Director, Ecosystem Services Markets

American Forests• US,

6d•$80,000 - $100,000•Remote

About The Position

The Director for Emerging Ecosystem Services Markets will serve as one of American Forests’ key thought leaders on emerging ecosystem services markets and financing mechanisms in the U.S., including water and resilience markets. As America’s oldest conservation non-profit and given our focus on science-driven reforestation, American Forests is committed to unlocking funding from beyond traditional government grant sources. One of the ways to do so is through outcomes-based funding and financing for quantifiable ecosystem services benefits from reforestation. Put simply, what benefits can our reforestation projects generate that will then be sufficiently critical to the operations and missions of corporate, philanthropic, government, and other partners? How can we credibly estimate these benefits and determine their financial value? What financial, contractual, legal, and other structures must be in place for these transactions to scale? This role will report to the Senior Director for Restoration Finance Innovation and sits within the Resilient Forests team at American Forests. (The Resilient Forests team leads dozens of restoration and reforestation projects annually across the U.S., and is also involved in creating and expanding nurseries, seed collection, and other parts of the reforestation supply chain.) This is a role for a professional with at least seven years of total experience and at least four years of experience managing complex projects from ideation to completion. The Director will be responsible for managing projects with external consulting firms for water-related tool development, researching and synthesizing trends on emerging ecosystem services markets, modeling and data visualization tools, financing mechanisms, and stakeholders, and guiding decision-making for upcoming projects and phases of work based on research findings and blank spaces. Ultimately, this Director will be instrumental for helping American Forests make the economic case for why reforestation should accelerate across the U.S.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in Hydrology, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Natural Resources, Environmental Science, or a related field is required.
Masters degree in Hydrology, Civil Engineering, or Environmental Engineering strongly preferred.
Minimum of seven (7) years’ experience in project management related to hydrology, civil engineering, forestry, natural resources, or ecological restoration with proven results.
Experience with water benefit accounting and corporate water stewardship.
Experience with creating and editing financial models in Excel.
Experience in a consulting firm or other project-based, professional services-oriented role.
Experience and comfort using software platforms and technical tools for project tracking and data management.
Strong analytical skills, creativity, curiosity, openness to feedback, and the ability to effectively interact with others at all levels within an organization.
Strong verbal and written communications skills, including the ability to translate technical data for non-technical audiences.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
Systems thinking approach to problem solving.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Airtable, ArcGIS, Excel, and other geospatial or project management software preferred.

Responsibilities

Support the Senior Director, Restoration Finance Innovation, with RFP processes to identify qualified partner firms for upcoming projects.
Manage day-to-day relationships with expert consultants related to water benefits accounting from reforestation and other restoration activities.
Manage and help integrate internal software tools focused on measuring water and other ecosystem services benefits.
Use internal tools and geospatial data to estimate ecosystem services benefits from American Forests’ historical and current reforestation and restoration projects.
Collaborate with science team on impact measurement tools and methodologies.
Proactively monitor and report out on trends related to ecosystem services markets to American Forests teams, including on carbon, water, climate resilience, and biodiversity, including by attending webinars and conferences.
Conduct and synthesize background research to inform decision-making, including developing market assessments, competitive landscape analyses, and summaries of potential partners, funders, and project beneficiaries.
Serve as American Forests’ thought leader on ecosystem services measurement and monitoring, including for water, biodiversity, climate resilience, and other benefits.
Collect and interpret primary data from monitoring stations and use this data to validate modeled estimates of benefits from reforestation and other restoration projects.
Conduct an assessment of high-impact policy interventions at state and municipal levels that support increased funding for reforestation and forest health.
Present to various audiences about ecosystem services tools and benefit calculations (for example, internal staff, private landowners, Tribal Nations, corporate and other partners).
Oversee administration of consulting projects, including tracking project progress, documenting outcomes, and preparing final grant reports.
Support proposal development and grant reporting for new corporate, philanthropic, and government partnerships related to ecosystem services benefits.
Support Philanthropy and Communications teams by providing information on project outcomes, stories, and costs.