Director, Carbon Finance Origination & Deal Lead (Africa) at Conservation International

RESPONSIBILITIES

Origination

• Identify and evaluate potential carbon project opportunities in line with CI’s strategic objectives. Build a high-quality project pipeline with key external partners, including NGOs, governments, local communities, and private developers.
• Lead the development of the regional carbon finance strategy in coordination with Africa’s Field Division, CI regional country offices, and the Global Carbon Origination lead.
• Keep track of the pipeline and portfolio of all NFG Carbon Finance projects in the region and report to the Carbon Portfolio Delivery and Global Origination leads.
• Lead the coordination and preparation of Project Idea Notes (PINs) summarizing the project's early-stage design and submit for internal review and approval.
• Work with the various project stakeholders and CI teams to gather inputs for the feasibility phase budgets.
• Work closely with CI’s Africa Field Division to ensure that the goals of the Africa Field Division and the priorities of CI’s Carbon Finance Team are aligned and complementary.
• Stay up-to-date with market trends, regulatory changes, and industry developments related to carbon finance and project development.
• Represent CI at industry conferences, seminars, and events to promote the organization's expertise and build relationships with potential partners and investors.

Deal Lead 

• Financial modeling and analysis of pipeline and portfolio projects to assess project economics, including revenue streams, costs, and returns on investment.
• Negotiate commercial terms with project development partners and key stakeholders that enable cost recovery for CI, while ensuring high-quality project implementation and maximizing community return.
• Work with the various project stakeholders to gather inputs for the implementation budget, while feasibility work is underway.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with the upstream project development partners, serving as the primary point of contact and managing ongoing communications and negotiations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including legal, finance, and technical experts, to ensure all commercial aspects of the project are thoroughly understood and that a strong business case is constructed.
• Prepare and present carbon finance business cases to potential investors.
• Work with the sales and marketing team on materials to present to potential credit buyers.
• Manage timelines and deliverables of the transaction, ensuring adherence to established milestones and deadlines.
• Build and maintain data rooms for various projects.

Supervisory responsibilities

• May involve staff supervision.
• Act as a technical or subject matter expert to peers and other staff across CI Africa and global teams.
• Will be responsible for managing project-related budgets, consultants, and vendors, but decisions that bind or commit CI are approved by the immediate supervisor.
• May lead project teams.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This is a full-time position.
  Travel within the region will consist of approximately ~30% of the person's time; 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.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's degree in finance or business, environmental science field, or another relevant discipline.
• 7 or more years of relevant working experience
• Experience and understanding of Natural Climate Solutions or conservation projects, and long-term success drivers, both financial and non-financial
• Experience working with countries in the African region.
• Experience with carbon transactions
• Knowledge and expertise in environmental markets, especially in voluntary carbon markets. Experience with analysis, structuring, and valuation of natural resources and/or other investments
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to structure and negotiate commercially sound and profitable deals
• Experience working with local partners in Africa, with an understanding of the on-the-ground realities and challenges of project development and delivery
• Excellent project management and coordination skills, and a strong attention to detail
• Proven team player able to work effectively across cultures and within and across organizations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Proficiency in Microsoft PPT and Excel
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to build on existing knowledge to develop new approaches