Climate Project Specialist/Senior Specialist, Sustainable Technologies, Africa

South Pole is an energetic, global company offering comprehensive sustainability solutions and services. With offices spanning all continents across the globe, we strive to create a sustainable society and economy that positively impacts our climate, ecosystems and developing communities. With our solutions, we inspire and enable our customers to create value from sustainability-related activities.

Our Project Development team is at the forefront of developing and managing climate mitigation activities. By working closely with project owners and developers as well as their local communities, we manage the complete registration, verification and evaluation of carbon projects to enable the issuance of emission-reduction certificates, in line with official carbon standards. If you are a smart, ambitious and dynamic sustainability professional with a strong passion to make a real difference in the fight against climate change, the below position may be right for you!

Job summary:

As a Project Manager, you will lead the development of carbon projects and consulting assignments in Africa, authoring and overseeing essential documentation to meet quality standards.

Your responsibilities include planning and managing project schedules and budgets, supporting field activities, providing technical inputs for business development, and ensuring compliance with internal procedures.

Essential skills include 3-5+ years of experience in carbon project development, strong organisational abilities and proficiency in Microsoft Office. Proficiency in French is an asset.

Main tasks & responsibilities:

• Act as the project manager for carbon projects and/or consultancies. This includes but is not limited to :
• Conduct technical assessments for feasibility studies, develop baseline and project scenarios, estimate ex ante emission reductions.
• Author and oversee the preparation of Project Design Documents (PDDs), Monitoring Reports (MRs), and other essential supporting documentation, ensuring all deliverables meet South Pole's quality standards and client expectations.
• Lead projects through audit, validation, verification and issuance processes under standards such as Verra and Gold Standard or other internationally recognized standards.
• Plan and manage schedules, budgets and invoicing.
• Support partners in the design and implementation of field activities.
• Provide technical inputs for business development efforts
• Serve as a primary contact, fostering strong relationships with internal team members, project owners, clients, and validation and verification bodies.
• Ensure compliance with internal procedures for project and consultancy management.
• Maintain and update project information and proposals in the project management tool, ensuring all relevant documents are readily accessible on the institutional drive.

Requirements:

Essential -

• Proven experience (3-5 years +) in the development of carbon projects preferably with well-known standards such as Gold Standard and Verra , experience in African Carbon Market is an asset
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, ability to work under little supervision on diverse assignments, ability to manage targets and priorities and develop own goals
• Bachelors/Masters in any of the following fields: Sustainable development, Engineering, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Data Analysis
• Fluency in Microsoft Office
• National or holder of a valid work visa in the country of application.

Desirable -

• Active knowledge of voluntary and compliance carbon markets, understanding of general market trends
• Proficiency in French is an asset

What we offer:

At South Pole, we care about our employees as much as we care about the planet. South Pole is not just an employer, we are a Team. South Pole does not just offer people a job, we offer you a career. By joining our team, you will find strong purpose and deep meaning in everything you do. You will have the chance to make a real difference for our clients and for the planet, working alongside a passionate team of like-minded colleagues, while building your knowledge/skills and developing your career in a fun, dynamic, international and fast-growing organisation.

We’re a planet of 7.5 billion unique and different people. We all have a contribution to make; South Pole is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status or disability. Our recruitment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.