Commercial Sales & Buyer

Job Description

Job Description

Job Summary:

The Commercial Sales & Buyer is responsible for driving revenue and material supply across Sortera's multi-state operations by managing both the purchase of scrap metal and end-of-life (EOL) materials from suppliers and the sale of sorted aluminum alloys to secondary smelters, die casters, mills, foundries, and other commercial consumers. This role requires strong market awareness, negotiation capability, and relationship management skills to grow and maintain a profitable book of business. The Commercial Sales & Buyer works closely with operations, logistics, and finance to align commercial activity with plant production and company objectives.

Essential Functions

These functions are not intended to be a comprehensive list of activities, duties, or responsibilities required for the position.

• Source, negotiate, and purchase scrap metal and other EOL materials from suppliers across multiple states.
• Develop and manage a portfolio of scrap suppliers, cultivating long-term relationships to ensure reliable material flow and competitive pricing.
• Develop and grow a portfolio of consumer accounts across the wrought and cast segments, cultivating long-term relationships to maximize realized value on Sortera's sorted material.
• Identify and prospect new consumer accounts — secondary smelters, sheet and extrusion mills, foundries, and other commercial consumers — for Sortera's sorted aluminum alloys, managing the full sales cycle from lead to close across both wrought and cast products.
• Match plant output to buyer alloy and chemistry requirement.
• Negotiate purchase and sales contracts, including pricing, volume commitments, quality specs, and delivery terms.
• Monitor commodity markets and price indices (LME, Midwest premium, and prevailing scrap and metal spreads) to inform buying and selling decisions and protect margin.
• Coordinate with operations teams to ensure timely fulfillment of customer orders and supplier deliveries.
• Track and report on commercial KPIs including volume, margin, and customer/supplier retention, etc.
• Maintain accurate records of transactions, contracts, and customer/supplier communications in ERP (NetSuite) and CRM systems.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, accounting, and G&A to align commercial activity with plant capacity and cash flow.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. A reasonable accommodation under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, and operate standard office equipment.
• Occasional travel to supplier, customer, and plant sites across Indiana, Tennessee, and Texas.
• Exposure to industrial environments during site visits, including outdoor conditions, noise, and varying temperatures.
• Primarily office-based with significant time spent on phone and video calls.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, or related field required; equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• 3–7 years of experience in commercial buying, sales, or trading in scrap metal, recycling, or commodity-based industries, with sell-side experience marketing scrap aluminum to mills, secondary smelters, and foundries strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success managing supplier and/or customer accounts with measurable revenue or margin results.
• Strong negotiation skills and working knowledge of commodity pricing and market indices.
• Familiarity with scrap metal grades, grades classification, and EOL material streams strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with common aluminum alloys — cast (e.g., 380, 356, 319) and wrought (e.g., 3104 and other 3xxx/5xxx/6xxx grades) — and how chemistry drives buyer demand, strongly preferred.
• Experience with ERP and CRM systems; NetSuite experience a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, AI tools, and Excel for pricing models and reporting.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to build trust with suppliers and customers across diverse markets.
• Self-starter with strong organizational and time management skills; able to manage an account portfolio independently.
• Ability to travel regularly across IN, TN, and TX to meet suppliers, visit customers, and support plant operations.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job. 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:
Sortera strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.