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Forest Sustainability Manager

Chapel Hill, NC

General Summary: Aurora Sustainable Lands (Aurora) is seeking a Forest Sustainability Manager to support the company’s Carbon Operations Team. This role will have responsibility for Aurora’s stakeholder engagement, reporting on sustainability and impact, biodiversity tracking, monitoring, and monetization, and mission-aligned partnerships to enhance the community, economic, and ecological value of our lands. These strategic initiatives are critical to Aurora’s continued success and contribute materially to the value proposition for our carbon projects. The successful candidate will have a unique mix of tactical and strategic skills, including familiarity with biodiversity and wildlife management, knowledge of forestry and nature-based climate solutions, and experience with community-based environmental management. Success will also require strong project management and interpersonal skills. This is an excellent opportunity for a mid-career professional seeking experience in private-sector forest conservation and exposure to forest carbon markets and large-tract management.

Primary Responsibilities and Competencies:

  • Implement Aurora’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan by working with forestry consultants, developing project documentation, engaging with various property-level stakeholders, and developing a stakeholder engagement tracking framework.
  • Expand Aurora’s biodiversity, habitat, and wildlife projects, including developing data collection methodologies for biodiversity indicators and coordinating with the geospatial team on data tracking.
  • Generate and manage strategic partnerships on the properties in Aurora’s portfolio to enhance the community, economic, climate, and ecological values of Aurora’s forests. Partnerships can include universities, researchers, non-profits, governments, and community organizations.
  • Project management of Aurora’s sustainability report, including annual impact reporting related to biodiversity, partnerships, and ecological projects, including the following frameworks: TNDF and LEAP, TCDF, SASB, and FSC, and carbon credit buyer and investor reporting.
  • Communicate with Aurora’s investors, carbon credit buyers, media, and various other stakeholders on Aurora’s work related to biodiversity and partnerships.
  • Support on of Aurora’s Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification through development of documentation and processes to meet operational standards under FSC and annual FSC audit support.

Required Education, Experience, and Certification:

  • Having completed a bachelor's program with studies focused on forestry, environmental management, wildlife or natural resources, and/or sustainability.
  • 3-5 years of professional experience in forestry, conservation, or natural resource fields.
  • Experience facilitating meetings or workshops, ensuring alignment and productive outcomes among varied stakeholders.
  • Comfortable working in dynamic environments, with the flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and organizational needs.
  • Proven experience in stakeholder coordination across multiple organizations, including managing timelines, expectations, and deliverables.
  • Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust and rapport with diverse external partners.
  • Strong organizational and project management abilities, including experience with collaborative tools and cross-functional workflows.
  • An enthusiasm for using environmental markets to address critical climate challenges.
  • Willingness to travel to remote forest locations to communicate with stakeholders and engage with boots-on-the-ground project partners.

Preferred Education, Qualifications, and Experience:

  • Having completed a graduate degree relevant to forestry, wildlife, and/or environmental management (e.g., Master of Forestry, Master of  Environmental Management, or Master of Science with a Forestry focus).
  • Experience with geospatial information systems, remote sensing, and statistical analysis
  • Awareness of trends and developments in biodiversity monitoring frameworks
  • Familiarity with forestry concepts and terms
  • A demonstrated strong background, keen interest, or past work experience in collecting and synthesizing ecological data of natural ecosystems

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