Technical Director – Natured Based Solutions Carbon Projects

Proclime; Chennai District; On-site; INR 2,500,000 - 4,000,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental consultancy is seeking a Technical Director for AFOLU & Nature-Based Carbon Projects. The role demands a senior expert responsible for the governance and delivery of large-scale carbon projects. Candidates should have a Master’s or PhD and over 25 years of experience in related fields, with proven success in project management and strong commercial acumen. This position involves engaging with key stakeholders and leading a high-performing team to ensure project integrity and success in carbon markets.

Qualifications

• Experience leading large-scale AFOLU projects.
• Proven record in carbon credit monetization.
• Ability to build systems for project deployment.

Responsibilities

• Define technical vision for carbon projects.
• Lead lifecycle management of AFOLU projects.
• Engage with governmental and corporate stakeholders.
• Establish compliance and quality assurance systems.

Skills

Master's degree or PhD in related field

25+ years of working experience

20+ years in Nature-Based Solutions

Expertise in carbon credit issuance

Commercial acumen

Client engagement experience

Education

Master’s degree or PhD

Job description

Role Summary

The Technical Director – AFOLU & Nature‑Based Carbon Projects will serve as ProClime’s senior technical authority and practice leader for high‑integrity Nature‑Based Solutions (NBS) and AFOLU carbon projects. This role is responsible for defining technical vision, governance standards, and delivery excellence across the full lifecycle of large‑scale AFOLU projects, from origination and structuring through issuance, monetization, and long‑term portfolio management.

With over two decades of deep, hands‑on experience in forestry, land use, and carbon markets, the Technical Director will lead complex, multi‑geography projects across ARR, REDD+, agroforestry, sustainable land management, IFM, and blue carbon domains. The role requires mastery of global carbon standards and registries, strong commercial and financial acumen, and the ability to engage confidently with governments, corporates, investors, auditors, and community stakeholders.

As a senior leader, the incumbent will build and mentor a high‑performing multidisciplinary team, establish robust systems and frameworks for scalable project deployment, and ensure ProClime’s carbon portfolio meets the highest standards of integrity, permanence, and bankability. The role also represents ProClime externally, strengthening its market positioning, partnerships, and credibility in global carbon and climate forums.

Roles & Responsibilities

1. Subject Matter Authority & Practice Leadership
   • Serve as the ultimate subject matter expert (SME) for AFOLU and Nature‑Based Carbon Projects across ProClime.
   • Define technical vision, standards, and governance frameworks for high‑integrity NBS carbon projects aligned with global best practices.
2. End‑to‑End AFOLU Project Origination & Lifecycle Management
   • Leadership in securing, originating, structuring, executing, and managing AFOLU‑based carbon projects across their entire lifecycle, including
   • Project identification, land assessment, and feasibility.
   • Methodology selection and project structuring.
   • Stakeholder engagement and contracting.
   • Project documentation, registration, MRV, verification, and issuance.
   • Long‑term monitoring, permanence management, and risk mitigation.
   • Strong, hands‑on experience across multiple AFOLU domains, including
   • Afforestation, Reforestation & Revegetation (ARR).
   • Sustainable Agriculture and Land Management (SALM).
   • REDD+ (project, jurisdictional, and nested approaches).
   • Agroforestry and Improved Forest Management (IFM).
   • Blue Carbon (Mangroves, Tidal Wetlands, Seagrass, etc.).
   • Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) frameworks.
3. Carbon Markets & Registry Mastery
   • Deep expertise in global voluntary and compliance carbon markets, with extensive experience working with
   • Verra (VCS, CCB).
   • Gold Standard.
   • UNFCCC – Article 6 framework.
   • CORSIA, and other relevant standards.
   • Proven ability to lead registry engagements, validations, verifications, and issuance cycles, including managing complex auditor interactions.
4. Commercial, Financial & Investment Leadership
   • Strong acumen in commercial and financial structuring of AFOLU carbon projects, including
   • Credit yield estimation and risk‑adjusted forecasting.
   • Offtake structuring and buyer engagement.
   • Long‑term revenue optimisation and portfolio management.
   • Prior exposure to climate finance and investment strategies, including engagement with multilateral, institutional, and development finance institutions, is highly desirable.
5. Client, Government & Ecosystem Leadership
   • Extensive experience engaging with senior and decision‑making stakeholders across
   • National and sub‑national governments.
   • Corporates and industrial groups.
   • Global registries, standards bodies, and auditors.
   • Indigenous communities, NGOs, and implementation partners.
   • Leverage an established global network to originate opportunities, build partnerships, and enhance ProClime’s market positioning.
6. Team Leadership & Capability Building
   • Lead, mentor, and scale a high‑performing, multi‑disciplinary AFOLU/NBS team.
   • Maintain a hands‑on, detail‑oriented leadership approach, providing direct technical support on complex projects where required.
7. Policy, Integrity & Governance
   • Deep understanding of international climate policy, carbon integrity frameworks, and cross‑border regulatory considerations.
   • Establish and maintain robust internal compliance, audit‑readiness, and quality assurance systems aligned with global expectations for credibility, permanence, and bankability of NBS projects.
8. Professional Presence
   • Demonstrates strong executive presence, credibility, and gravitas, befitting a senior technical leader with external‑facing responsibilities.
   • Represents ProClime with authority in client meetings, audits, industry forums, and policy discussions.
9. ProClime Alignment
   • Should be aligned to ProClime’s – ProClima vision that is at the heart of every engagement in the company.

Skills & Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Forestry, Environmental Science, Agriculture, Natural Resource Management, Climate Change, or related disciplines.
• Overall 25+ years of working experience.
• 20+ years of demonstrated experience in Nature‑Based Solutions and AFOLU carbon projects.
• Proven record of originating, securing, executing, and managing large‑scale AFOLU projects through multiple crediting cycles.
• Demonstrable success in carbon credit issuance, monetization, and long‑term portfolio management.
• Additional experience in Corporate Sustainability Consulting & ESG, Climate Change Advisory, Carbon Markets, etc. highly desirable.
• Should have experience working in a recognised Climate, Carbon, and Sustainability services company.
• Proven abilities in leading team sizes of 15 – 20, consisting of Climate SMEs, Carbon Project Managers, Sustainability Consultants, etc.
• Ability to build systems and frameworks for large‑scale project deployment across diverse terrains.
• Acumen to understand and work with digital technology enablers for successful implementation of Carbon Projects.