Climate Mitigation Manager at Rainforest Alliance

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Climate Mitigation Manager will be responsible for developing and implementing the organization’s work on farm-level carbon footprinting and insetting within company supply chains, as well as leading the development of emissions factors for RA-certified commodities.  

With guidance from the Senior Director Climate, the Manager will lead the design and development of company-level climate mitigation initiatives. This includes designing strategies that enable companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, enhance carbon removals, develop insetting initiatives and achieve their corporate climate goals.

The Manager will identify and apply appropriate tools and methodologies for carbon footprinting and insetting initiatives, provide expert guidance on carbon monitoring and corporate GHG accounting methodologies and support field teams and partners in the design and implementation of carbon footprinting activities. The position will also lead the development of climate mitigation initiatives (including agroforestry, forest conservation and restoration, regenerative agriculture and other nature-based climate solutions) that support climate mitigation claims and/or generate carbon credits for companies. The Manager will support the Senior Director Climate in articulating RA’s climate mitigation value proposition to companies, communities, producers and other stakeholders, including identifying emission reduction strategies at the farm, forest and landscape level.  

The Climate Mitigation Manager will provide thought leadership to ensure RA’s climate offers align with recognized carbon footprinting frameworks and standards, such as the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) Land Sector and Removal Standard (LSRS), as well as relevant policy and regulatory requirements. The Manager will also advise on permissible climate claims for companies based on their climate mitigation initiatives with RA.

In addition, the Manager will also be engaged in a broader effort by the organization to embed climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures into RA’s core programs and will support the ongoing design, implementation and monitoring of RA’s Climate Strategy.

The Manager will require cross-functional collaboration with colleagues in the Global Programs, Advocacy, Product, Corporate Engagement, Marketing and Communications, regional teams and other departments.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:  

Program and Product Design & Delivery

• Support the design and delivery of climate mitigation programs and products for RA’s corporate partners, with a focus on agriculture and forestry supply chains.
• Provide technical expertise to inform the development of Rainforest Alliance climate offers and GTM strategy related to carbon footprinting, insetting, and nature-based climate solutions.
• Develop farm-level climate mitigation initiatives aimed at reducing GHG emissions and enhance carbon removals (including projects addressing emissions from deforestation and degradation, REDD+, ARR, agroforestry, integrated community forest management, regenerative agriculture and climate smart agriculture)
• Identify and advance opportunities to generate credible climate mitigation claims and/or carbon credits
• Support the design and implementation of company-level climate mitigation activities across RA programs (e.g., regional programs, client-specific, donor-funded for landscape interventions, advocacy and outreach, climate finance, etc.)

Carbon Fooptrinting & Technical Leadership

• Provide technical leadership on carbon footprinting efforts in agricultural systems, including data collection, data modelling and analysis of Scope 3 emissions in supply chains (primarily in coffee, cocoa, tea, and fruit sectors).
• Oversee application of appropriate tools and methodologies for farm-level carbon accounting and insetting, ensuring methodological rigor and consistency.
• Guide internal teams and external partners in accurately measuring, analyzing, and reporting farm-level carbon footprints.
• Support the development and refinement of tools, processes, and systems for collecting, analyzing and reporting on farm-level carbon footprint data at scale
• Lead the development of RA-specific emissions factors for land use and land management emissions for priority certified commodities in select geographies.

Standards Alignment & Corporate Engagement

• Ensure carbon footprinting, reporting, and climate claims are aligned with leading frameworks, including GHGP LSRS, SBTi, and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Advise colleagues and corporate partners on development of robust and credible climate mitigation claims.
• Position RA as a leader on farm-level carbon footprinting and insetting within in corporate supply chains.

External Engagement & Thought Leadership

• Represent Rainforest Alliance in external working groups, task forces, and strategic events with external partners (e.g., Cool Farm Alliance) and strategic climate events, contributing to the development of tools, methodologies and reporting frameworks for corporate climate action in the agriculture and forest sectors.
• Provide technical input to program design and proposal development of climate mitigation initiatives.
• Contribute to position papers, research publications, communication materials, technical capacity building initiatives related to climate mitigation.
• Support the ongoing development and implementation of RA’s Climate Change Strategy.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR: 

• Relevant undergraduate degree holder and MSc degree in Climate Change, Agroecology, Natural Resource Management or a related field, with a minimum of 7 years’ proven experience in sustainable agriculture, natural resource management and/or climate change mitigation activities at the field or programmatic level
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, or supporting climate mitigation initiatives in agricultural or forestry supply chains
• Demonstrated experience conducting carbon footprint assessments in agricultural systems, including data collection, modelling, analysis and reporting.
• Hands-on experience using recognized carbon footprinting tools and methodologies, such as the Cool Farm Platform or comparable tools.
• Strong knowledge of GHG accounting frameworks and standards, particularly the GHGP LSRS.
• Practical understanding of SBTi and its application to corporate climate strategies and reporting.
• Familiarity with monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) approaches for nature-based climate solutions, including agroforestry and regenerative agriculture.
• Ability to translate technical carbon accounting concepts into practical tools, guidance, and solutions for diverse stakeholders
• Experience leading training and capacity-building efforts for technical support to field teams, producers, and external partners
• Experience advising on credible corporate climate claims and sustainability reporting processes.
• Experience with tropical agricultural commodity supply chains (coffee, cocoa, tea) (desirable)
• Strong organizational skills to lead multiple priorities in a time critical manner.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with experience interpreting complex carbon footprinting data and translate findings into actionable insights.
• Experience managing, analyzing, and visualizing data using tools such as Excel and PowerBI; basic proficiency in programming languages such as R is desirable.
• Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Proficiency in English; other languages – Spanish, French (desirable)