Forestry Technical Officer/Forestry Technical Manager, depending on experience

Winrock International•Washington, DC

10h•$65,000 - $115,000•Hybrid

About The Position

ACR is an internationally recognized carbon crediting program operating in global compliance and voluntary carbon markets. As a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, ACR was founded in 1996 as the first private greenhouse gas (GHG) registry. Its mission is to leverage market power for environmental improvement. ACR has extensive experience in developing rigorous, science-based methodologies and carbon accounting standards, and in overseeing the listing, verification, registration, issuance, serialization, and retirement of high-quality GHG projects. ACR functions as an independent carbon credit standards body and registry, and is an approved Offset Project Registry for the California Cap-and-Trade Program and the Washington State Cap-and-Invest Program. ACR is also approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to supply emission reduction and removal credits for international aviation obligations and has been assessed by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) as a CCP-Eligible program. ACR is poised for significant roles in new U.S. state compliance offset markets, under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and in the global voluntary carbon market. The Forestry Technical Officer/Technical Manager (depending on experience) is a technical role within ACR, supporting the ACR Forestry Director, Managing Director, and other ACR team members. This position contributes to various ACR services, including performing routine and complex project reviews accurately and independently, maintaining project record-keeping systems, and conducting site visits and audits. The role ensures projects progress through the Registry process efficiently and with meticulous attention to detail, upholding ACR's commitment to responsiveness and sound technical knowledge for all partners. The successful candidate will provide technical support to external stakeholders, ensuring consistency and compliance with ACR, CARB, and Ecology requirements. A functional understanding of GHG emissions/carbon accounting principles is essential, along with the ability to quickly develop and apply expertise in ACR methodologies and compliance protocols. The role requires a detailed understanding of the ACR Standard, ACR policies, California’s Cap-and-Trade Regulation, Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act, and related project-level methodologies in AFOLU sectors. Key attributes include strong technical and analytical skills, excellent attention to detail, deadline adherence, a willingness to learn, comfort in a fast-paced environment, alignment with Winrock's mission, and an interest in market-based GHG reduction approaches.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or advanced degree in Forestry, Natural Resources, GHG emissions accounting, or a related field.
Minimum of 3 years of relevant work or research-related experience for a Technical Officer is required; additional years of experience preferred.
Minimum of 6 years of relevant work or research-related experience for a Technical Manager is required; additional years of experience preferred.
Must have experience in, training in, and/or familiarity with fundamental forest quantification and GHG emissions/carbon accounting principles, verification and auditing standards, and at least one of the ACR Forestry sector project types.
Proficiency in MS Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel), GIS and SharePoint, is required.
Strong writing skills required.
Fluency in spoken and written English is required.
Must be available to travel 1-3 times per year for short-term assignments.
Strong technical and analytical expertise
Excellent attention to detail
Ability to track and adhere to deadlines and perform required reviews with speed, accuracy, and efficiency
Ability to work well in teams and independently on multiple projects at a time without sacrificing quality
Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Ability to meticulously review and provide substantive feedback on datasets and documents
Ability to consistently interact with others in a professional, courteous, and tactful manner
Strong interpersonal skills, integrity, and trustworthiness
Must be authorized to work in the United States.
Sponsorship for this role is not available.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
Additional years of experience preferred.
Prior work experience related to forest ecology, carbon markets, forest carbon measurement and monitoring, forest inventory design and statistics, silviculture, or related fields.
Fluency in one or more additional languages is an asset.

Responsibilities

Perform routine and increasingly complex GHG emissions reduction and removal project reviews accurately, efficiently, independently, and according to regulatory deadlines (where required), seeking input from colleagues and leadership as needed.
Provide accurate, consistent and coherent technical support to external stakeholders (e.g., project developers, validation and verification bodies, regulators) on matters that come up as part of project implementation, verification, and review, seeking input from colleagues and leadership as needed.
Provide basic support to external stakeholders on routine use of the registry, seeking input from or escalating to registry staff as needed.
Develop and/or maintain institutional systems for project record keeping, regulatory guidance tracking, and sector-specific technological advancements.
Attend site visits and perform audits, as assigned.
Perform technical and policy analysis, as assigned.
Support and contribute to technical team and ACR objectives appropriate to level of experience and expertise (e.g., develop templates and presentation materials, coordinate across ACR teams, develop internal policies and procedures, develop project GIS maps, support co-benefits efforts, author sections of ACR policy documents) in coordination with leadership, as assigned.
Represent ACR externally (e.g., working groups, conference presentations), as assigned.
A Technical Officer will provide administrative support for methodology development and updates (e.g., coordination of peer review, intake forms), as assigned.
A Technical Manager will provide technical and policy support for, and/or lead, methodology development and updates, as assigned.
A Technical Manager will perform policy analysis, as assigned.
A Technical Manager will serve as team lead for more complicated methodologies and protocols, performing administrative functions and providing leadership to colleagues working on the same methodologies and protocols.
A Technical Manager will mentor more junior staff on technical and policy matters and broader sectoral context.
A Technical Manager will manage relationships with external stakeholders, including the resolution and/or escalation of contentious matters in coordination with leadership.
Complete other tasks as assigned.