finance, Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, Statistics, Business Administration, Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years relevant experience in: Agricultural commodity analysis, Commodity trading, Procurement strategy, Agribusiness consulting, Market intelligence, Business planning and commercial analysis.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing agricultural commodity markets.
• Strong financial modelling and quantitative analytical skills.
• Strong understanding of commodity pricing mechanisms, procurement economics, supply chains, and inventory management.
• Excellent stakeholder management, reporting, and presentation skills.

Experience

• Experience in the relevant [agricultural, food, oilseed, grain, ground nut cake etc.] processing industry will be an advantage.
• Experience working on projects in Nigeria and familiarity with local regulatory, infrastructure, sourcing, financing, and market conditions would also be advantageous
• Commodity trading firms, agribusinesses, procurement organizations, commodity research firms, or agricultural value chains.
• Commodity forecasting and market intelligence.