What We Can Achieve Together: The Impact Finance & Markets (IFM) division at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) provides technical and strategic leadership to create transformational impact with the private sector by translating the value of nature and conservation approaches into actionable, science-based strategies that can help solve societal challenges. The Carbon Investment Engagement Lead sits in the Global Carbon Markets team, one of four teams in the IFM Division, and is a new position on the team.
The Carbon Investment Engagement Lead provides sophisticated business, financial, and economic expertise to natural climate solutions carbon projects as a senior deal team member responsible for engaging investors to secure long-term financing for carbon projects within the NCSA Business Incubator.
We’re Looking for You
The Carbon Investment Engagement Lead is responsible for setting and executing the investor targeting strategy for natural climate solutions carbon projects, conducting investor landscape analysis to identify and cultivate prospective investors that align with project profiles, overseeing investment readiness to prepare projects for investment, and providing transaction advisory services to ensure financial close. This role negotiates terms and stewards the approval process for investment deals, while coordinating the legal, financial, and operational aspects of transactions.
Acting as the primary “seller” of the project investment opportunity, the Carbon Investment Engagement Lead leverages expertise in project finance from infrastructure, climate, or mining or related sector to close multi-year and multi-million-dollar investments in carbon projects and to secure commercial offtake agreements in collaboration with TNC’s corporate partnerships team. Additionally, the role supports the CEO or General Manager of the carbon project SPV and project teams to prepare for investment and supports the delivery of post-deal services, ensuring alignment with TNC’s organizational mission, risk mitigation, and market influence.
This position will collaborate closely with TNC’s Global Carbon Markets (GCM) Business Incubator Lead and will report to GCM’s Carbon Finance Director. This position may be located in any country where TNC has an established entity, taking into consideration legal restrictions, such as non-national ratios and immigration processing times, will be considered. Candidates must have the ability to overlap at least 4 hours per day with the USA ET time zone. This is a two-year term position, with opportunities for extension based on performance and funding.
RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE
- Build and maintain strong relationships with investors, buyers, and strategic partners active in voluntary and compliance carbon markets to support financing and scale up of TNC’s NCS Accelerator project pipeline, leveraging prior experience as a deal lead in project finance or carbon markets.
- Collaborate with the Carbon Business Incubator Lead to prepare projects for investment and to evaluate project investment readiness.
- Analyze investor landscape to develop outreach strategy and engage investors for specific projects, clearly communicating project value propositions, development timelines, crediting potential, and impact outcomes.
- Lead the deal team and manage the investment process from initial screening to deal negotiation to transaction execution for any individual project.
- Prepare and deliver investor-facing materials, such as project briefs, technical summaries, project development documentation, and investment narratives, as needed.
- Collaborate with the Climate Finance team to structure investment in carbon projects.
- Assess offtake options and tailor opportunity to successfully close commercial offtake agreements in close collaboration with TNC’s offtake lead. Manage the internal approvals process required before a deal can be closed.
- Drive achievement of financial close, providing transaction support and coordinating input from legal, finance, and operations.
- Ensure programmatic commitments, TNC policies and procedures, financial standards, and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.
What You’ll Bring
- Bachelor’s degree and 7 years’ experience in a private sector environment, such as management consulting and investment banking, or with a leading conservation organization or government entity, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience closing investment in project finance or leading investment into carbon projects.
- Experience negotiating complex, $10M+ agreements.
- Experience leading and managing large-scale, complex projects with internal and external stakeholders.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience securing investment for carbon projects working with a project developer or placing capital into carbon projects with an investment firm or commercial bank.
- Familiarity with the voluntary carbon markets.
- Multi-lingual skills and/or multi-cultural experience appreciated; preference for Spanish language skills.
- Strong team player who can build relationships and work collaboratively across the organization and with Conservancy partners.
- International work experience in emerging markets desirable.
Who We Are
The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive. We’re rooted in our mission and guided by our values, which include respect for all people, communities, and cultures.
One goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued.
