How to hire a grain origination specialist

How to hire a grain origination specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step grain origination specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a grain origination specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new grain origination specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a grain origination specialist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a grain origination specialist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a grain origination specialist that fits the bill.

   This list presents grain origination specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Grain Origination Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Grain Origination Specialist	Buyers and purchasing agents buy products and services for organizations to use or resell. They evaluate suppliers, negotiate contracts, and review the quality of products.	$13-37
   Buyer	A buyer's duties include product sourcing and comparing resources for the best product range that would suit the specific needs of the business. Buyers must have excellent communication and negotiation skills to evaluate items that most likely benefit the customer and improve the sales of daily operations with cost-efficient products... Show more	$17-36
   Produce Buyer	Being a produce buyer requires commercial awareness, confidence, the ability to be a team player, interpersonal, math, and IT skills, as well as the ability to cope with high pressure. This position will demand negotiation and collaboration with produce suppliers in promoting, pricing, and advertising products... Show more	$19-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Origination
   • Market Trends
   • Commodities
   • Market Analysis
   • Customer Service
   • Outbound Calls
   • Bank Statements
   • Tax Returns
   • UCC
   • Risk Management Strategies
   • Inbound Calls
   • Employment Verifications
   • Loan Applications
   • Income Verification

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage margins for purchase commodities base on export market and barge freight.
   • Analyze and support development and execution of underwriting, automation and operational strategies to efficiently and effectively manage the portfolio.
   • Prioritize and expedite timely shipment estimates, including working with the advance dollar process; finalize commodities as appropriate.
   • Collaborate with team members to fully understand financial conditions and to provide financial solutions to expedite loan origination and funding.
   • Establish overall infrastructure for off-shore development including communication plan, QA, testing and packaging, functional and detail design standards
   • Review documentation to determine if RESPA disclosure triggers are enabled.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your grain origination specialist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A grain origination specialist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, grain origination specialists' average salary in illinois is 34% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level grain origination specialists 63% less than senior-level grain origination specialists.
   • Certifications. A grain origination specialist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a grain origination specialist's salary.

   Average grain origination specialist salary

   $48,136yearly

   $23.14 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level grain origination specialist salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

4. Writing a grain origination specialist job description

   A good grain origination specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a grain origination specialist job description:

   Grain origination specialist job description example

   Want to build a stronger, more sustainable future and cultivate your career? Join Cargill's global team of 155,000 employees who are committed to safe, responsible and sustainable ways to nourish the world. This position is in Cargill's agricultural supply chain business, where we seamlessly connect farming customers with food, feed and industry.
   **Job Purpose and Impact**
   
   The Grain Origination Specialist will represent the critical link between customers, commercial accounts and the company's customer facing strategy. In this role, you will translate regional and local cash commodity market knowledge into timely and competitive service offerings for customers.
   
   **Key Accountabilities**
   
   + Develop and maintain relationships with core customers and select commercial customer segments.
   
   + Focus on competitively positioning commodity offers in local cash markets to efficiently source them through our processing facilities while focusing on maximizing profitability for both customers and the company.
   
   + Develop a deep understanding of the basic market access needs desired by customers in the segment and work to quickly adapt to changes in these needs with shifts in local cash markets.
   
   + Collaborate with internal sales, merchandising, customer service and operations teams to meet customer needs efficiently and in a manner which is tightly linked to regional and local cash market strategies.
   
   + Enable an efficient and effective customer experience through utilizing our systems and digital offerings.
   
   + Consistently identify and communicate customer insights back into the business unit that can be utilized to create and enhance standardized customer segment value propositions, as well as overall business strategy development.
   
   + Independently solve moderately complex issues with minimal supervision, while escalating more complex issues to appropriate staff.
   
   \#LI-AP2
   
   **Qualifications**
   
   **Minimum Qualifications**
   
   + Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience
   
   + Commercial and financial acumen
   
   + Understanding of basic production agriculture principles
   
   + Commercial or sales experience
   
   + Minimum of two years of related work experience
   
   **Job Information**
   
   + This position is located in Olathe, Kansas | Blair, Nebraska | Cedar Rapids, Iowa
   
   + This position is open to remote in the states of Iowa or Nebraska only.
   
   Cargill highly encourages vaccinations but does not mandate at this time. Upon hire, you will be asked to provide your vaccination status, and if unvaccinated or if you choose not to disclose, you would be expected to follow Cargill's safety protocols for unvaccinated employees (i.e., mask mandates, and social distancing).
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability/Vet.
   
   At Cargill, everyone matters and everyone counts. Cargill is committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive and diverse work environment where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. As such and in alignment with our Guiding Principles, Cargill's long-standing equal employment opportunity policy prohibits discrimination and harassment against any employee or applicant based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, marital status, family status, citizenship status, veteran status, military status, union affiliation, or any other status protected by law.
   
   Cargill also complies with all applicable national and local laws and regulations pertaining to non-discrimination and employment.
   
   Notice to Recruiters and Staffing Agencies: Cargill, Inc. and subsidiaries ("Cargill") have an internal recruiting department. Please review this notice.
   
   US Employment Resources: Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disability/Vet.

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5. Post your job

   To find grain origination specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any grain origination specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level grain origination specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your grain origination specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit grain origination specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit grain origination specialists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new grain origination specialist

   Once you've selected the best grain origination specialist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new grain origination specialist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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