Senior Project Forester

Living Carbon; United States; On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Job summary

Living Carbon is seeking a practitioner-scientist for a unique role combining forest ecology and carbon science. You will support reforestation activities, overseeing project design and implementation across the Appalachian and southeastern US.

The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in forest management or ecological research. Strong quantitative and geospatial skills, along with proficiency in tools like R and Python, are essential for this role.

This position emphasizes hands-on field execution and collaboration with teams to optimize outcomes in carbon removal.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in forest management or ecological research.
• Familiarity with Appalachian and southeastern US forest ecosystems.
• Experience with forest carbon accounting frameworks is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop technical design of reforestation projects.
• Collaborate with carbon science team for MRV approaches.
• Conduct site reconnaissance and GIS analysis.

Skills

Quantitative skills

Geospatial skills

R programming

Python programming

Hands-on GIS experience

Education

Advanced degree in forestry or related field

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.

Responsibilities

• Develop the 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 while maintaining rigorous data quality throughout.
• Travel regularly 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

• 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.

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.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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