Program & Partnerships Manager, Carbon Finance

Program & Partnerships Manager, Carbon Finance   

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Arlington, VA 

Amid growing consensus that the protection, restoration, and improved management of ecosystems can provide at least 30% of the climate mitigation needed to limit warming to 1.5°C, Conservation International (CI) has set ambitious targets to realize the potential of NCS worldwide. CI's Carbon Finance (CF) unit within the Nature Finance Group (NFG) invests in Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) that help combat climate change by reducing deforestation and conserving critical ecosystem services. These NCS solutions include protection, enhanced management, and restoration of forests, rangelands, wetlands, and other natural systems.  

The CF team works across CI to source and finance a strong pipeline and portfolio of high-quality NCS carbon projects coupled with innovative financing meant to ensure long-term sustainability and private sector participation. The CF team focuses on results-based financing to develop early-stage NCS projects involving carbon crediting, a key instrument in driving quality NCS projects at the greatest scale possible to enable and scale results. ​​​​​​​​​​​ The team taps the deep knowledge and technical expertise within CI to catalyze and improve the quality of gigatons of emission reductions in the voluntary and compliance carbon markets. The CF team prioritizes impact through community engagement, biodiversity, safeguards, and high-quality carbon credits.

In 2025, the Carbon Finance team established a new partnership with a global investment firm, to pursue a carbon and nature strategy. This role is funded through, and contingent upon, the continued partnership between Conservation International and the global investment firm. This role acts as a relationship lead, at the working level, as well as a key project manager for the various workstreams underpinning the partnership. The Program & Partnerships Manager will oversee a diverse set of activities and initiatives over the entire life cycle of NCS carbon finance projects, as well as manage the working-level relationship. The Program & Partnerships Manager will ensure the timely completion of activities, reporting to various internal and external stakeholders, management of cross-functional and matrixed teams, and relationship management with CI's advisory partner.  

This position does not directly supervise staff, but will engage in reviewing and providing feedback to the working team on deliverables going out to the client & preparation for meetings.   

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the primary point of coordination ("face of the working team"), maintaining a clear understanding of activities and priorities across all workstreams to ensure both CI and partner teams have the information and support needed to advance progress. 
• Maintain project momentum and organization across teams, monitor and track progress across all workstreams, providing timely updates and progress reports to internal and external stakeholders. 
• Proactively identify potential delays and bottlenecks early, communicate them promptly to relevant stakeholders, propose practical solutions, and convene the right team members to implement next steps. 
• Exercise sound judgment in assessing and prioritizing partner and internal requests, distinguishing between reasonable and non-essential asks. 
• Develop meeting agendas, talking points, and supporting materials for key coordination and decision-making meetings. 
• Facilitate and manage regular joint operational meetings with internal management Committees, and other senior leadership groups. 
• Support the team in establishing, refining, and documenting efficient workflows and processes, including developing ways of working, processing, organizing shared files and folders, and creating templates for deliverables. 
• Prepare high-quality external-facing presentations, reports, and briefing materials for senior-level leadership and partner engagement. 
• Review and provide feedback on all external-facing deliverables and talking points to ensure they are aligned with key priorities & context of partnership.
• Work closely with, coordinate, collaborate, and communicate with all institutional carbon-related staff & teams (within the Nature Finance Division/Carbon Finance unit, Climate Policy, and the Blue Carbon Program team) to ensure alignment with their initiatives, views and how their approaches address and support the needs/goals of the region.
• Ensure compliance with CI policies, funding agreements, and local requirements. 

Perform related duties as assigned 

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This is a full-time position.
• Travel will consist of approximately ~15-20% of the person's time, often this will entail travel to remote locations with rustic conditions. 
• Flexibility in work schedule is required in order to accommodate time differences of various offices located in multiple time zones. 
• Guidance on flexible work arrangements will be shared during the interview process. 
• This role will be a fixed-term assignment.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor's Degree in sustainability-related field or another relevant discipline.
• 4 to 6 years or more of relevant work experience, particularly in corporate client engagement.
• Knowledge and expertise in voluntary carbon markets, namely understanding of the full crediting cycle—from project design documentation to credit issuance. 
• Proficiency in PPT and creating client-ready presentations.
• Highly skilled in stakeholder engagement, with the ability to navigate diverse perspectives and drive discussions toward clear, actionable outcomes. 
• Demonstrated experience in identifying, assessing, and mitigating project risks. 
• Demonstrates the ability to ramp up quickly, grasp complex projects, and begin contributing effectively in a short period of time. 
• Proven project management skills, including: (1) Budgeting, timeline management, and resource allocation, (2) translating technical outcomes into financial implications, value propositions, and actionable plans, and (3) Effective collaboration with local and cross-functional teams. 
• Exceptionally detail-oriented and proactive—comfortable managing logistics, outlining next steps, and ensuring accountability across teams. 
• Flexible and adaptable to shifting scopes, evolving priorities, and tight or changing deadlines. 
• Strong communicator capable of tailoring messages to a wide range of audiences, from technical teams and senior leadership to fast-paced private sector partners such as traders. 
• Solid written and verbal communication skills. Proficient in written and spoken English 
• Proven team player and able to work effectively with diverse work groups in a multicultural environment 
• Ability to work well under pressure, multitask, set priorities, and deliver quality results 

Preferred

• Strong knowledge of carbon offset programs, particularly Verra REDD+ and ARR methodologies.
• Demonstrated acumen for autonomous and strategic decision-making.
• Ability to communicate in Spanish, Portuguese or French.
• Experience and understanding of Natural Climate Solutions or conservation projects.

To apply for this position please submit a resume and cover letter.

See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

Conservation International is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We believe in hiring based on merit and qualifications, ensuring a fair and inclusive hiring process for everyone.