Agroforestry Carbon Assistant at Nature Conservancy

WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER

• The Agroforestry Carbon Assistant will provide technical support to a portfolio of Water Fund - NCS projects that demonstrate scale, impact and durable lasting outcomes for people, climate and nature with a focus including Kenya, Tanzania and Sierra Leone. The Agroforestry Carbon Assistant works across watershed conservation programs and projects in East and West Africa to support the design and implementation of NCS projects developing technical specification for tree planting activities and assessment of their impacts in accordance with carbon standard certification requirements. Reporting to the East Africa Forestry Specialist, they will work closely with the entire AFCC team in addition to other colleagues. The position will be located in any country in Africa where a TNC has an office (Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Zambia). No employment visas or assistance is being offered with this position except for the local labor employment requirements.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOU
The Agroforestry Carbon Assistant will focus on tree growth models and carbon stock computation providing input and technical support to NCS projects with tree planting, in support of Africa water funds and resilient watersheds projects. They will;

• Work closely with TNC Water Funds team and other project contributors in a collaborative approach to progress carbon project development, ensure projects are designed and implemented in accordance with best practice standards.
• Manage a complex workload providing technical support across a pipeline of projects focusing on water funds but spanning different geographies at different stages of development.
• Provide advice and guidance to projects on technical agroforestry elements of projects, including site-species selection, restoration management plans, interventions design etc.
• Compile and manage a database of tree growth models and allometric equations for estimation of tree biomass growth, and carbon stocks and sequestration.
• Develop technical assessments of project biomass and soil carbon pool impacts from tree planting and restoration initiatives, including development of baselines, ex ante estimations and leakage calculations.
• Design and deliver monitoring, reporting and verification plans for tree planting and restoration projects that meet carbon standard certification requirements.
• Review current information and data availability, identify gaps, and develop plans for collection of biomass, carbon and tree growth data.
• Act independently and exercise independent judgment to identify and solve problems.
• Demonstrate sensitivity and integrity when working across complex challenges.
• Work diligently in an organized approach to drive processes and coordinate the exchange of information, documentation and data between TNC and partners.
• Work as a critical team member.
• Keep up with recommended global methods for measuring and modeling carbon impact for agroforestry, tree planting, forest destruction avoidance or restoration initiatives, and make recommendations to the Conservancy and other stakeholders, share relevant knowledge and learnings to drive TNC’s agenda to improve carbon projects quality.
• Will be required to travel to the field up to 30% of their time.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Bachelor’s degree in forestry, natural resource management, international development or related field, and 3 years related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Understanding of both theoretical and practical aspects of tree carbon cycle, forestry and agroforestry
• Experience of design and developing agroforestry, tree planting and/ or restoration initiates with high levels of community participation.
• Database management and using excel equation builder or like estimate and model carbon stocks
• Organized worker delivering to a high quality, and able to work across multiple projects simultaneously with a varied workload.
• Written and verbal communication skills experience in English.
• Team player that is politically savvy and diplomatic with experience negotiating complex projects.
• Analytical skills experience and able to synthesis information and data for project documentation
• Relationship building experience to work closely with a variety of partners, i.e., community members, government officials, internal scientists.
• Experience completing tasks independently with respect to timeline(s).
• Experience with communication via written, spoken, and graphical means in English and other relevant languages.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Over 5 years’ experience working in agroforestry, carbon projects and database management
• Knowledge and experience of community-based natural resource management and sustainable development agenda in Africa.
• Passionate about agroforestry, restoration, and community sustainable development, with an ambition to become an accomplished carbon project builder understanding of carbon project development cycle.
• Experience of working with communities at grassroots level.
• Fluency in French or Swahili an added advantage.
• Basic GIS skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, including ability to negotiate, influence, and persuade.
• Multi-lingual skills and multi-cultural or cross-cultural experience appreciated.
• Ability and willingness to apply science to decision-making and guide activities.
• Knowledge of ecological land management principles.
• Knowledge of current trends and practices in conservation, land management and natural resource preservation.