Senior Managing Consultant - Forestry & Agricultural Value Chain

South Pole is an energetic, global company offering comprehensive sustainability solutions and services. With offices spanning all continents across the globe, we strive to create a sustainable society and economy that positively impacts our climate, ecosystems and developing communities. With our solutions, we inspire and enable our customers to create value from sustainability-related activities.

Our Consultancy & Advisory Services team provides our clients with outstanding technical expertise that enables the successful implementation of complex sustainability projects. Our expertise spans across multiple topics including land and water management, climate strategies, renewable energies, environmental impact assessments, green products, climate policy, carbon pricing, climate finance, and sustainable finance, to name just a few. If you are a smart, ambitious and dynamic sustainability professional with a strong passion to make a real difference in the fight against climate change, the below position may be right for you! 

Job summary:

You will be part of the Agricultural Value Chain (AVC) team. Your goal is to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality consultancy advice to international, regional and local clients on sustainability topics.
You will be fully accountable for the development and overall management of proposals on agriculture supply chain strategies including water stewardship and for the implementation of projects for which you will supervise project teams of varying sizes. 

You will provide technical guidance to the project teams and act as the main point of contact for the client. In addition, you may lead the development of new products and solutions at South Pole to address sustainability challenges. You will have a strong technical knowledge on forestry and will be able to advice strategies and clients on the feasibility of forestry projects and carbon monitoring either to comply with the reporting needs of corporate forestry related interventions in their agricultural value chain or to pursue carbon certification from renowned standards.

Main tasks & responsibilities:

The topics of engagement will focus on carbon valorization in agriculture value chains, feasibility of forestry activities, guidance on the implementation in the field (e.g. farms) of good practices regarding carbon removals (mainly from trees), carbon certification standards (e.g. Verra, Gold Standard among others), Science Based Targets (SBTs), Greenhouse gas protocol (mainly Land sector and removals guidance)

• Manage and supervise large/complex consulting mandates throughout their entire project cycle: initiation, planning, design, execution, monitoring, controlling and closure
• Lead or collaborate on the implementation the implementation of carbon removal projects and/or emission reduction projects which includes leading/drafting feasibility studies and project design documents, validation, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) support under different standards (CDM, VERRA and national or local Standards) and/or corporate reporting standards (SBT) among other local and international carbon schemes
• Supervise AVC team members regarding the calculations of the carbon stored from forestry activities following good practices from recognized carbon certification standards and provide technical advice on the feasibility of forestry projects in terms of their planting design, implementation in the field and carbon potential
• Collaborate and coordinate with other units in South Pole regarding removals from different sources (e.g. trees, soil, among other)
• Plan and implement projects to ensure the most efficient and highest-quality implementation
• Conduct field visits to projects and travel to project locations whenever needed
• Interact and build relationships with our international, regional and/or local, clients and manage the timely delivery of mandates
• Develop proposals with the Key Account Management team and regularly generate own leads, actively contributing to the business development activities of the company
• Provide guidance on and technical leadership in the development of proposals for the corporate sector on climate strategies mainly related forestry activities and its carbon benefits and implementation of advisory projects, as well as lead their technical review
• Develop and improve specialized skills and knowledge linked to topics and services offered by South Pole
• Lead and directly manage small teams of consultants in a multi-stakeholder and
  multi-geographies context
• Lead the development of South Pole’s thought leadership, services, products, marketing materials and offerings

Requirements:

Essential -

• University degree in Environmental Sciences, Forestry, Agronomy, Environmental
  Engineering, Corporate Sustainability, or related disciplines
• Applicable work experience in carbon calculations related to forestry projects
• Relevant knowledge of environmental sustainability challenges in multinational companies, especially with the integration of sustainability in supply chains and agriculture
• Extensive experience in sustainability consulting or related field
• Specific consultancy experience in sustainability and corporate supply chain risks in agriculture with particular focus on climate, water and forest in agricultural supply chains
• Relevant knowledge in carbon certification standards specially conducting carbon calculations of forestry and forest conservation activities (including REDD+ actions)
• Excellent project management skills, from both a technical and administrative standpoint, and proven ability to guide project teams in a multi-stakeholder and multi-geographies context
• Excellent writing skills, with proven expertise in creating and reviewing high-quality written documents (proposals and deliverables)
• Excellent stakeholder and client management skills
• Industry-relevant connections, with a network of potential clients, collaborators and other relevant stakeholders
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast-pace dynamic environment and supporting different projects simultaneously while responding timely to colleagues and clients
• Autonomous yet collaborative approach to work
• Excellent skills in English and Spanish are requirements

Desirable - 

• A Master’s degree will be an advantage
• Knowledge of corporate sustainability standards (mainly SBTi and FLAG), Gold Standard and Verra process mainly regarding forestry
• Experience doing fieldwork in developing countries with a focus on forestry projects, capacity building, regenerative agriculture, alternative livelihoods and related topics
• Experience managing big data (e.g experience in R or similar is a plus)
• Knowledge in GIS
• Experience in GHG accounting, LCA or similar
• Excellent working knowledge of all Google Suite applications and MS Word
• Diligent, reliable, proactive and self-sufficient but collaborative approach to work
• Good prioritization and time management skills

What we offer:

At South Pole, we care about our employees as much as we care about the planet. South Pole is not just an employer, we are a Team. South Pole does not just offer people a job, we offer you a career. By joining our team, you will find strong purpose and deep meaning in everything you do. You will have the chance to make a real difference for our clients and for the planet, working alongside a passionate team of like-minded colleagues, while building your knowledge/skills and developing your career in a fun, dynamic, international and fast-growing organization. 

We’re a planet of 7.5 billion unique and different people. We all have a contribution to make; South Pole is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status or disability. Our recruitment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.