Senior Project Forester

Living Carbon; United States; Remote; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Job summary

Living Carbon seeks a practitioner-scientist to lead field reforestation and forest carbon projects across the Appalachian and southeastern US, translating ecological insight into scalable operations.

You will design technical reforestation plans, supervise planting crews, perform GIS analysis, coordinate contractors, and prepare technical reports for investors and registry partners. Regular travel to project sites is required.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of applied experience in forest management or ecological research.
• Strong quantitative and GIS skills for project design and reporting.
• Experience managing contractors, multitasking, and delivering on budget and timelines.
• Advanced degree in forestry, forest ecology, or natural resource management preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop technical design of reforestation projects integrating carbon modeling and site ecology.
• Coordinate contractors and planting crews; oversee site prep and establishment surveys.
• Conduct GIS analysis and due diligence to identify new project opportunities.
• Synthesize current forest ecology research to improve project design and species selection.
• Prepare technical and programmatic reports for senior management, investors, and registries.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Geospatial analysis

Project management

Fieldwork

Stakeholder communication

Education

Advanced degree in forestry or related discipline

Tools

R

Python

GIS

Job description

Living Carbon is a public benefit company with a mission to fight climate change by transforming marginal land into high-value environmental assets. Our team specializes in restoring abandoned mineland and degraded agricultural land into diverse, thriving forests. We’re backed by prominent investors including Temasek, Toyota Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Felicis Ventures, and YCombinator.

This is a rare role at the intersection of forest ecology, carbon science, and large-scale land restoration. We are seeking a practitioner-scientist who brings rigorous training, ideally in a research context, to the field and can translate ecological insight into operational outcomes. You will support forest carbon project design and implementation, guiding both strategy and hands-on field execution across our growing Appalachian and southeastern project portfolio.

The ideal candidate has a grounding in forest carbon dynamics, disturbance ecology, or related fields - potentially demonstrated through graduate research - and is energized by the challenge of applying that expertise at scale in the real world. You will spearhead project management of reforestation activities on degraded mine land and agricultural sites. Your responsibilities will include field reconnaissance, GIS analysis, contractor coordination/supervision and data reporting. You will work directly alongside our carbon science, supply chain, and land teams to build systems, shape methodology, and most importantly put trees in the ground.

Responsibilities

• Develop technical design of reforestation projects, integrating carbon modeling, site-specific ecology, and disturbance history to optimize both forest establishment success and carbon removal outcomes
• Collaborate with our carbon science team to refine and operationalize MRV (monitoring, reporting, and verification) approaches using remote sensing and field-based inventory methods
• Serve as field point of contact and technical lead for contractors including planting crews, site preparation teams, and other natural resource personnel and conservation partners
• Conduct site reconnaissance, GIS analysis, and due diligence assessments to evaluate new project opportunities and guide implementation planning
• Oversee planting execution, forest monitoring, and post-establishment surveys maintaining rigorous data quality throughout
• Regular travel to project sites for due diligence, site preparation, planting season and continual forest monitoring
• Synthesize and apply current research in forest ecology, soil carbon, and climate adaptation to continuously improve project design standards and species selection
• Develop and refine our implementation playbook for scaling reforestation across tens of thousands of acres of degraded land
• Build and maintain relationships with federal and state forestry agencies, natural resource departments, and conservation organizations
• Prepare technical and programmatic reports for senior management, investors, and registry partners, including project progress, cost analyses, and ecological impact assessments

Who You Are

We expect this person to bring most of the following:

• 5+ years of applied experience in forest management, carbon projects, or ecological research, with demonstrated ability to work across both field and analytical environments
• Strong quantitative and geospatial skills - proficiency in R, Python, or equivalent analytical tools; hands-on GIS experience for project design and reporting
• Demonstrated ability to manage contractors, multi-task across projects, and deliver results within budget and timeline constraints
• Advanced degree in forestry, forest ecology, natural resource management, or related discipline preferred
• Familiarity with Appalachian and southeastern US forest ecosystems, including native hardwood and conifer ecology, disturbance dynamics, and site-level silviculture
• Experience with forest carbon accounting frameworks, FIA data, remote sensing-based quantification, or growth and yield modeling is highly valued
• Clear, confident communicator who can translate scientific nuance for diverse audiences - from field crews to investors
• Experience with drone operation and data collection for forest monitoring or site assessment a plus
• Prior work on mine land reclamation, invasive species management, or post-disturbance reforestation a plus

$115,000 - $125,000 a year

Living Carbon PBC offers competitive compensation, and generous healthcare, dental and vision insurance.

Living Carbon PBC is an equal opportunity employer.

We believe the best solutions to climate change are created by diverse teams. Living Carbon is focused on building a multicultural and inclusive team with strong representation from the many diverse communities disproportionately impacted by climate change. As a public benefit corporation, ensuring solutions to slow climate change are widely distributed to all peoples is critical to the success of our mission.