Senior Program Officer

The Senior Program Officer will be working with clients to unlock millions or billions of dollars to finance emission reduction and removals projects that contribute to keeping global warming to 1.5 Celsius. This role you will provide technical advice on GHG emissions accounting and decarbonization strategy. In many cases you will work with clients collaboratively to identify decarbonization opportunities and ensure adherence to GHG calculation methodologies. When climate accounting and target setting standards are vague, it will partially be this person’s job to identify these areas of uncertainty and propose no-regrets approaches to support Winrock clients to take these areas of uncertainty and innovatively take the most ambitious pathway benefit the climate, nature and people. You will work with some of the most influential companies in the world. Past and current Winrock clients include Nestle, McCormick, and Microsoft.  

Experience in the food, land and agriculture sectors is most desirable for this position, but experience with other sectors like energy, and packaging (plastics and/or metal) would also be desirable. An up-to-date understanding of the current state of how companies reduce Scope 3 emissions while being in compliance with Science-Based Targets initiative standards.  

This position may be based remotely within the United States but expected to work East Coast hours (EST).  

Supports the Director, Net Zero to help clients achieve their climate mitigation strategies with a focus on deep decarbonization of a companies’ value chain emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3). Potential responsibilities are likely to include:   

• Leading or supporting interactions with clients, primarily in presenting updates or deliverables and conducting research to confidently answer client questions.
• Tracking and managing a pipeline of technical advisory requests on carbon accounting and decarbonization strategies for clients.
• Managing technical consultants and providing technical guidance to them as necessary.
• Preparing PowerPoint presentations, reports, memoranda, and other communication materials.
• Completing tasks in fast-paced and self-motivated environment in a timely and efficient manner.
• Conducting desk research on corporate climate mitigation leadership standards as well as potential partners and clients
• Leading and/or supporting proposal and workplan development.
• Performing basic to intermediate calculations using greenhouse gas and economic activity data.
• Working with small teams to prepare high-quality products, pitching in wherever necessary and providing guidance and leadership.

Skills and Requirements:   

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience
• Fast learner, curious, a passion for uncovering and creating solutions to climate and sustainability problems.
• Strong customer/client service orientation
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are required, including effective public speaking and the ability to communicate complex issues both verbally and in written form
• Team player capable of adapting to ambiguous environments with cross-group collaboration and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience with supply chain management or procurement
• Industry/sector understanding of the GHG profiles and potential mitigation strategies for one or more of the following commodities: Fish and Seafood; Hazelnuts; Beef; Poultry and Eggs; Pulp and Paper; Packaging (pulp/paper, glass, or metals); Vegetable Fats & Oils; Vegetable & Horticulture; Spices; Cereals & Grains; Cocoa; Coconut; Soybeans; Animal By-Products; Energy (oil and gas and/or electricity)
• Certification for project management or demonstrated experience with managing or serving as a project coordinator.
• Working understanding or experience with preparing submissions or reporting against key climate corporate leadership standards (e.g. GHG Protocol Corporate Standard and/or Project Standard, Science-Based Targets Initiative’s standards, the Value Change Initiative).
• Experience with developing Life-cycle assessments (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)
• Good understanding of or direct experience applying carbon quantification methodologies (e.g. for carbon credits/offset credits), carbon credit or other sustainability product certification standards, carbon credit project development, monitoring reporting and verification of GHG emissions impact.
• Climate finance: Practical experience in or exposure to public, multilateral, private sector and blended climate finance.
• Experience using ARC/GIS, data analysis software, Excel (basic to intermediate skill in storing, presenting, processing, and analyzing data)

Source:  https://winrock.org/work-with-us/careers/job-openings/?gh_jid=7294291002