Back Hunter Parks Conservation Fellow

POSITION DESCRIPTION Position Title: Hunter Parks Conservation Fellow location: Telecommuter or Arlington VA, Little Rock AR BUSINESS UNIT: American Carbon Registry (ACR) REPORTS TO: Director of Forestry, ACR GENERAL Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources. Winrock matches innovative approaches in agriculture, natural resources management, clean energy, and leadership development with the unique needs of its partners. By linking local individuals and communities with new ideas and technology, Winrock is increasing long-term productivity, equity, and responsible resource management to benefit the poor and disadvantaged of the world. The nonprofit ACR, an enterprise of Winrock International, is a leading carbon offset program recognized for its strong standards for environmental integrity and quest to innovate. Founded in 1996, ACR has over two decades of unparalleled experience in development of rigorous, science-based carbon offset standards and methodologies as well as operational experience in the oversight of high-quality offset project listing, verification, registration, offset issuance, serialization and on-line retirement reporting. ACR is an independent carbon credit standards body and registry as well as an approved Offset Project Registry (OPR) for the California cap-and-trade program and Washington cap-and-invest program. The process of providing the highest-quality client service – being responsive, accurate and helping to solve problems – has become the hallmark of ACR’s success in the regulated carbon market and led to a majority market share of all compliance offset credit issuances. ACR has been approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to supply credits to airlines under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), including being one of only two crediting programs currently approved to supply credits for the 2024-2026 compliance period. ACR also has an MoU with Singapore to supply credits for use towards national carbon tax obligations and 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. BACKGROUND ON THE HUNTER PARKS CONSERVATION FELLOWSHIP The Hunter Parks 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 Forestry Technical Manager 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. POSITION SUMMARY The Fellow will provide support to the ACR Director of Forestry and other members of ACR staff on various aspects of forest carbon project crediting management. These include, but are not limited to, reviewing project listing applications, data reporting and verification documents; formulating responses to technical questions raised by project developers and verification bodies; supporting business development and outreach activities; helping to coordinate the development and/or approval of new quantification methodologies; and working in conjunction with other ACR colleagues on initiatives to continually enhance and improve the ACR Forestry program. Successful applicants must quickly obtain a detailed understanding of the ACR Standard and associated forestry methodologies, the California cap-and-trade regulation and its US Forests Compliance Offset Protocol, the Washington State cap-and-invest regulation, as well as ICAO and the voluntary carbon market and associated initiatives. ACR prides itself on providing technical knowledge and responsive customer service to all our clients. The Fellow will provide support to ensure that projects move through the Registry process efficiently, while ensuring compliance and technical rigor. The Fellow will engage with landowners, project developers, verification bodies, and ACR colleagues on a daily basis including reviewing project documentation, overseeing verification, and issuing credits for use in both the voluntary and regulated carbon markets. He/she will also engage with colleagues to develop and refine new and innovative measurement, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) approaches to scaling and ensuring quality in the carbon market, which will require the Fellow to develop and apply a technical understanding of carbon accounting, sampling, and measurement approaches. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Review and provide substantive feedback on documents for listing, verification and registration of ACR forestry projects and California and Washington compliance forest projects, and other project types as needed. Interact regularly on a technical level with clients to address issues that arise through the project development and verification process, as well as with State and other relevant regulatory bodies. Provide accurate and coherent technical guidance and explanations to clients and market stakeholders. Develop technical analyses, presentations, outreach materials, and reports to support the work of the Director of Forestry or other senior ACR staff. Track and understand technical guidance developments in the voluntary carbon market, and the regulated carbon market, related to the implementation of forestry projects and other Registry processes types as needed.. Coordinate new offset methodology development and approval including review, technical support, assisting with identifying and coordinating technical peer reviewers, setting up meetings, and providing meeting notes. Represent ACR at various meetings with clients, regulatory agencies and others organizations. Provide assistance and background information for responses to general new business inquiries. QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND Recent graduate with Bachelors or Advanced degree in Forestry, Natural Resources Management, or a related field. Relevant experience or coursework in forestry, carbon markets, conservation, or a related field. Preferred candidates would have familiarity with fundamental greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting principles and methods / tools as related to forest carbon measurement and monitoring. Preference will also be given to applicants demonstrating a history of community involvement, a passion for conservation and preservation of land and wildlife, impeccable integrity, a sense of humor, and a diplomatic approach to problem solving and engaging with landowners. Relevant Skills: Understanding of basic forest mensuration and modeling techniques, and silviculture. Ability to manage project operations and workflow effectively, to track and meet deadlines for multiple tasks. Experience with Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, Access) and ArcGIS. Demonstrated skills in, or relevant to, GHG accounting in forest carbon markets. Strong interpersonal skills. Ability to consistently interact with others in a professional, courteous, and tactful manner, maintain a positive attitude and good working relationships, and work effectively in a team setting. Ability to work independently for timely completion of quality deliverables. Strong technical, analytical and statistical skills. Strong speaking, presentation, and written communication skills. Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Fluency in one or more additional languages is an asset. Other: Must be available to travel domestically for short-term assignments. Commitment to Winrock’s mission and interest in market-based approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions required. Candidate must be comfortable working in a flexible, high-paced and friendly environment, with ability to work well in teams and also independently. SALARY: The annual salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. OTHER BENEFITS: Winrock offers an excellent benefits package including 10% retirement contribution, 10 paid holidays and 10 vacation days per year at hiring, and paid family leave. We offer flexibility and work-life balance in this fully remote team. As a condition of employment at Winrock, all US-based Winrock staff, regardless of location must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Winrock offers competitive pay and an excellent benefits package. Winrock is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and value diversity and inclusiveness. Winrock recruits, employs, trains, promotes and compensates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation. Winrock knows that its success comes from the hard work and steadfast dedication of its diverse workforce. Winrock remains committed to maintaining diversity, inclusion and equity across the entire organization