Coffee Management Trainee
Join ECOM’s Management Trainee Program in Germany and develop a deep understanding of the soluble coffee business within a leading global soft commodities group.
The Management trainee Program is a 2 to 3 years structured program, based in Germany (Hamburg) is designed for early-career professionals with initial experience in international environments. You may complete short term assignments across origin operations, processing facilities, and global trading offices, depending on business needs.
With a focus on soluble coffee, you will gain hands-on exposure across the value chain—from sourcing and processing to trading and financial performance—while contributing to strategic and operational projects.
The program is designed to accelerate your development and prepare you for future roles within ECOM, validating your leadership potential, technical expertise, and global mindset.
Key Responsibilities
During the program, you will be involved in:
Physical Commodity & Operations
- Procurement of coffee and supplier interaction
- Quality control and industrial processing (with focus on soluble coffee)
- Inventory management and production planning
Logistics & Execution
- Coordination of international shipments and internal logistics flows
- Preparation and review of contracts, invoicing, and shipping documentation
- Compliance with international trade regulations and procedures
Trading & Commercial Activities
- Understanding global coffee market dynamics and trading mechanisms
- Supporting supply chain optimization and forward book management
- Exposure to client relationship management and pricing strategies
- Basic concepts of hedging, FX exposure, and P&L
Finance & Risk
- Introduction to accounting processes and financial systems
- Monitoring FX positions and supporting risk mitigation activities
- Participation in budgeting, forecasting, and month-end closing
- Systems, Data & HR Exposure
- Use of group systems and business intelligence tools
- Understanding data flows across the organization
Profile & Qualifications
- 2–3 years of professional experience, ideally in an international environment (trading, supply chain, operations, or commodities exposure is a strong advantage)
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, Agriculture, a related field, or equivalent experience
- Strong interest in soft commodities and the coffee industry, ideally with exposure to industrial processing or FMCG
- Demonstrated ability to work in multicultural and cross-functional environments
- Analytical mindset with strong problem-solving capabilities
Key Competencies
Proactive, self-driven, and adaptable in fast-changing environments
High learning agility and willingness to take ownership
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Flexible, open-minded, and geographically mobile during the program
Digitally savvy with good knowledge of IT tools and systems
Languages
- Fluent in English (mandatory)
- Additional languages such as German, Spanish or Portuguese are a strong asset
What We Offer
- A structured development program with global exposure
- Hands-on experience in one of the world’s leading coffee trading groups
- Career acceleration towards operational, commercial, or managerial roles
- A dynamic and entrepreneurial international work environment
- Department
- Trade
- Locations
- Germany