Sustainable Palm Oil Specialist (Consultant) Scope of Work

Winrock International; Canada; Remote; CAD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

An environmental consultancy is seeking a remote Technical Specialist with expertise in greenhouse gas accounting to support their climate mitigation strategies for a leading palm oil company. The ideal candidate will have at least 3 years of experience, strong research capabilities, and proficiency in relevant software. This contract runs from September to January 2025 and offers flexible payment based on hourly work.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in food systems and GHG accounting.
• Experience managing greenhouse gas accounting in the palm sector.
• Knowledge of carbon model design methods and compliance with GHG protocols.

Responsibilities

• Support data collection and categorize supplier-based emissions.
• Develop pathways for improving data quality and processes.
• Analyze data and support calculation of emissions inventory.

Skills

Strong research and analytical abilities

Ability to translate technical topics into clear content

Excellent writing, editing, and document design skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in agriculture, forestry, or environment-related field

Master's degree in climate change, food and environment

Tools

Microsoft Excel

GHG accounting frameworks

Job description

Overview

Sustainable Palm Oil Specialist (Consultant) Scope of Work

POSITION TITLE: Technical Specialist

Background: Winrock International is recruiting a Technical Specialist (Consultant) with experience in performing greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and developing emission reduction and removal roadmaps for a leading palm oil company. This role will help expand the team’s capacity to support our client in building effective climate mitigation strategies towards their science-based targets (SBTs) and net zero goals. This is a remote opportunity. No travel included.

Language Skills and Working Hours

• Proficiency in Malay preferred.
• The specialist must be available to meet with the client during normal business hours Malaysia Time (MYT) in addition to meeting with the Winrock Team based in the United States (Eastern Standard Time) for coordination and training, as needed.

Scope of Work

• Provide support related to data collection and processes needed to compile and categorize supplier-based emissions by region and intervention activities for 3rd party palm oil suppliers.
• Develop pathways for each supplier group to improve data quality and update data collection processes, enabling use of emission factors that reflect mitigation activities by 3rd party suppliers.
• Develop robust methods, analyze data, and support the calculation of an improved emissions inventory for the client using the SBTi FLAG and GHG Protocol.
• Collaborate with internal teams to support the technical advisory and project validation of climate programs and projects related to crude palm oil and palm kernel.

Deliverables

• A technical report on the integration of supplier-specific and activity-based data for accounting of the client emissions and removals inventory in alignment with SBTi FLAG and GHG Protocol.
• A technical assessment detailing key emission sources and levers for emission reductions and removals within the client’s emissions inventory.
• Calculation memorandum, indicating assumptions, activity data, and emission factors used to measure the client’s emissions inventory.
• Technical reviews of the quality of supplier data and projects to ensure they meet the relevant requirements of SBTi FLAG and GHG Protocol.

Timeline and Duration

September – January 2025 with potential extension.

Payment and Budget

The consultant will send a monthly invoice based on actual hours worked. When applying for the project, please provide your hourly rate.

CONSULTANT QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, forestry, or environment-related field required. Master’s degree in climate change, food and environment, or a related discipline is preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in food systems and GHG accounting for land use required. Additional years of experience are strongly preferred.
• Experience managing technical aspects of greenhouse gas accounting in the palm sector and a strong understanding of certification and sustainable sourcing initiatives in the industry (e.g. RSPO, AFi).
• Field or research experience with forest carbon or palm production models, data management for land use change, and greenhouse gas profiles of agricultural commodities from Southeast Asia preferred.
• Knowledge of relevant carbon model design methods and monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) approaches to ensure GHG reduction measurements are repeatable, scalable, and GHG protocol compliant.
• Experience working with GHG accounting frameworks for insetting (e.g., GHG Protocol, SBTi, VCI) and MRV of GHG emissions impacts.
• Understanding of corporate supply chain management or procurement.
• Ability to synthesize scientific research into accessible, actionable knowledge products.

Position-Specific Skills

• Strong research and analytical abilities, including in-depth knowledge of sustainability issues and opportunities for forest-based commodities.
• Ability to translate technical topics into clear, structured content for different audiences.
• Excellent writing, editing, and document design skills.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office software, including Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Advanced proficiency in Excel is preferred.

Winrock is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by law. At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation.