Business Unit Head - Agri Commodities

Head – Pulses & Agri Commodities

Location: Thrissur, Kerala

Organization: ESAF Co-operative

About the Role

ESAF Co-operative is seeking an accomplished and entrepreneurial leader to head its Pulses & Agri Commodities business. The role demands a seasoned professional with a proven track record of building and scaling profitable commodity businesses, strong market intelligence, and deep expertise in procurement, processing, trading, and value-chain management of pulses and other agricultural commodities.

The successful candidate will drive end-to-end business strategy across sourcing, trading, processing integration, wholesale distribution, private label development, and export opportunities, while ensuring sustainable growth, profitability, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

•⁠ ⁠Lead and grow the Pulses & Agri Commodities business as an independent profit center.

•⁠ ⁠Develop and execute sourcing, procurement, trading, and sales strategies across domestic and international markets.

•⁠ ⁠Build strong procurement networks with farmers, FPOs, aggregators, mandis, traders, and institutional suppliers.

•⁠ ⁠Drive commodity trading operations with a strong understanding of market dynamics, pricing trends, demand forecasting, and risk management.

•⁠ ⁠Oversee integration with processing facilities, ensuring efficiency, quality, yield optimization, and supply continuity.

•⁠ ⁠Develop and expand private label and branded commodity offerings.

•⁠ ⁠Identify and develop export market opportunities for pulses and agri commodities.

•⁠ ⁠Establish robust quality assurance, food safety, and regulatory compliance systems.

•⁠ ⁠Drive commercial performance, working capital efficiency, collections, and profitability.

•⁠ ⁠Build and lead a high-performing team while implementing scalable processes and systems.

•⁠ ⁠Monitor commodity markets, crop patterns, government policies, and industry developments to identify business opportunities and mitigate risks.

Desired Candidate Profile

•⁠ ⁠Minimum 15 years of relevant experience in pulses, grains, spices, or agri commodities business.

•⁠ ⁠Demonstrated success in managing and growing a commodity trading, procurement, processing, or distribution business.

•⁠ ⁠Strong understanding of commodity markets, procurement ecosystems, mandi operations, pricing mechanisms, and supply chain management.

•⁠ ⁠Hands-on experience in processing operations, quality standards, yield management, and plant integration.

•⁠ ⁠Proven ability to manage large procurement volumes and develop sourcing networks.

•⁠ ⁠Experience in wholesale, institutional sales, private label development, or export business will be highly preferred.

•⁠ ⁠Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering revenue growth and profitability.

•⁠ ⁠Excellent leadership, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

•⁠ ⁠Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify and capitalize on market opportunities.

What We Are Looking For

We are looking for a business builder—not just an operator. The ideal candidate should have successfully managed a commodity business, understand the pulse value chain from farm to market, and possess the vision and execution capability to build one of India's leading agri-commodity platforms.

Interested candidates may send their profile to: [Confidential Information]

Contact: +91 97784 17089