Reports to: Director, Global Technical Team
Department: Kenya, Olokeri Landscape
Position classification: Full-time
Location: Hybrid, with time split between the Entasekera field office (Narok County) and a Kenya home-based office
Employment type: Preference given to Kenyan nationals (local hire); visa sponsorship may be available. 

COMPANY INFORMATION
We believe the social foundation of basic human needs can be met for all people within the Earth’s ecological limits. By collaborating with communities to restore degraded environments and protect essential ecosystems, we foster a resilient foundation that supports both people and planet, recognizing the health of both are inseparable and interdependent. Our work de-risks the future by designing and implementing holistic systems that address the foundational needs of people, restores essential biodiversity, and directly impacts the effects of climate change through collaboration with local stakeholders, regional authorities, and global partners.

Compassionate Carbon Africa (CC) works in developing regions of the world to facilitate landscape restoration and community development through nature-based solutions. CC's mission is to foster healthy relationships between communities and the land on which we all depend through landscape restoration and conservation. We envision a world where communities thrive in healthy and restored environments.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Program Director leads the Olokeri landscape restoration and carbon initiatives in the Greater Naimina Enkiyio Forest Region and serves as the primary in-country lead for Kenya field operations. This senior leadership role provides strategic and technical oversight across landscape restoration, community engagement, governance, and carbon project development, guiding the project from early-stage design through implementation and investment readiness. Working closely with communities, government agencies, consortium partners, and technical specialists, the Program Director ensures high-quality delivery, compliance with recognized standards, and alignment with organizational mission and priorities. The role requires dynamic and strategic leadership to build strong partnerships, lead multidisciplinary teams, and drive exceptional project delivery, ensuring measurable environmental, social, and commercial outcomes that strengthen biodiversity, improve livelihoods, and advance sustainable landscape management in Kenya.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic Leadership: Lead the planning and execution of the Olokeri landscape project, ensuring mission alignment, high impact, locally-informed strategies, and proactive risk management while identifying areas for long-term growth.
• Project Development + Delivery: Lead the full project lifecycle, ensuring quality, compliance with relevant Kenyan regulations and internationally recognized carbon standards, and continuous improvement. Coordinate with the Technical Team for validation and verification processes.
• Team Leadership + Development: Recruit, train, and lead a high-performing team. Mentor staff, set clear goals, monitor progress, and promote a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
• Consortium + Partnership Management: Build, coordinate, and strengthen relationships across implementation, technical, funding, and strategic partners. Facilitate effective collaboration, clarify roles and accountability, align workplans, manage governance processes where applicable, resolve operational issues, and ensure partners contribute effectively toward shared project outcomes.
• Donor Engagement + Capital Development: Support donor, investor, and carbon market engagement by communicating project progress, technical milestones, and strategic priorities. Contribute to proposals, presentations, and other materials that strengthen funding relationships and help secure long-term project financing.
• Community Engagement + FPIC: Oversee community engagement and FPIC processes, ensuring inclusive participation, respect for local rights, and integration of traditional knowledge and input into project design and adaptive management. 
• Monitoring, Evaluation, + Reporting: Ensure monitoring and evaluation systems generate high-quality data that informs decision-making, adaptive management, and reporting to partners, carbon standards bodies, donors, and organizational leadership. 
• Compliance + Operational Readiness: Ensure compliance with Kenyan carbon regulations, applicable laws, and organizational policies while strengthening operational systems and governance to support project growth and long-term sustainability. 
• Budgetary Oversight: Manage and oversee project and field operation budgets, ensuring sound financial stewardship through effective resource allocation, expenditure monitoring, forecasting, and alignment with organizational policies and project objectives.
• Investment Readiness: Support the transition of the project from philanthropic funding toward long-term carbon finance by contributing to key commercial workstreams, including financial model development, investment materials, pitch decks, data room preparation, due diligence, and other activities required to position the project for investment.

EDUCATION + WORK EXPERIENCE

• Advanced degree (Master's or higher) in forestry, environmental management, natural resource management, sustainable development, environmental science, or a closely related field. 
• At least 6 years of progressively responsible experience leading complex, multi-year conservation, landscape restoration, natural resource management, or carbon project initiatives, including responsibility for multidisciplinary teams, budgets, partner coordination, and project delivery in developing country contexts. 
• Demonstrated experience contributing to the design, implementation, or management of nature-based carbon projects (e.g. ARR, FLR, REDD+), with a solid understanding of project development, validation, implementation, and long-term delivery.
• Experience in one or more of the following is highly desirable: community governance, sustainable livelihoods, community forestry, landscape governance, biodiversity conservation, or rural development.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating multiple implementation partners, government stakeholders, donors, and technical collaborators within complex project environments. 
• Experience in Kenya or East Africa strongly preferred; understanding of local cultural contexts and prior work with Kenyan communities or institutions is an advantage.
• Certifications or formal training in carbon accounting, or GHG quantification, project management, GIS or geospatial analysis, are preferred. 

SKILLS + ABILITIES

• Models the Ethos in all professional interactions, demonstrating a commitment to the organization's values, vision, and conduct standards.  
• Strong working knowledge of international carbon standards and frameworks (e.g. Equitable Earth, Verra VCS, Gold Standard, etc), including validation, verification, and reporting requirements. 
• Working knowledge of Kenyan environmental, land-use, and carbon policy frameworks, with the ability to ensure compliance in project implementation.
• Able to translate complex technical concepts into practical implementation strategies and communicate them effectively to technical and non-technical audiences. 
• Proficient in project management methodologies and tools, including planning, budgeting, scheduling, and risk management across complex, multi-year programs. 
• Strong technical grounding in forest ecology, biodiversity, conservation, land-use systems, and ecosystem services, with the ability to apply these in field-based project design. 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal), with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders and build strong, trust-based relationships across cultural contexts. 
• Creative thinker, with demonstrated problem-solving abilities, able to adapt to changing circumstances and navigate challenges with resilience, agility, and innovative solutions.
• Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative data, synthesize findings, generate actionable insights, and produce high-quality technical reports for internal and external stakeholders. 
• Comfortable with relevant technology and software (e.g. MS Office, GIS tools); quick to learn new systems for project monitoring and reporting. 
• Familiarity with GIS, remote sensing, or mapping tools for land-use planning, carbon baselining, and monitoring is highly desirable. 
• Experience contributing to or interpreting carbon financial models, including project economics, carbon yield projections, and investor-facing documentation, is highly desired. 
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-evolving environments while balancing strategic priorities with operational execution.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken), is required; proficiency in Kiswahili and/or Maa is a strong asset for community engagement.

WORK CONDITIONS

• Work Environment: Combination of home office and field settings. The role requires regular presence at the Olokeri project site in the Greater Naimina Enkiyio Forest Region (Narok County), as well as time in a home office. Field settings will require exposure to variable weather conditions and rugged terrain. 
• Work Schedule: Full-time, with standard office hours, requiring occasional flexibility (e.g. early mornings, evenings, or weekends) to coordinate across time zones with global team.
• Physical Requirements: Must be able to remain stationary at a desk for extended periods, and use standard office equipment. Additionally, ability to traverse long distances on foot in forest or rough terrain and perform moderate physical activity during field work is required. Appropriate accommodation can be made, as needed.
• Travel: Frequent travel within Kenya. Occasional international travel may be required for training, conferences, or coordination with Eden’s global team.
• Safety + Special Conditions: Adherence to all applicable safety protocols and alignment of activities with established environmental and social safeguards. Preference given to Kenyan nationals, though visa sponsorship may be available.

Disclaimer: This document outlines primary duties but may not cover all responsibilities or conditions. Compassionate Carbon may assign extra tasks or modify roles for business needs or employee accommodation, per applicable law.

Compassionate Carbon is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a team representing a variety of backgrounds, viewpoints, and skills. Candidate selection is based on technical qualifications and position requirements; employment will not commence until applicable background and reference checks are completed. 

Safeguarding: Compassionate Carbon holds strict safeguarding principles and does not tolerate behaviors that harm others, including sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, and other injustices. Employees are expected to abide by company policies.