Agricultural Export Manager

About the role

The successful candidate will take end‑to‑end responsibility for developing and executing agricultural commodity exports. Initial priorities include white pea beans, other pulses, sesame and oilseeds sourced from Ethiopia, with coffee added after successful initial operations. This is a hands‑on commercial and operational role that converts buyer requirements into controlled, compliant, and profitable shipments.

Key responsibilities

• Find, qualify, and develop international buyers.
• Obtain product specifications, quantities, packaging, destinations, schedules, inspection requirements, and payment terms.
• Qualify suppliers, cooperatives, traders, cleaning plants, warehouses and processors.
• Coordinate samples, laboratory tests, buyer approvals, cleaning, grading, packaging and inspection.
• Prepare transaction cost sheets, commercial offers and negotiation recommendations.
• Coordinate freight forwarders, customs agents, shipping lines, banks and relevant government offices.
• Manage export documentation, shipment tracking, issue resolution and payment follow‑up.
• Maintain accurate buyer, supplier, sample, quotation, shipment and receivables records.
• Report weekly on opportunities, risks, required decisions, and cash requirements.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in international trade, agribusiness, agricultural economics, marketing, logistics, business administration or a related field.
• At least four years of direct experience in Ethiopian agricultural commodity exports; six or more years preferred.
• Practical experience exporting pulses, beans, sesame, oilseeds or coffee.
• Proven knowledge of sourcing, product specifications, samples, quality inspection, export costing, documentation, customs, freight and international payment methods.
• Strong written and spoken English and Amharic; Afan Oromo is an advantage.
• Strong negotiation, spreadsheet, reporting and relationship‑management skills.
• Available for regular field travel and time‑sensitive shipment work.