Journalism Jobs Chicago

A vital, front-line position tasked with developing expertise and understanding of global agriculture markets with a specific focus on either primary geography or the main commodity.

A flexible price reporting role, blending elements of journalism, economics, and relationship skills, the price reporter is the eyes and ears of our coverage, charged with delivering breaking news, daily commentary, and pricing services and working with the regional and international team to oversee appropriate methodology that underpins robust price reporting services.

Main responsibilities:

• Thorough fundamental knowledge of planting cycles, supply chains, end uses, key participants, and trends with a particular focus on cash markets to deliver strong, representative price assessments backed with thorough supporting content
• Collect pricing data and assess prices in line with the appropriate methodology and to a standard in line with IOSCO principles
• Write a daily market commentary reporting on significant trends, major price movements, and major factors shaping today’s price
• Manage and expand the number of industry contacts that submit or verify pricing data and provide unique cash market insights for news and analysis
• Develop connections with the industry via face-to-face industry meetings where possible, telephone, or other media, always representing the Fastmarkets Agricensus brand
• Provide cover on other, related agriculture markets and ensure consistency in assessing at all times
• Work with the management team to help foster the use of Fastmarkets prices in industry negotiations, physical contracts, and as financial settlement prices for derivative instruments
• Be the first point of contact for any editorial queries relating to our news or pricing services, escalate and alert the management team when appropriate
• Identify new opportunities to expand coverage, launch new pricing services, or improve the methodology
• Help foster Fastmarkets prices and expertise through the team’s engagement priorities, which include producing PRA content, deeper analysis of trends, participating in internal and external events, promoting the company on social media, and attending industry meetings
• Attend appropriate internal training courses

Skills & experience

A diverse range of skills and experience is required, mostly tied together by strong communication skills and self-starting instincts.

• A high level of written and spoken English is essential. Knowledge of other languages is also helpful
• Strong grasp of economic fundamentals, understanding of agricultural cycles, and interest in financial and commodity markets
• Exceptional networking and communication skills and good, confident telephone manner
• Ability to work with discipline and dynamism, taking the initiative to cover stories and root out information
• Team player who fosters an excellent working culture and acts, internally and externally, in a professional manner with integrity
• Ability to work with numbers and spreadsheets as well as handle large volumes of data to produce analytical editorial copy
• Practical experience in journalism, writing, or industry exposure, with a focus on an ability to spot market-moving news, layout and structure basic news articles, and support wider collaborative pieces