Senior Program Officer

Job Title:          Senior Program Officer

Location:          Washington, DC

Start Date:        Immediately

Reports to:       Methodologies Manager

Position Overview

The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is looking for a Senior Program Officer to join a growing staff in our Washington, DC headquarters. The successful candidate will join the organization in a senior position within the Program Team, interacting with a diverse staff on many technical and operational aspects of the VCS Program. The Officer will be a key point of contact for Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) methodology and project developers. The Officer will frequently present concepts and findings, in settings both internal and external, as well as perform various other tasks as required by the team and wider organization.

VCS and the associated VCS Program were launched in November 2007 and are now well established among the leading global greenhouse gas (GHG) standards and programs in the voluntary carbon market. Our primary objective is to bring standardization, transparency and credibility to the voluntary carbon market. Increasingly, we are generating lessons and providing inputs for compliance programs emerging worldwide and broader results-based compensation mechanisms.

Job Description

The Senior Program Officer will be central to the success of the Program Team’s success. Principal tasks and responsibilities will include at minimum the following:

• Manage AFOLU methodologies developed through the Program, including working closely with developers and validation/verification bodies to resolve methodological issues.
• Promote the adoption of standardized methods within AFOLU methodologies, including through the development of new AFOLU-specific guidance and rules.
• Support AFOLU-project quality control, through project documentation reviews, site visits and close liaison with project stakeholders.
• Support the validation, verification and registration of jurisdictional REDD+ programs, through hands-on liaison with relevant stakeholders.
• Support the continuing improvement and development of guidance and rules for AFOLU projects and methodologies.
• Serve as the expert resource within the Program Team for all AFOLU matters, including training and mentoring junior staff.
• Represent VCS at conferences and other industry events.

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• A minimum of four years professional experience working in the land use sector, preferably within the context of GHG inventories or carbon markets, or a minimum of two years professional experience with a relevant graduate degree.
• University education, with emphasis in forestry or agriculture, natural resource or environmental management, or environmental economics. Graduate degree preferred.
• Detailed knowledge of AFOLU issues as they relate to quantification methodologies, including project boundaries, baselines, additionality, leakage, non-permanence and monitoring.
• Understanding of carbon market concepts, including voluntary and compliance carbon markets, the development of projects, the use of quantification methodologies, and the role of validation/verification bodies.
• Excellent technical writing, spoken communication and presentation skills.
• Fluency in English; another VCS-relevant language would be considered a strong asset.
• Willingness to travel, including internationally

Professional Qualities

• Sharp analytical mind, with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to manage a diverse, intellectually challenging workload
• Ability to excel in a professional environment, with limited supervision
• Excellent time management skills
• Good organizational, communication, interpersonal and team skills.
• A collegial work-style.

Terms and Conditions

A competitive salary and benefits package are available and other terms and conditions will be discussed during the application process. Applicants must be eligible to work in the US (ie, US citizen or holding current work authorization).

To apply, candidates are requested to submit the following documents:

• Cover letter (not to exceed one page).
• Resume/CV (not to exceed two pages).
• A short writing sample (maximum 500 words) describing the key considerations for designing an AFOLU project that delivers real emission reductions and removals.

All documents must be submitted to employment@v-c-s.org by close of business 22 April 2014.