Beijing Axis Commodities

Commodity Sales and Analyst

Role:

• Sell and purchase commodities for international and Chinese clients
• Analyse commodity offers and requests; understand prices, demand and supply pressures
• Verify the background of potential buyers and sellers
• Engage trading processes, negotiate trading terms, and manage the transaction until success
• Manage client relationships
• Develop extensive Chinese customer base
• Analyse commodity trading market and instinctively understand current trends
• Coordinate the various parties of trading transactions across the supply chain
• Analyse Chinese companies' needs for industrial commodities, recommend priority areas for development and international sourcing by our South Africa, Australia, Latin America and Russia / CIS teams

Requirements:

• Excellent academic background; specialized trading/commodity qualifications preferred
• 3 - 5 years' work experience in commodity trading profession
• Thorough, detail-oriented and responsible
• High energy and drive; ability to coordinate deliverables and teams across different locations
• Ability to multitask, and lead simultaneously multiple responsibilities and projects
• Customer-oriented, sound negotiation skills between buyers and sellers
• Sound knowledge of trading transaction and contract management process
• Trading knowledge of coal or any ferrous and nonferrous metals will be highly preferred
• Understand the logistics of commodity trading
• Solid understanding of both Chinese and international business cultures
• Excellent English and Chinese communication skills (written and verbal) as well as presentation skills

Desired Skills & Experience:

• Strong customer relationship management ability and/or business development ability
• Successful experience in developing new clients and creating business opportunities

Beijing Axis Capital

Corporate Finance Analyst

Role:

• Research and analysis of project information including, but not limited to, company study, industry analysis, potential investor identification, and other necessary research and analysis
• Desk research and trend watch on various business areas related to Beijing Axis Capital. These include, but are not limited to, the Chinese mining and resources sector as well as the industrial and engineering sector; trade and investment relations between China and Africa, Russia, Australia and Latin America; China's OFDI and M&A; and government regulation
• Processing, analyzing, interpretation and presentation of relevant data in Excel, Power Point and Publisher software for external as well as internal projects
• Cross-checking data presented in Beijing Axis Capital and project documentation, ensuring that information is accurate and reliable
• Operational assistance for project road show, as well as commercial missions for companies, associations and chambers of commerce
• Assisting in project management and client liaison

Requirements:

• Excellent English skills, both spoken and written, favourable TOEFL and GMAT scores preferred
• A finance or accounting or business bachelor degree
• Strong time management skills
• Strong entrepreneurial spirit, with a certain level of initiative
• Good command of Office software, especially Excel and PowerPoint
• Result and detail oriented personality, highly responsible for deliverables
• Internship or work experience in an appropriate or related field preferred
• Sound analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in teams with colleagues from diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Customer-focused and good team spirit

Desired Skills & Experience:

• Leadership experience or work experience in a start-up company
• Strong customer relationship management ability and/or business development ability
• Successful experience in developing new clients and creating business opportunities

Beijing Axis Procurement

Position 1： Buyer (Mechanical / Electrical Background)

Role:

• Identifying suppliers and evaluating their capability from a commercial point of view
• Project managing sourcing schedules (i.e. ensure that specialised capital equipment is manufactured to required standards and delivered on time and within budget)
• Managing suppliers and clients through proactive personal interaction and communication
• Collating and approving suppliers and contractors as well as making recommendations for each enquiry/RFQ package
• Monitoring and supporting expeditors and QA/QC inspectors
• Maintaining good relations with clients and suppliers/contractors
• Ensuring Functional Manager is kept informed of status/problems
• Producing documentation to support and satisfy Clients' requirements

Requirements:

• A bachelor degree or above in mining, mechanics, electronics or related major, with minimum 3 years work experience in fields of procurement, sales or other related fields
• Exposure to mining or metallurgical industries preferred
• Sourcing or manufacturing project management knowledge and skills essential
• Proficient in the use of commonly-used business software
• Ability to organise and present facts and arguments in a persuasive and convincing manner
• Good research and analytical capabilities
• Good communication skills and team work ethic
• Excellent English and Mandarin, both written and spoken
• Willingness to travel (maximum 1/4 of work time)

Position 2: QA/QC Sourcing Engineer

Role:

• QA/QC and expediting for mechanical and electrical equipment and fabricated steel for Beijing Axis Procurement team and clients
• Coordination with buyers in the Beijing Axis Procurement team and clients for inspection notifi cations
• Inspection in accordance with Inspection and Test Plans (ITPs) and instructions from clients
• Manage and monitor third-party inspection companies, if required
• Process all deviations from ITPs and Non-Conformance Reports
• Manage documentation related to all Inspection Reports, Inspection Release Notes and Inspection Waivers issued
• Performing expediting, if required, including setting up and managing delivery schedules, resolving delivery issues, etc.

Requirements:

• Bachelor degree or above in mechanical or electrical engineering, metallurgy, mining or related major
• Minimum 5 years experience in QA/QC in mechanical or mining engineering and/or processing equipment industries
• Familiarity with relevant international standards and codes
• Thorough understanding of steel grades, engineering drawings, design aspects and AutoCAD software preferred
• Project management skills essential
• Quality engineering experience and/or certifi cation preferred
• Good communication skills and team work ethic
• Excellent English and Mandarin abilities, written and spoken
• Willingness to travel

Beijing Axis Strategy

Position 1: 3-month contract position as Project Lead Consultant
The Beijing Axis
Johannesburg
1 June 2011

To download this Job Description as a PDF file, please click here.

The Beijing Axis has been selected by a major Chinese state-owned manufacturer of heavy machinery to develop a market entry strategy for the South African market, with the ultimate aim of developing a base for sales and services to also serve the rest of Southern Africa. The project will be delivered over a period of three months, with final delivery scheduled for the last week of September 2011.

The successful candidate will work under a Project Manager who will only be intermittently involved in day to day execution, and then mostly on an administrative and quality control level. The Project Lead Consultant will thus need to take the lead in conceptual planning, resource management, execution and delivery of a high quality, actionable Market Entry Strategy.  

The Project Lead Consultant will be managing one consultant in Johannesburg and one consultant in Beijing.

The final product will, amongst other issues, need to comprehensively address the following questions:

• What process should be followed to establish the venture or ventures? What investment vehicles should be employed, and how should the venture be structured?
• What level of investment is required? Manufacturing vs. assembly vs. parts & service support?
• What are the other critical regulatory issues that need to be addressed?
• What products should be introduced into the South African market, and how should it be positioned? How should these products be adjusted and improved to fit the local market? How should marketing and sales be approached?
• How should the client’s newly formulated strategy be integrated and harmonised with its current business in South Africa?
• What human resource strategy should be adopted?
• How should the client go about developing a public relations and CSR strategy?
• How could the newly formulated South Africa strategy serve as a platform for a long term Africa strategy?
• What is the recommended timeline for establishing the venture?
• What will the financial implications be?

Particulars of contract:

Candidate requirements:

• Management consulting experience of more than 5 years
• At least 3 years’ experience in managing consulting projects
• CA (SA), MBA or other business/financial qualifications. Qualifications will be assessed within the context of the candidate’s experience.
• Sound analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in teams with colleagues from diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Excellent English composition skills. As the final product will be translated into Chinese before delivery to the client, the copy must be sufficiently clear for translation to be done without any explanatory assistance from the author
• A passport valid until at least 1 April 2012, as the successful candidate will need to travel to China on at least one occasion (in order to arrange a Chinese visa, six months’ validity after return is required)
• Experience in formulating and delivering market entry strategies in the machinery sector is a definite advantage, but not essential
• Experience in delivering consulting projects for Chinese companies is beneficial but not essential
• The ability to speak Mandarin is an advantage, but as the project is to be executed in South Africa, not essential

Interested parties should please send a curriculum vitae and cover letter to Dirk Kotze at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it before Monday 13 June.

Position 2: Strategy Consultant

Role:

• Analysis of clients' business needs and development of problem-solving methodologies; address complex problems by fi nding creative solutions
• Desk research and trend monitoring in various Beijing Axis Strategy business focus areas; including the Chinese mining and resources sector as well as the industrial and engineering sector; trade and investment relations between China and Africa, Russia, Australia and Latin America; China's OFDI and M&A; and government regulation
• Process, analyse, interpret and present relevant data in MS Offi ce for external as well as internal projects
• Cross-checking data presented in Beijing Axis Strategy project documentation, ensure that information is accurate and updated
• Operational assistance for business exhibitions as well as commercial missions for companies, associations and chambers of commerce
• Authoring and co-authoring business articles

Requirements:

• Business and/or technical degree with a post-graduate qualifi cation
• Minimum 5 years experience in a consulting, research or analysis role
• Experience in the formulation and execution of research methodologies and analysis
• Sound analytical and problem-solving skills
• Thorough understanding of Chinese market and doing business in China
• Ability to work in teams with colleagues from diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Good communication skills and team work ethic
• English and Mandarin profi ciency
• Willingness to travel