Senior Technical Manager, Nature Markets

Role Overview

This role provides scientific and technical scrutiny throughout the development of nature-market projects, from early feasibility work to implementation and monitoring. You will assess whether project evidence, methods and safeguards support credible, lasting conservation benefits, then help teams turn your findings into practical improvements.

Key Responsibilities

• Review proposed projects for ecological feasibility, conservation value and the strength of their claims, including whether outcomes are additional, durable and attributable to project activities.
• Examine ecological baselines, surveys, biodiversity data, indicators and monitoring plans; identify evidence gaps, uncertainty and methodological weaknesses that could undermine project integrity.
• Judge whether measurement and verification approaches are suited to the local ecosystem and can track meaningful change over time, taking care not to assume biodiversity outcomes are directly comparable across places.
• Advise on project concepts and technical design, including whether nature credits, payments for ecosystem services, biodiversity offsets, water markets or other mechanisms fit the context.
• Oversee feasibility studies, technical documentation, ecological assessments and monitoring plans, including deliverables prepared by external consultants.
• Recommend workable responses to scientific, operational and implementation risks, and contribute to technical guidance, assessment tools and quality assurance for the Nature Markets portfolio.
• Help incorporate safeguards, governance and benefit-sharing into project plans, engaging relevant conservation partners, public agencies, researchers and communities.
• Coordinate consultants and multidisciplinary teams, managing workplans, budgets, risks and reporting to support timely project delivery.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in ecology, conservation science, biodiversity science, wildlife biology or a closely related field.
• Five to seven years of relevant experience in applied ecology, conservation management or ecological assessment.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate ecological evidence, biodiversity assessments and conservation outcomes in ways that inform on-the-ground management.
• Experience developing, assessing or delivering conservation, nature-market, carbon-market or conservation-finance projects.
• Ability to design and implement conservation monitoring, assess uncertainty and methodological limitations, and translate technical analysis into clear recommendations.
• Experience working with conservation partners, government bodies, research institutions, communities or other stakeholders, as well as developing or implementing safeguards.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, writing and verbal communication skills in English; sound ecological judgement and a rigorous approach to evaluating methods.
• A master’s degree in a relevant discipline is preferred. Additional valued experience includes biodiversity measurement and monitoring, environmental-market methods, nature credits, offsets or payments for ecosystem services, and review of crediting methods or market standards.
• Experience with quantitative ecological analysis, statistics, GIS or remote sensing is an advantage, as is work across African landscapes with protected-area authorities, community conservancies, Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
• Must be legally eligible to work in an African country where Conservation International operates without visa sponsorship.

What We Offer / Why Join

• A full-time role contributing to the technical quality and conservation integrity of nature-market projects.
• Frequent travel, approximately 30% within Africa, including visits to remote locations with basic conditions. The role also requires schedule flexibility to work across global, regional and country-team time zones.
• The position is based in a normal office environment when not travelling. Flexible-work arrangements will be discussed during the interview process.