Nature Based Solutions Methodologies Lead

C-Quest Capital LLC (CQC) is a leading global carbon project developer, social impact investor, and climate finance specialist. Our mission is to transform the lives of families in the most vulnerable communities in developing countries by providing access to clean and sustainable energy solutions and improving the health and well-being of women and children. We do this through investing in carbon reduction and removal programs, which provide clean and efficient energy appliances, small-scale agriculture, and forestry services to vulnerable populations. We generate carbon credits from our projects and make revenue from the sale of these credits through our dedicated commercial division. 

   

CQC’s carbon programs have improved the lives of over 20 million people in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and Central America. Our ambition is to reach over 175 million people by 2035. We have successfully raised substantial funding to be able to make our ambition a reality.    

CQC is headquartered in Washington DC, USA, with subsidiaries in India, Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom and operations across the globe. 

Background: CQC is rapidly expanding its portfolio of nature-based carbon removals projects across a range of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Within the NbS portfolio, we have launched a series of pilots working closely with communities and smallholders on assisted natural regeneration, afforestation, agro-forestry and regenerative agriculture. To support the ongoing development and implementation of a number of NbS trials, pilots and programmes across the Global Portfolio, CQC is looking for an individual with deep technical carbon project experience to lead the technical assessment and on-going monitoring and reporting of agriculture and forest carbon projects across the portfolio.

The Role: CQC is hiring a Nature Based Solutions Methodologies Lead (AFOLU - Agriculture, Forestry & Other Land Use) to support the feasibility, evaluation, design, and monitoring of nature-based carbon offset projects across the global portfolio. The role will bring experience of the carbon project development process; validation & verification cycles and advanced technical expertise to support the development of carbon and biodiversity assets. They will also help to build and grow CQC’s in-house capacity on the evaluation, planning and ongoing monitoring and assessment of its NbS portfolio. The successful candidate will work directly with the Head of Nature-based Solutions and closely with CQC’s Chief Scientist and lead AFOLU experts within the Carbon & Sustainability Accounting Team (CSAT) on the planning and execution of land-use and GHG related assessments, monitoring, and audits at different project stages, types and locations across sub-Saharan Africa in compliance with guidelines from the leading GHG crediting programmes.

Core Tasks:

Technical evaluation & supervision:

• Ensure the timely assessment of carbon removals and/or reduction potential of new NbS project opportunities, conduct project risks assessment and provide technical input into project development, verification/validation and implementation under the carbon and co-benefits standards (VCS, The Gold Standard, CCB, SD-VISta).
• Ensure projects are aligned with best practice methodologies to ensure that the carbon removals our reforestation partners create are science-based and aligned with industry standards.
• Ensure the highest quality of the full carbon project cycle activities, from ex-ante carbon assessments and estimations to methodological application, project document development, and supporting auditing processes for project validation and verification for credit issuance.
• Planning and development of data collection tools to understand baseline scenarios and monitoring project activities in different countries; providing field research support to trials across the region (designing and collecting baselines, sampling, monitoring)
• Provide technical review to ensure that proposed NbS projects meet technical feasibility criteria to initiate the carbon and/or biodiversity project development and implementation cycles.
• Work closely with CSAT team and Field Staff to ensure quality and reliability of data being collected, close coordination with CSAT to ensure smooth interactions with VVBs, and various project stakeholders on regular basis.

Advancing CQC’s technical and scientific processes

• Contribute to enhancing the technical and scientific processes, tools, and analysis applied to CQC’s NbS portfolio development and implementation.
• Ensure that CQC’s NbS team is up to date on the latest technical and methodological developments across a range of AFOLU methodologies and project types.
• Support the identification and development of applying cutting edge science, technology and digital tools to measuring and monitoring changes in a range of carbon pools.

 Growth & capacity building

• Supporting the growth of the NbS technical team as the portfolio develops, identifying key resource and technical needs in line with growth of the business and market developments.
• Build internal expertise and capacity on a range of technical carbon skills, including of remote sensing, GIS, ecosystem modelling technologies, MRV and digital MRV.
• Coordination and training with CSAT, cookstove operations and field staff on data collection and assessment techniques to build capacity and extend NbS programme through existing cookstove project areas.

Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Advanced degree in the field of climate or ecosystem sciences, agriculture, forestry, environmental management, environmental engineering, natural resources conservation and management, climate, and carbon mitigation-related fields.

• Extensive experience in AFOLU projects for climate mitigation, natural resources conservation and management, forestry, sustainable agriculture or land management, conservation, or related fields.

• Hands-on experience in methodologies for carbon project development and certification in the AFOLU sector of the Voluntary Carbon Market, including familiarity with carbon standards like CDM, Verra, Gold Standard, CCB, in particular the development and validation of project design documents.

• Experience with a complete validation & verification cycle of an AFOLU project

• Understanding and ability to design in-field feasibility assessments and manage carbon and ecological data sets.

• Experience in proximal sensing, remote sensing, GIS tools is advantageous.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills and the ability to clearly articulate when reporting data.

Location & Travel: Candidate can be located remotely, preferably in Europe, Africa or India. The job will require international travel to project sites.

Compensation: Competitive salary commensurate with experience.

Supervision: Dual reporting line to the Head of Nature-based Solutions and Head of CSAT.