Markets for bulk seeds and nuts can shift rapidly. Food importers and exporters need first-hand information and advice on market developments and crop forecasts in different regions around the world. They need to know which origins and exporters offer the most competitive price, reliable quality, and which products are suitable for different markets.

Today's offer may no longer be valid tomorrow. This information is not available through databases, reports, or online sources — it exists only in the relationships you build with exporters and importers, and it changes daily. This is not a desk-research role.

Ponto International is a brokerage company based in Vancouver, BC that provides sourcing and market information services to food importers, exporters and manufacturers worldwide. Ponto focuses on seeds (chia, quinoa, sesame and others) and nuts (cashew, macadamia, Brazil nuts and others), grown and conditioned for export mainly in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. We are hiring a Food Commodity Sales Assistant to research markets and origins of these products, build relationships with exporters and importers and grow Ponto sales.

How you will go about it:

· Working remotely in Vancouver, with occasional meetings and group work at Ponto's downtown offices, you will contact nut and seed exporters in different time zones by phone, WhatsApp and email to collect market information and price offers.

· You will disseminate market reports and offers to importers and manufacturers around the world and respond to inquiries, detailing price, packaging, shipment times, specifications, payment terms and other conditions.

· You will collect food safety, quality and organic certificates and other supplier verification documents, record them in the Ponto shared drive and obtain supplier approval from the buyer.





· You will review and clarify contract conditions and record details in the Ponto CRM.

· You will oversee some shipments start to finish to deepen your understanding of the supply chain — issuing shipping instructions, coordinating sampling, laboratory analysis, label approvals, securing buyer sign-off, and in some cases resolving quality claims.

· You will maintain courteous, professional and prompt communication across time zones and cultures, in many cases by phone in English and Spanish, possibly Vietnamese.

· You will develop relationships with the people at the companies Ponto deals with that go beyond transaction-specific information.

What we need:

· You have hands-on experience working with at least one of these regions — Africa, Latin America, or Southeast Asia — in trading, sourcing, processing, import/export, or quality assurance for bulk seeds, nuts, or a similar agricultural commodity. In your application, tell us which region and which product(s) you have worked with.

· Professional working proficiency in spoken Spanish, required. Vietnamese is an asset, not a requirement.

· The willingness to persist, chase and negotiate. People go quiet. You call, you text, you email without losing your temper and without giving up. This is the requirement we care about most, and we screen for it directly — see the application questions below.

· Ambition to grow your position into full-time with opportunities to travel to international trade shows and visit supplier facilities in origin countries.





Working at Ponto International

· Remote/home office, mostly based in Vancouver, with occasional meetings and group work at Ponto's downtown office.

· Part-time (50%), reporting to Ponto's Sales Director.

· Flexible hours to accommodate different time zones.

To apply In addition to your CV, please answer the following in 3–4 sentences:

1. Describe one specific instance where your outreach or persistence directly led to a sale or deal closing. What did you do, and what was the result?
2. An exporter you've been messaging for several days about a price offer has gone silent. What do you do next, and over what time period?
3. If you needed today's price for a specific cashew grade from a given origin, where would you get it? Walk us through how.

Also include one brief, specific example (2–3 sentences) of a deal, shipment, or supplier relationship you personally handled — enough detail that we can follow up with questions about it. Ponto International is an equal opportunities employer. If you meet the above requirements you are encouraged to apply. Your gender, your gods, your sex life, your skin colour, your origin, your disability status, or your big-shot relative do not make a difference here. Ponto International is a progressive and open-minded meritocracy. If you meet the prerequisites above, and you are good at what you do, come as you are!

Pay: $20.00-$22.00 per hour

Expected hours: 20.0 per week

Advantages

- Versatile schedule
- Paid time off
- Work from home

Application question(s):
- Which products?

Education:
- Bachelor's Degree (preferred)

Experience:
- sales: 2 years (required)
- Africa, Latin America or Southeast Asia: 2 years (required)

Language:
- Spanish (preferred)
- Vietnamese (preferred)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Vancouver, BC

📌 Food Commodity Sales Assistant (Vancouver)
🏢 Ponto International
📍 Vancouver