Title:                 Senior Program Officer, Forest Carbon Data Innovation 

Location:        Remote - Worldwide (with significant overlap with US business hours) 

Reports to:     Manager, Forest Carbon Data Innovation     

The Opportunity   

Verra's 2024 Forest Carbon Strategy prioritizes leveraging cutting-edge science and technology in transparent and credible ways. In line with this objective, Verra seeks a Senior Program Officer, Forest Carbon Data Innovation, to collaborate with industry experts and stakeholders to build and implement novel geospatial technologies that support forest carbon accounting development and improvement. Serving as a liaison between technologists, scientists, and nature-based solutions specialists, this role ensures the integration of state-of-the-art remote sensing techniques and spatially explicit statistical modeling while providing comprehensive geospatial support to Verra’s Forest Carbon Innovation team. 

The Role 

The successful applicant will be responsible for tasks such as: 

• Co-organizing a forest carbon technology working group aimed at facilitating the development of a comprehensive framework for digital measurement, reporting, and verification (DMRV) technologies within the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program 

• Identifying and evaluating remote sensing data and technologies that are most suitable for forest carbon accounting. 

• Leading the geospatial and remote sensing components of all forest carbon methodologies, with a particular focus on the new consolidated REDD methodology, and, together with the technology solutions team, supporting their integration with the long-term monitoring system and DMRV 

• Developing innovative tools to support project reviews, performance monitoring, validation and verification, and methodology development. 

• Coordinating with contractors to ensure timely and accurate delivery of data, fostering effective communication channels and adherence to project requirements. 

• Organizing and managing geospatial datasets effectively, implementing systematic data storage and retrieval procedures to facilitate seamless access and analysis for forest carbon methodology development and improvement initiatives. 

Our Team 

You will join a team that works closely and collaboratively to solve problems, iterate, and implement updates and improvements to forest carbon methodologies and the VCS Standard. 

• Verrans come from diverse locations and backgrounds, and include carbon market experts, project developers, consultants, climate negotiators, researchers, and auditors. 

• We are committed to driving finance at scale to projects and programs that advance climate action and sustainable development through high-quality standards and programs.  

What we’d like to see 

• A university degree in Forest Science, GIS and Remote Sensing, Geography, or a related field; an advanced degree is advantageous. 

• At least three years of professional experience in GIS/remote sensing or data science, with a focus on analyzing remote sensing data, developing automated geospatial tools, and modeling. 

• Familiarity with fundamental statistical techniques and terminology 

• Knowledge and experience in Python and related geospatial and data science libraries such as rioxarray, GeoPandas, GDAL, Scikit-Learn, etc. required.  Working experience with Git is an advantage. 

• Familiarity with climate change mitigation; GHG accounting; forest reference levels estimation; MRV design; forest carbon methodologies, standards, and crediting programs; and REDD+ processes/initiatives (e.g., UNFCCC, Forest Carbon Partnership Facility).  

• Skill at prioritizing and working under tight deadlines and ability to coordinate across teams.  

• Demonstrated enthusiasm for learning new technologies and approaches in remote sensing/GIS and a commitment to staying knowledgeable of industry developments and best practices.  

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; fluency in English is essential.  

Working at Verra 

Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven non-profit organization, Verra is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve livelihoods, and protect natural resources across the private and public sectors. 

We’ve created a culture of flexibility + autonomy. You’ll be able to work with remote teams from diverse countries and industries. Wherever possible, we aim to find mutually agreeable solutions for international hiring. 

For this position, the salary range is between $61,827 - $110,568 USD. The compensation band is based on a U.S. base salary range and shares the min and max base salary for the position. This position is eligible for remote work.  

The final compensation offered will be contingent upon role, level, and location. Our Talent team can share the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process. 

Salary is one component of Verra’s total compensation package which also includes: 

• Medical, vision and dental care, and life insurance 

• Verra contributions to each employee’s retirement plan/pension scheme with employee and employer contributions 

• Paid leave, comprising 22-30 days vacation, 7 days of annual sick leave, holidays, and sabbatical after five years of service 

• Funds to support professional development 

Verra is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all our work, and doing this successfully is crucial for us to embody our established values, including Teamwork, Results, Integrity, Balance, and Exploration. We actively celebrate belonging among our team members’ different abilities, sexual orientations, ethnicity, faith, and gender.  

How to Apply. 

Please send us a Cover letter (not to exceed one page) and your Resume/CV (not to exceed two pages).  

Verra provides equal opportunity for all job applicants and employees and is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination. As such, we conduct our recruitment and hiring without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.