UK Food Trader
- Crawley, West Sussex
- £40,000-85,000 per year
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Identify new and existing opportunities in both domestic (UK) and international markets (e.g. EU, Asia, Middle East).
- Source and negotiate pricing, contracts, and terms with suppliers and clients.
- Align trade activities with company goals for volume, margin, and profitability.
- Track global market trends, geopolitical events , currency fluctuations, and commodity prices.
- Provide insights to inform hedging/tender strategies and manage risk.
- Stay aware of emerging opportunities (e.g., new export markets or imported product innovations).
- Ensure all imports and exports adhere to UK food safety regulations
- Prepare and manage accurate documentation
- Coordinate with customs brokers, freight forwarders, and logistics teams to ensure timely delivery and customs clearance.
- Develop and maintain relationships with international suppliers (e.g. producers, packers, cooperatives) and domestic clients (e.g. wholesalers, foodservice operators, retail chains).
- Address supply chain issues, navigate disruptions, and ensure product quality and delivery expectations are met.
- Work closely with logistics, quality assurance, finance, and legal teams to align trading activities with logistical capabilities and financial controls.
- Coordinate quality inspections, trace-ability, and food safety assessments
- Strong commercial acumen, negotiation ability, and pricing strategy capability.
- Deep understanding of UK and international food trading markets and terminology
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
- Sharp analytical skills-comfortable with numbers, forecasting, and margin calculations.
- Adaptable and resilient-with experience managing regulatory or supply disruptions.
- IT literate: advanced Excel
- Track record in food trading, commodity trading, or international agri-food procurement-preferably with UK-based import/export experience.
- Strong network within the food industry: producers, wholesalers, exporters/importers, customs brokers.
- Knowledge of UK trade policy changes, post-Brexit regulatory updates, and incident response in supply chain.
- Degree in Supply Chain, International Trade, Business, Economics, or related discipline (preferred but not mandatory).
- Be at the heart of global food movements-shaping what gets traded and where.
- Work in a fast-moving environment
- Opportunity for international travel and developing global networks.
- Contribute to strategic growth and market diversification in the UK's dynamic import/export sector.