Director of Foreign Exchange and Commodities Risk Management

Director of Foreign Exchange and Commodities Risk Management

Requirements

• Knowledge of the products, types, competitors, customer base, major issues and regulatory considerations in the financial markets; ability to apply financial market knowledge to various business environments.
• Knowledge of effective presentation tools and techniques to ensure clear understanding; ability to use summarization and simplification techniques to explain complex technical concepts in simple, clear language appropriate to the audience.
• Knowledge of relationship management techniques; ability to establish and maintain healthy working relationships with clients, vendors, and peers.
• Knowledge of effective team building techniques; ability to form and manage effective teams.
• Understanding the necessity and value of accuracy; ability to complete tasks with high levels of precision.
• Knowledge of the principles and methods of managing treasury; ability to use tools, techniques and processes to maximize the value of an organization’s financial assets and revenue while minimizing risk.
• Knowledge of effective planning techniques and ability to contribute to operational (short term), tactical (1-2 years) and strategic (3-5 years) planning in support of the overall business plan.
• Understanding of the criticality of getting things done despite current circumstances and the ability to utilize assigned resources and leverage back-channel resources (individuals or teams) to achieve or exceed planned outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Leads a global team who manages the collection and analysis of Caterpillar’s foreign currency and commodity exposures.
• Works closely with business partners to consult on foreign exchange and commodity items; provide foreign exchange and commodity training; and serve as an internal expert for foreign currency and commodity hedging topics.
• Assesses the company’s risk exposure in foreign currencies and commodities. Analyzes and evaluates factors that could impact the cost of hedging those exposures. Maintains regular contact with corporate bank traders, economists, and strategy teams plus conduct extensive reading on developments in the financial markets and hedging instruments. Develops strategies to manage foreign currency and commodity price risks.
• Works with foreign exchange and global commodity trading teams to implement approved strategies. Must develop or have knowledge of foreign exchange and commodity instruments and option tools. Recommends appropriate prices to trade and works with corporate banks for quotes and trade execution.
• Prepares reports for upper management on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis. Ensures coverage is within agreed limits and properly settle contracts. Participates in quarterly review sessions with Vice President & Corporate Treasurer, Sr. Vice President of Global Finance Services Organization and Chief Financial Officer. Must be able to explain hedging strategies and results to this Executive management group.
• Sets monthly peg rates and annual business plan rates for the company. Prepares files for upload to the corporate general ledger and verify accounts balance. Explains monthly marked-to-market results on outstanding contracts. Leads Sarbanes Oxley (SOX), internal audit, and Price Waterhouse Coopers reviews for all foreign currency and commodity derivatives. Develops, updates and maintains documentation for Risk Management audits to ensure acceptable controls are in place.
• Manages the Foreign exchange and commodity modules within the Quantum Treasury workstation. Manages the foreign currency and commodity forecast process. Manages interfaces between 360T (trading platform), Finastra/Misys & ICE (confirmation platforms), Quantum (contract management/reporting platform) and the Caterpillar accounting systems.
• Provides advice to business units on foreign currency and commodity topics. Trains individuals on foreign exchange and commodity risk management best practices. Responsible for training foreign currency and commodity risk management administrators in trading tools, policies and practices, system usage, and report preparation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge in foreign exchange and commodity risk management products, services and operations
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, insurance or business administration
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to maintain strong working relationships with internal and external partners
• Demonstrated commitment to ensuring a strong compliance culture (organization, policies and procedures) highly desired
• Proven track record of demonstrating courage and emotional intelligence, including a high level of responsibility, initiative and stress tolerance
• The ability to prioritize workflow and accomplish tasks across the organization through collaboration and delegation