Regional Manager, Technical, NBS, Climate Projects - Africa, French speaking

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 Project Development team is at the forefront of developing and managing climate mitigation activities. By working closely with project owners and developers as well as their local communities, we manage the complete registration, verification and evaluation of carbon projects to enable the issuance of emission-reduction certificates, in line with official carbon standards. 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:

As part of the Project Technical unit, you will oversee the timely and effective generation and delivery of emission reductions of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) projects in the African region under the carbon and co-benefits standards (e.g. VCS, The Gold Standard, CCBS, & other certification programs).

You will be responsible for the correct development and implementation of carbon projects in the area of Forestry and Land Use sector as well as any related project activity. As a Senior Specialist of Forestry and Land Use Projects, you have to be able to work in ateam of people, if required by the complexity of the project, in order to reach the required result.

Your role will also ensure that the projects are implemented as agreed while providing high-quality deliverables (project documents, monitoring reports, budget analysis, reviews, updates, and others).

As a Senior Specialist of Forestry and Land Use Projects, you will participate in business rounds, government meetings, technical sessions, site visits, and other relevant events.

In addition, you will support the commercial team in the technical assessment of any opportunities and coordinate with other teams in order to expand the NBS opportunities in the African Region.

If you are an enthusiastic and dynamic person with an appropriate academic background and are passionate to contribute to the fight against climate change, then we are looking for you.

Main tasks & responsibilities:

• Management of climate mitigation projects and of the entire carbon cycle project development, including supervising implementation of all co-benefit certificates

• Collaborating with team members, in compliance with commitments to partners and communities associated with the ongoing projects

• Ability to implement projects by keeping the team informed on the progress of the project, responsible for ensuring the quality of deliverables and financial viability in the implementation of projects

• Define and plan content and structure to support the certification of a project: work plans, work schedules, budgets, and deliverables

• Keep general information, dedicates folders, milestones and cash flow up to date

• Provide technical and budget reviews and quality checks

• Plan and conduct site visits and other types of business trips/training whenever needed

• Participate to meetings with the governments at a central and provincial level to ensure that projects are aligned with the public procedure (e.g. especially regarding REDD+ procedures)

• Identify possible partners and collaborators for the development and implementation of projects

• Gather, prepare and present information to represent South Pole at meetings when requested

• Participate in formal and informal networking opportunities and share relevant contacts and information on possible opportunities with the Global Sourcing team

Requirements:

Essential -

• University degree in forestry engineering, environmental science, natural resource management, ecology or any other related field

• Several years of work experience in Forestry, Climate Change Mitigation/Adaptation or related fields type of projects developed in Africa

• Excellent oral and written skills in English and French (knowledge of French is essential for this position)

• Experience in GIS analysis in the natural resource sector, particularly Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LUCC) analysis, and in the field of natural resources management in the varied African ecosystems

• Experience in working onconservation carbon project or on other Nature Based Solutions carbon projects

• Experience of managing people

• Ability to interact with government representatives

• Ability to work within an interdisciplinary, global team (Junior to mid-level project coordinators) including internal and/or external collaborators sitting in different countries

• Good prioritisation and time management skills

Desirable -

• Knowledge of African ecosystems and biodiversity

• Knowledge of forest and carbon modelling

• Ability to conduct site visits in the African region in autonomy

• Ability to work on assignments that are diverse in nature, applying company policies, processes and procedures to resolve a variety of issues/problems.

• Oral and written skills in other languages (ie., Portuguese, Swahili)

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 organisation. 

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.