At the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell announced the U.S. commitment to the Goals for Sustainable Development. One goal is to “reduce by half, the proportion of people without access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation” by the year 2015.

Job Summary

The Carbon Credits Specialist will oversee the registration of the DRIP FUNDI program with the Gold Standard for Global Goals (GS4GG) Carbon Registry in close collaboration with MWA’s partner Virridy Inc. So far, the formal process toward registering DRIP FUNDI under GS4GG has commenced. There are draft project design documents and initial Gold Standard stakeholder consultations that have been completed. MWA and Virridy aim to ensure the project is certified and credits issued by the end of the program’s life (18 months). The position holder will report to DRIP FUNDI program manager. They will also work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning Manager and Data Analyst/Learning officer. The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travel (about 40% of the time) to program sites in the ASAL counties.

Roles and Key Responsibilities

The Carbon Credits Specialist will oversee the following functions.

• Lead the process of securing carbon credit ownership waivers.
• Monitor the performance of the Project Developer and the compliance of the Project Developer with the contract terms.
• Support the finalization and revision of the DRIP FUNDI Project Design Documents (PDDs).
• Support the modelling of emission reductions that will be generated from the DRIP FUNDI program.
• Conduct regular revenue modelling and forecasting to inform management decisions.
• Track and project revenues ring-fenced and utilized for the maintenance and repair of boreholes under the DRIP FUNDI program.
• Support the validation, annual monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) activities as required by GS4GG.
• Conduct site visits, manage stakeholder engagements and feedback rounds and travel to project locations whenever needed.
• Schedule technical reviews and quality checks for the program.
• Keep up to date with developments in the international carbon market.
• Conduct regular reviews of emerging changes and international/national climate change policy and regulations and document their implications for the DRIP FUNDI program.
• Support the acquisition of a corresponding adjustment letter for the program.
• Develop and maintain a network of project developers, verification bodies (VVBs) and standard bodies (e.g. Gold Standard and Verra’s VCS).
• Develop learning documentation on the whole project development process for large scale dissemination.
• Recruit and manage the inclusion of additional water points and Voluntary Project Activities (VPA) into the broader DRIP FUNDI Program of Activities.
• Any other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Qualifications

• A relevant bachelor’s or master’s degree, ideally in Environmental Sciences, Environmental Engineering, Energy Engineering, Economics, or sustainability-related disciplines
• At least four (4) years of relevant work experience in carbon asset development with a proven track record in PDD writing, including managing the full validation, monitoring, verification, and issuance.
• Excellent knowledge of international carbon standards VCS (Verra), Gold Standard for the Global Goals and CDM and the most common carbon methodologies.
• Up-to-date knowledge on developments in terms of the international carbon market and (inter-) national environmental policy, including Greenhouse Gas Protocol, corporate GHG inventory (including scope 1,2 and 3), Science Based Targets and Net Zero, the Kenya Climate Change Amendment Act (2023).
• A strong technical understanding of the water, resourcee management, or renewable energy sectors in order to identify opportunities in the carbon market/ climate change field, including methodologies required for the development of the project.
• Commercial skills, good business sense & target driven; able to identify and seize opportunities in a challenging and competitive market environment.
• Proven knowledge and network in the relevant fields.
• Excellent oral and written skills in English
• Applicants for this position must have the right to work in Kenya.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to work within a team.
• Extreme attention to detail is required.
• Clear and concise report-writing skills are required.
• Ability to work independently and be self-motivated.
• Ability to adjust to changing work environments, priorities, and goals.
• Ability to quickly learn and pick up on new concepts.