AWF is seeking an innovative person with a business background and payments for ecosystem (PES) service experience to help AWF expand, develop and grow an Ecosystem service (ES) program that furthers AWF’s conservation mission.
AWF is interested in optimizing market-based opportunities to support conservation and provide meaningful benefits to communities dependent upon natural resources. AWF is currently employing REDD+ as a tool to support forest conservation and is implementing adaption programs.
Responsibilities
Expand AWF’s climate change mitigation and adaptation portfolio
- Support the validation of and sale of carbon credit for AWF REDD+ projects.
- Identify viable REDD+ projects and oversee their implementation.
Develop a portfolio of PES projects in priority conservation locations
- Identify PES opportunities (such as biodiversity offsets and credits, wetland banking, species banking, watershed and water payments).
- Build AWF staff capacity in the understanding, identification and development of PES projects.
- Develop PES due diligence and development tools.
- Determine economic viability of PES projects.
- Identify market-based opportunities that align to AWF’s conservation programs.
Oversee biodiversity and ES valuations in priority landscapes
- Manage ES valuations to ensure quality and timely deliverables.
- Work with the ecology teams to measure and monitor ES.
- Assess the projected impact on ES of proposed developments and projects.
- Help AWF articulate a message about the overall value of ES to Africa’s growth, prosperity and sustainability.
Engage partners in the successful implementation of an AWF ES program
- Identify and work with private sector partners, organizations and institutions in the scoping, development and financing of ES projects.
- Participate in ES networks to ensure AWF is aware of market trends and innovation in the ES field.
- Identify ES funding opportunities, draft proposals, investment and marketing materials.
- Market credits, offsets and other ecosystem service units to buyers.
- Publish papers, articles and case studies on AWF’s ES program.
Qualifications
- Postgraduate (MSc degree) qualifications required in business, ecology and economics, ecosystem services, ecosystem sustainability and or a similar field
- 5 + years of work in ecosystem services
- Direct experience in PES Africa—project development, execution and ecosystem service valuation
- Fluency in English (French as well preferable)
- Excellent writing skills
- Knowledge of ES markets, PES programs and partners operating in this field
- Ability to work with a wide diversity of partners ranging from communities to government authorities to NGOs to protected area authorities
- Ability to work both as part of a team and independently
- Strong communicator
- Demonstrated ability to multi-task and meet deadlines
