Carbon Finance Technical Specialist

As part of CARE International’s Climate Justice Center, the Carbon Finance Technical Specialist will lead and coordinate carbon finance engagements and development across CARE, building on CARE’s successful projects and partnerships in the carbon finance domain.

Why CARE?

CARE is an international development organisation that is active in more than 100 countries worldwide. Originating from American food aid to Europe after the Second World War, we have been committed for 77 years to those who need it most.

CARE supports people in the most difficult places in the world in building a better life. We fight poverty by combating inequality. We do this by providing emergency aid, working on equal rights for women and making communities resilient to the effects of climate change and natural disasters by supporting them in building a sustainable livelihood. Our approach is characterised by customisation: in consultation with local partners and residents we determine what is needed and what works. After all, it is only together that we can achieve sustainable results.

About the CARE Climate Justice Center

The CARE Climate Justice Center (CJC) unites CARE’s work on climate justice and supports the achievement of the Climate Justice (CJ) impact goal, one of CARE’s six priority impact areas. The CJ Strategy was developed as part of CARE International’s 2030 Vision. The CJC acts as a virtual hub, coordinating and connecting all parts of CARE with an interest in and knowledge of key climate justice issues. The CJC also aims to support and strengthen the ability of CARE entities and partners to increase resilience and to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change. This is done by not only strengthening the capacities of communities in the most vulnerable positions, but also by growing CARE’s impact, influence and income to better serve the needs of these communities.

The CJC consists of around 10-15 CARE staff supported and hosted by different CARE members across the globe. The CJC is hosted by CARE Nederland (CNL) on behalf of CARE International and is accountable to the CJC Council of Directors, consisting of the investing CARE members. The CJC Director reports to the CNL CEO, Reintje van Haeringen, who is also the chair of the CJC Council of Directors. The CJC Director coordinates with the CARE VICE President for Programme Strategy & Innovation, who is responsible for overseeing CARE International programming.

What will you be doing?

The post-holder will be primarily responsible for providing leadership and technical support in the development and implementation of carbon finance initiatives, projects and programmes to different CARE entities. In collaboration with the Climate Justice Center team, CARE members and CARE country offices, the post-holder will build carbon finance capacity within CARE, supporting the development of new carbon finance initiatives, ensuring quality, facilitating knowledge management and learning, and fostering partnerships.

This role is pivotal in driving CARE’s carbon finance strategy and ensuring the successful implementation and scaling of carbon finance initiatives, projects and programmes in an ethical manner with a view to building community resilience, driving gender-equitable participation, and ensuring fair benefit-sharing for the communities we work with.

Key responsibilities include:

Lead technical advisory work

• Together with CARE Climate and Resilience Academy and partners, develop and facilitate trainings on carbon finance and lead capacity strengthening through webinars and other sessions for CARE staff (and partners).
• Together with members of CARE’s Carbon Finance Working Group, develop user-friendly technical guidance for staff based on learning and on CARE’s carbon finance programme standards.
• Upon request, review and provide technical input to early concept notes, carbon finance value propositions, business models and proposals in collaboration with CARE entities.
• Upon request, support monitoring and evaluation in collaboration with MEAL teams.

Quality assurance

• Support the vetting of carbon finance projects and ensure that accreditation and verification processes are adhered to.
• Monitor strategic carbon finance projects and ensure lessons are documented and shared.
• Upon request, support CARE entities in ensuring application of programme quality standards and CARE’s carbon minimum standards and principles in carbon finance projects and proposals.

Lead knowledge exchange and capacity building in CARE

• Facilitate knowledge management, sharing and learning within CARE and with like-minded NGOs on Carbon Finance.
• Co-lead the CARE International Carbon Working Group together with other CARE members.

Support carbon program development at CARE International

• Oversee the mapping of CARE’s global carbon finance portfolio of projects with a view to identifying opportunities to scale up and/ or inform development of new carbon finance projects.
• Support development of a carbon finance funding strategy framework and accompanying Go-To-Market Business Model.

Partnership building and business development

• Identify and develop new partnerships with key strategic project developers across the CARE confederation. Supporting the alignment of these partners with CARE’s minimum standards and the development of equitable and viable commercial models and contracts for CARE.
• Support the Climate Justice Center to develop and maintain strategic partnerships to enhance CARE’s carbon finance capabilities and explore additional strategic partnerships.