Natural Capital Project Manager

About Gondwana Carbon

Gondwana Carbon is an ambitious climate advisor for carbon and biodiversity markets based in Sydney. We provide end-to-end natural capital and decarbonisation services that support communities in realising their nature-based potential through collective assessment, financial modelling, go-to-market strategies, and revenue delivery. Our services aim to maximise economic, social and environmental outcomes to provide maximum value to landholders and commercial partners in Australia and the Pacific.

Job Summary

The Natural Capital Project Manager will play a pivotal role within the Projects team, serving as a primary technical support role and occasionally, technical leading role. This role will be accountable for achieving projects’ milestones as proposed and with a dual focus on both carbon and non-carbon initiatives. Additionally, this role involves responsibilities such as developing carbon estimations and valuing natural capital, delivering high-quality project documentation, registration and monitoring reports, and aiding in the audit process for validating and verifying data. Participation in business meetings, technical sessions, site visits, and other pertinent events is also expected.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management:

• Provide technical guidance and project management support for projects that deliver important social and environmental outcomes, ensuring they align with our strategic objectives.
• Partner with the team to implement and manage emission reduction and biodiversity projects, including conducting site visits and travelling to project locations when required.
• Update the Gondwana project management database on a regular basis and ensure all the relevant documents are accessible. The database should be kept updated with all the relevant information about the milestones and cash flow.
• Guide and/or support the delivery of project outcomes and deliverables in accordance with project budgeting and planning, aligned with client’s expectations and with Gondwana’s quality standards.
• Ensure all collaborators receive ongoing training and have the necessary skills and tools to perform their work.
• Support the development of internal management processes, frameworks, policies and standards to improve project quality and delivery.

Assessment:

• Support the team in design and development of assessment tools and processes to effectively undertake due diligence and technical assessments for different natural capital evaluations and projects, including projects under the ACCU scheme, VERRA, Gold Standard, Accounting for Nature and other nature solutions standards.
• When applicable, provide support in technical assessments, covering both carbon and natural capital projects, consultancy services, and product development.

Technical Evaluation:

• Undertake feasibility studies for carbon and biodiversity projects, carbon forward abatement estimates, and project design documents;
• Support validation, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) under different standards (ACCU, VERRA, Gold Standard, AFN and national, or local standards).
• Implement technical reviews to ensure high quality of project deliverables.
• Participate in and contribute to Carbon Market Institute (CMI) and Clean Energy Regulator (CER) working groups, representing the company's interests and expanding our network.
• Support non-carbon methodological application or other natural capital evaluations, including initiatives such as Accounting for Nature (AfN).
• Support the development of Gondwana’s service offering in relation to the Natura Repair Market and other natural capital emerging markets.

Financial Support:

• Provide support in assessing the financial viability of projects post-due diligence by utilising the appropriate Gondwana tools.
• Estimate project budgets for consultancy work utilizing Gondwana’s budgeting tools.

Communications:

• Support establishing and maintaining good external relationships (e.g. project owners, clients, auditors and VVB bodies, stakeholders and counterparts) and occasionally, be the main contact.
• Drive and maintain good internal relationships with team members in accordance with Gondwana’s culture.
• Keep collaborators informed of their progress in the project and remind them to stay within the agreed time and budget.
• Support the creation of technical content for marketing, presentations, and client communications.

Business Development:

• Support assessment of project opportunities to increase natural capital gains and project value, including carbon and non-carbon methods.
• Help identify and evaluate new business opportunities in Australia and beyond, including the Pacific region.
• Assist in crafting value propositions and business cases for targeted areas, ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic goals.
• Support business development initiatives, fostering partnerships and identifying new avenues for growth.

Expected Behaviours

• Commitment – dedicated to Gondwana’s mission and the communities and people with whom we partner.
• Taking initiative - Take initiative in providing technical guidance and project management support, demonstrating leadership in achieving social and environmental objectives.
• Accountability – takes personal responsibility for the quality and timeliness of work. Remind collaborators to adhere to agreed timelines and budgets, demonstrating accountability in project delivery.
• Collaboration and Teamwork - Foster close collaboration with team members to implement and manage emission reduction projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and maintaining effective communication channels.
• Advocate – Influences others to act in support of ideas, programs or causes.
• Problem-solving – identifies the issues and develops useful solutions to drive the challenge forward.
• Communication – Listens to others and communicates in a way suitable to their audience. Has strong written and verbal communication and has the ability to build strong relationships with all stakeholders.
• Planning and Organising – defining tasks and milestones to achieve objectives whilst utilising all systems and resources available.
• Analytical Thinking - Support the design and development of assessment tools and processes and utilize project tools for assessing project viability and estimating budgets accurately.
• Leadership – Leads by example, promoting the mission and vision of your work and shows the way to achieve them.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Business, Finance, or a related field.

• Proven experience in supporting a project management team, technical assessments, and business development, preferably in the carbon market or related sectors.

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

• The capacity to solve relatively complex project-related problems independently and receive general direction on new assignments or projects

• Strong analytical skills with experience in modelling and viability analysis.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively as part of a team and lead cross-functional groups.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with high attention to detail.

• Ability to create high-quality written documents (proposals and deliverables)

• Ability to manage targets and priorities and develop own goals.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in a related field.

• Experience participating in carbon and non-carbon methodology, climate policy and related working group participation.

• Working at Gondwana Carbon Work as part of a small and passionate team who love what they do
• Take advantage of opportunities to innovate and contribute to cutting-edge solutions in carbon and biodiversity markets.
• Be part of a diverse, top-talent team from various backgrounds and geographies.
• Participate in impactful projects that contribute to positive economic, social and environmental outcomes.
• Flexible working arrangements. While this position is preferably based in Sydney and operates on a hybrid work model, we are open to flexible options.

Apply Now If this role is of interest to you, we would love to hear from you

To apply, email your CV and Cover Letter toh.carroll-himberg@gondwanacarbon.com

Deadline: 30th of June, 2024

We are committed to providing equal opportunities in our recruitment process. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, or disability. Our hiring decisions are made solely on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.