Soil Scientist

Overview 

Carbon Direct Inc. is seeking a dynamic, entrepreneurial, team-focused early- to mid-career soil carbon scientist interested in scaling up best-in-class carbon removal from soil projects. As a full-time hire at Carbon Direct, this is an opportunity for a scientist to put their knowledge and expertise to work to help our rapidly expanding client base reduce and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Candidates must have a passion for carbon management and removal. Carbon Direct will consider applicants with a background and expertise in any dimension of soil carbon across different landscapes.

The Soil Carbon Scientist will wear multiple hats. We are a rapidly growing organization where flexibility is highly valued. In this role you will need to apply a strong vision and strategy of how soil carbon can best contribute to mitigating climate change while also being a doer who implements solutions and delivers positive outcomes. 

Specifically, you will be expected to work with the science and business team as a strategic advisor to clients working to manage and remove carbon as well as make investments aimed at scaling high-quality carbon removal. Ongoing work will include: educating and advising clients on the opportunities of carbon removal with a focus on soils, leading due diligence efforts to ensure soil carbon projects meet our Criteria for high-quality carbon dioxide removal, contributing to firm-wide efforts to grow the supply of high-quality carbon removal from soil carbon restoration or management efforts, and contributing to science and policy surrounding the role of soils in mitigating climate change. 

Responsibilities 

• Advise clients on carbon removal 
• Help clients understand the opportunities and risks associated with different methods of carbon removal across soil systems, develop carbon removal strategies, construct carbon removal portfolios, integrate carbon management into their business, and communicate efforts to clients and the public.   
• Conduct due diligence of soil carbon projects
• Lead due diligence teams to ensure soil carbon projects adhere to Criteria for high-quality carbon dioxide removal in line with Carbon Direct’s climate-first approach to enumerating the carbon benefits from an offset project.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative assessments of economic, social, and environmental co-benefits of soil carbon projects which may include (but not be limited to): social and environmental justice, biodiversity preservation and promotion, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 
• Conduct on-going monitoring, reporting, and verification for long-term soil carbon projects.
• Conduct site visits and stakeholder consultations.
• Catalyze supply of high-quality soil carbon projects.
• Proactively engage with project developers and proponents of soil carbon projects.
• Contribute to efforts to develop data-driven efforts to identify high-quality soil carbon projects. 
• Research and communication
• Contribute to reports, policy briefs, and peer-reviewed publications.
• Actively engage with social media and participate in public events to communicate the science and policy of carbon removal.  

Qualifications 

• A PhD or M.S and years of experience in a soil-related discipline. 
• Strong analytical, computing, remote sensing, and/or GIS skills. 
• Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality research and analytical results with limited direct guidance.
• Excellent communicator and cross-functional team builder who creates strong relationships with a global distributed team. You have a point of view but also a healthy respect for others’ experiences and encourage others to generate and explore new ideas.
• Demonstrated excellence in a fast-paced, outcome-oriented professional environment (consulting, startup, not-for-profit, etc.).
• Passion for addressing climate change is critical.
• Fluency with climate topics, voluntary carbon markets, and carbon removal.

Salary Range

$130,000 - $159,000 a year