Hunter Parks Forest Conservation Fellowship

Position Title: Hunter Parks Forest Conservation Fellowship

Location: U.S. Remote, Arlington, VA or Little Rock, AR

Department: Environmental Resources Trust (ERT) – ACR

Reports To: Senior Technical Manager, Forestry

GENERAL

ACR is an internationally recognized carbon crediting program that operates in global compliance and voluntary carbon markets. A nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, ACR was founded in 1996 as the first private greenhouse gas (GHG) registry in the world with the mission of harnessing the power of markets to improve the environment. ACR brings more than two decades of unparalleled experience in development of rigorous and science-based methodologies and carbon accounting standards, as well as operational experience in the oversight of high-quality GHG project listing, verification, registration, issuance, serialization, and online retirement reporting.

ACR operates as an independent carbon credit standards body and registry, as well as an approved Offset Project Registry for the California Cap-and-Trade Program (administered by the California Air Resources Board, or CARB) and the Washington State Cap-and-Invest Program (administered by the Washington State Department of Ecology, or Ecology). ACR is approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to supply emission reduction and removals credits to airlines for use towards their obligations under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) for the 2021-2023 pilot phase as well as for the 2024-2026 compliance period. The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) has assessed ACR against the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) and approved ACR as a CCP-Eligible program. ACR is positioned for roles in new compliance offset markets in other U.S. states and under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, as well as increased prominence in the global voluntary carbon market.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Hunter Parks Forest Conservation Fellowship at ACR has been established jointly with Green Assets, in remembrance of the organizations’ business colleague, founder, and dear friend.

The Hunter Parks Fellow will engage on a day-to-day basis with forestry and carbon market experts as a member of the ACR Forestry team. The successful candidate will gain valuable experience in the evaluation of forest carbon project design and implementation to support our ongoing work to harness the power of carbon markets to conserve, sustainably manage and restore forestlands across the U.S.

The two-year Fellowship will be awarded to a recent forestry graduate on a competitive basis, after which time the incumbent may be considered for a full-time position with ACR. Preference will be given to candidates who embody Hunter’s passion for conservation and demonstrate the utmost character and initiative in promoting fair and sustainable business practices for landowners. 

The Hunter Parks Fellow is a technical position within ACR providing support to the ACR Forestry Director and Managing Director as well as other colleagues within the ACR team. The person in this role will contribute to most aspects of ACR services, including performing routine and increasingly complex project reviews accurately and independently, developing and maintaining systems for project record keeping, and attending site visits and performing audits. They will ensure that projects move through the Registry process efficiently and with appropriate attention to detail. ACR prides itself on being responsive and providing sound technical knowledge to all our partners. They will provide technical support to external stakeholders, ensuring consistency and adherence to ACR, CARB, and Ecology requirements.

The successful candidate must be able to obtain and apply a functional understanding of GHG emissions/carbon accounting principles and functional expertise in the ACR methodologies and compliance protocols they support. They will possess (or quickly develop) a detailed understanding of the ACR Standard and other ACR policies, California’s Cap-and-Trade Regulation, Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act and associated regulations, and associated project-level methodologies within forestry, agriculture, and other land use (AFOLU) sectors (e.g., active conservation, improved forest management, afforestation/reforestation, wetlands).

The position requires strong technical and analytical expertise, excellent attention to detail, and the ability to track and adhere to deadlines, among other skills listed below. Further, they must have a willingness and ability to learn on the job; be comfortable working in a flexible, fast-paced environment; share a commitment to Winrock’s mission; and have an interest in market-based approaches to reducing GHG emissions.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform routine and increasingly complex GHG emissions reduction and removal project reviews accurately, efficiently, independently, and according to regulatory deadlines (where required), seeking input from colleagues and leadership as needed.
• Provide accurate, consistent and coherent technical support to external stakeholders (e.g., project developers, validation and verification bodies, regulators) on matters that come up as part of project implementation, verification, and review, seeking input from colleagues and leadership as needed.
• Provide basic support to external stakeholders on routine use of the registry, seeking input from or escalating to registry staff as needed.
• Develop and/or maintain institutional systems for project record keeping, regulatory guidance tracking, and sector-specific technological advancements.
• Attend site visits and perform audits, as assigned.
• Perform technical and policy analysis, as assigned.
• Support and contribute to technical team and ACR objectives appropriate to level of experience and expertise (e.g., develop template and presentation materials, coordinate across ACR teams, develop internal policies and procedures, develop project GIS maps, support co-benefits efforts, author sections of ACR policy documents, perform policy analysis) in coordination with leadership, as assigned.
• Provide administrative, technical, and policy support for methodology development and updates, as assigned.
• Represent ACR externally (e.g., working groups, conference presentations), as assigned.
• Complete other tasks as assigned.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Recent graduate with Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Forestry, Natural Resources, GHG emissions accounting, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.

Experience: Professional experience and/or relevant work or research-related experience is required.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience in, training in, and/or familiarity with fundamental forest quantification and GHG emissions/carbon accounting principles, verification and auditing standards, and at least one of the ACR Forestry sector project types. Familiarity and experience related to forest ecology, carbon markets, forest carbon measurement and monitoring, forest inventory design and statistics, silviculture, or related fields.

Computer/Technical Skills: Proficiency in MS Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel), GIS and SharePoint, is required.

Communication Skills: Strong writing skills required.

Language: Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Fluency in one or more additional languages is an asset.

Required Travel: Must be available to travel 1-3 times per year for short-term assignments.

Position-Specific Skills:

• Strong technical and analytical expertise
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to track and adhere to deadlines and perform required reviews with speed, accuracy, and efficiency
• Ability to work well in teams and independently on multiple projects at a time without sacrificing quality
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills

• Ability to meticulously review and provide substantive feedback on datasets and documents

• Ability to consistently interact with others in a professional, courteous, and tactful manner
• Strong interpersonal skills, integrity, and trustworthiness
• Strong speaking, presentation, and written communication skills

Physical Demands: Typical office environment with continual sitting or standing required.

Other: Must be authorized to work in the United States. Sponsorship for this role is not available.

The pay range for this role is $65,000 - $95,000 per year depending on the candidate's experience, education, specialized knowledge and skills, and current market conditions. Winrock offers an excellent benefits package.

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