Reports into: Global Director of Project Development.

Location: UK, with ability to travel internationally up to 5 times per year. Offices are in London and Oxford. Remote working can be considered but office attendance will be required.

ROLE

Climate Impact Partners, a leading provider of high-quality carbon credit programmes, is looking for a Head of Portfolio Delivery to join our Project Development Team. The role is focused on the delivery of an international portfolio of Nature Based Solutions (NBS) and Energy development projects, from the earliest stages of development, under recognised voluntary carbon standards.

Climate Impact Partners make and manage long term investments in development projects in return for verified emissions reductions (VERs). We work closely with project development partners who are implementing project activities on the ground, bringing our expertise and oversight to ensure that projects are designed, set up and managed to deliver the expected volume of high-integrity VERs and other impacts. The delivery these development projects will be crucial for meeting our aspirations for impact and commercial value.

You will work closely with experienced Project Development professionals (commercial, technical, policy, legal and finance) to manage multi-year contracts with project development partners, with a strong focus on reputational, delivery and management of commercial risk and value. You will also work closely with client management colleagues to meet our obligations to clients. As the project development portfolio grows and business value is demonstrated you will have an opportunity to build a global team to enable the robust management of the project development portfolio.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Management of long-term contracts with project implementation partners to ensure that projects deliver the committed carbon and other benefits to Climate Impact Partners within budget and enabling us to meet our commitments to our investing clients from both a carbon and impact delivery standpoint and reputationally.
• Support definition of commercially and operationally robust payment milestones during the final stages of contracting and subsequently make recommendations for dispersal of development funding consistent with delivery of payment milestones, working with other team members and external advisors as needed.
  
• Regularly review project status and outlook with project partners; make timely recommendations for actions required by Climate Impact Partners and/or project partners to resolve issues, mitigate risks, ensure ongoing alignment of project stakeholders and project delivery; where needed lead contract amendment renegotiations to a conclusion.

• Continue to develop and implement high-quality, robust financial and operational project management and reporting systems and record keeping; liaise with the finance department to ensure timely payment of partners and tracking of project budgets.
• Provide timely, accurate and concise project reporting internally to the Global Director of Project Development, the Board and finance and, in collaboration with Client Solutions colleagues, externally to our investing clients.
• Enhance and maintain effective working relationships with project partners; anticipate and position the company to capitalise on upside and expansion opportunities.
• Visit each of the project sites, including internationally, at least annually, putting pragmatic health and safety plans in place prior to project visits; facilitate project visits for client teams as required; providing feedback internally and to project partners on the findings of the visits.
• Build on the company’s award-winning project development reputation to position the company as the ‘partner of choice’ by demonstrating our value to our project partners and supporting company marketing initiatives.
• Sharing lessons learned from project delivery with the wider Project Development team to inform screening, due diligence and commercial terms for opportunities in the pipeline.

• Line management of one Project Manager and more as the team grows in relation to workload; expectation to hire another Project Manager in the year.

CAPABILITIES AND EXPERIENCE

• Significant experience and relevant track record in management of long-term project development and operational contracts or investments with budgets of at least $10m requiring an understanding of on-the-ground realities of project delivery.
• Proven project management skills and track record of managing delivery partners and contracts, including negotiation of contract amendments and issue resolution.
  
• A desire to learn quickly about carbon project development and carbon markets is essential.
  
• Exposure to the challenges of working in emerging markets with a variety of delivery partners including smaller companies and NGOs, with an understanding or local stakeholder issues (from Governments to local communities and suppliers).
• An ability to build effective long-term relationships with partners, contractors and suppliers, balancing support and challenge; not always taking the first answer at face value and having the commercial maturity to assess stakeholder motivations and capabilities.

It would be advantageous, but not essential, to have:

• Experience in NBS, Energy carbon project development and impact investing or exposure to carbon markets; for example, experience in sustainable infrastructure, energy or construction project development and operational asset management would be relevant experience.
• Experience of managing funding or investment from large corporate entities or investors.
• Experience of managing people is preferred but not essential.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO

• Has a strong commercial mindset and can assess risk.
• Is solution-focused and pragmatic.
• Has excellent project management skills and attention to detail.
• Can manage competing priorities and is respectful of others’ time in a busy organisation.
• Sets high standards for ethical behaviour.
• Language skills would be an asset.

PERKS

• Hybrid working with access to London or Oxford office
• 25 days paid holiday
• Enhanced parental leave
• In-house Carbon Academy training programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Bonus scheme, subject to company and individual performance
• London: Charismatic, Grade I listed building with state of the art office facilities on the doorstep of Paddington station, which includes showers, vanity room, dog friendly spaces, phone booths and plenty of break out spaces for collaboration. 
• Oxford: Open plan office on Magdalen Road, Oxford, which is a short distance from vibrant Cowley Road. The office offers free snacks or is in walking distance of a number of unique cafes.
• Join a 2022 Best for the World™ B Corp™, awarded in recognition of our exceptional positive impact on its customers
• Join a profit-for-purpose business that delivers results and impact

Climate Impact Partners is an equal opportunities employer. Our goal is to be a diverse and inclusive workforce, that embraces our differences, and so all aspects of employment including the decision to hire and promote, will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business need. We do not discriminate on the basis of characteristics protected under federal, state, or local law. To support this, all applications are anonymised until the interview stage which means that regardless of who has applied, your characteristics are totally anonymous.