Senior Manager, Carbon Projects Delivery at Conservation International

• The Carbon Finance team works across CI field programs and partner organizations to source and finance a strong pipeline of high-quality NCS carbon projects coupled with innovative financing designed to ensure long-term sustainability and private sector participation. The team taps the deep knowledge and technical expertise within CI to catalyze and improve the quality of gigatons of emission reductions and removals in the voluntary and compliance carbon markets. The CF team prioritizes impact through community engagement and benefit-sharing, biodiversity and environmental benefits, and the application of safeguards.
• The Senior Manager, Carbon Projects Delivery will be responsible for the development and delivery of a portfolio of NCS carbon projects across Africa, ensuring that on-the-ground implementation is executed within agreed timelines and aligned with approved workplans, certification standards, and CI principles of high quality. The role will also be an integral part of the Keystone Protected Area Financing (KPAF) team working in close collaboration with the Rob Walton Foundation to catalyze investment into protected areas.  The role will manage relationships with project partners and work closely with cross-functional teams to drive progress on key milestones, including the development and submission of Project Description (PD) and Monitoring Reports (MRs), and supporting projects through validation and verification processes. Strong coordination across internal project teams and country offices is required to ensure alignment, accountability, and timely execution, including conducting regular field visits at different stages of project development to monitor implementation, assess risks, and provide direct support to teams.
• The Senior Manager will play a key role in the delivery of Keystone Protected Area Financing, in collaboration with the Rob Walton Foundation. This includes supporting early-stage pipeline development, conducting project scoping and due diligence, providing Technical Assistance, including delivery of feasibility assessments, performing field visits, and supporting project partners to move priority opportunities to full-scale development. The individual will communicate project progress to internal stakeholders through appropriate reporting channels, ensuring visibility of key milestones, risks, and achievements across the portfolio.
• The Senior Manager will support the review of financial and grant reports from project partners to ensure funds are utilized in accordance with approved budgets and with strong financial discipline. The role will support the preparation of progress reports to the Rob Walton Foundation and other funders and ensure reporting requirements are met accurately and on time. In addition, the position will help ensure that appropriate systems, governance structures, and operational processes are in place to safeguard project integrity and effective delivery.
• This position does not directly supervise staff.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Management and Delivery

• Coordinate and manage the delivery of a portfolio of nature-based carbon projects across Africa, working closely with CI field programs, relevant CI project teams, partners, and service providers to ensure implementation is aligned with approved workplans, budgets, and timelines.
• Support the delivery of Keystone Protected Area Financing (KPAF) in collaboration with the Rob Walton Foundation. This includes:
• Identification and scoping of project opportunities
• Scoping and delivery of Technical Assistance (TA) packages
• Supporting projects to secure project investment
• Working with Co-Management Partners and Protected Area Management to build local carbon finance capacity
• Develop project specific workplans and identify deliverables in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders, defining key roles and responsibilities to ensure accountability through the project lifecycle.
• Monitor project performance, identify delivery risks, and implement corrective actions to maintain schedule and quality standards.
• Support and maintain project monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
• Work closely with the finance, grants, and contracts unit to track project budgets to ensure that project deliverables are maintained throughout the project lifecycle.
• Manage relationships with project partners, consultants, Validation & Verification Bodies (VVBs), and other service providers to ensure accountability and timely delivery.
• Conduct regular field visits to assess implementation progress, partner capacity, safeguards performance, and overall project readiness.
• Work closely with, coordinate, collaborate, and communicate with all institutional carbon-related staff & teams (field and global programs) to ensure alignment with CI’s NCS and carbon crediting strategies and priorities.
• Support the preparation of progress reports to the Rob Walton Foundation and other donors, and ensure reporting obligations are met accurately and on time.

Carbon Project Development

• Act as a Carbon Finance technical lead on the management and delivery of Project Descriptions (PDs), Monitoring Reports (MRs), and other related documentation to ensure achievement of project validation and verification processes, ensuring compliance with appropriate carbon standards. This includes providing project entities with support on work planning, technical input and review, monitoring and evaluation, and overseeing the work of consultants, Validation & Verification Bodies (VVBs), and other service providers.
• Support carbon project development training for CI countries, projects, and partners on a needs assessment basis.

Pipeline Assessment & Due Diligence

• Support early-stage scoping, feasibility assessments, and due diligence of new carbon project opportunities. This will require desk-top review and technical analysis of relevant documentation regarding project design, as well as direct engagement with project entities and conducting due diligence field visits, where needed.
• Evaluate projected emission reductions/removals, governance readiness, safeguards frameworks, and implementation risks to inform investment decisions.
• Provide structured recommendations on project viability and readiness for development.

Technical Innovation

• Support the development of carbon tools, frameworks, and templates to streamline data gathering, analysis, and narrative elements of feasibility assessments, due diligence reports, PDs and MRs, including but not limited to emissions reduction or removal models, biodiversity and community monitoring, stakeholder engagement, workplans, theory of change models.
• Provide technical assessment and comment on carbon market standards and methodology reviews that the Carbon Finance team will lead.

Safeguards & Project Integrity

• Ensure that qualified experts, systems, and governance structures are in place to uphold safeguards, Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), benefit-sharing commitments, and carbon integrity standards.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This is a full-time position (35h/week).
• Frequent travel (~30%) within the Africa region will be required; often, this will entail travel to remote locations with rustic conditions.
• Flexibility in work schedule is required in order to accommodate time differences between the Arlington, VA office and international field offices located in multiple time zones.
• Guidance on flexible work arrangements will be shared during the interview process. 

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry, rangeland management, ecology, natural resource management, climate science, environmental science, or related fields.
• 5 to 7 years of experience working on the development, due diligence, or delivery of Nature-based solutions (NCS) projects.
• Demonstrated experience with the validation and verification of NCS crediting projects (VCS, Gold Standard, CCBS, etc.), including the development of Project Descriptions (PDs), Monitoring Reports (MRs), and Validation and Verification Body (VVB) audits.
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to develop and analyse carbon models in compliance with appropriate carbon standards.
• Demonstrated experience in project management, including coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and the ability to hold self and project partners accountable for delivery.
• Experience working with local partners, with an understanding of the on-the-ground realities and challenges of project development and delivery.
• Successful track record working with diverse team members, clients, stakeholders, and partners from different economic, cultural, religious, gender, and professional backgrounds in a range of countries and geographic contexts.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Ability to work well under pressure, multitask, set priorities, and deliver quality results
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to build on existing knowledge to develop new approaches.

Preferred

• Master's degree in a relevant field.
• Fluency in French or Swahili.
• Demonstrated field-level experience across multiple Nature-based Solutions (NCS) pathways and project types, including forest conservation (REDD+), restoration of native ecosystems (ARR), improved forest management (IFM), improved rangeland and sustainable grasslands management, and blue carbon initiatives.
• Experience managing multi-country carbon project portfolios across Africa or other emerging market contexts.
• Experience in carbon accounting for soils (e.g., peatlands, wetlands, and rangelands).
• Familiarity with financial structuring of carbon projects, including revenue forecasting, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and carbon project financial models.
• Experience with training field teams on developing and implementing forest, carbon, and biodiversity monitoring plans.
• Experience working with or within the private sector on climate and NCS-related initiatives.
• Experience working with indigenous peoples and traditional communities and knowledge of safeguards frameworks, Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), grievance mechanisms, and benefit-sharing systems within carbon projects.
• Experience working with government partners and supporting the development of policy in various African countries.