
Transactions Manager
About Aurora: Aurora Sustainable Lands LLC (“Aurora”) was established in Fall 2021 as a joint venture between Oak Hill Advisors, a global investment firm, and Anew Climate, LLC, the largest marketer and originator of carbon and environmental credits in North America. Aurora’s mission is to harness the power of natural forests to remove and store atmospheric CO₂. Today, Aurora owns and manages approximately 1.6 million acres of forestland across 14 Eastern U.S. states, making it one of the 10 largest forestland owners in the country.
General Summary: Aurora is seeking a Transactions Manager to support all aspects of its transactional operations. This position reports to Joe Schwartz, Senior Director of Transactions.
The Transactions Manager will be responsible for project management, financial modeling, investment memorandum preparation, due diligence for acquisitions, land sale preparation, internal tracking, and market analysis. The role may also lead transactions related to new revenue streams such as renewable energy leases or easement sales. The ideal candidate will develop a strong understanding of forest carbon methodologies and economics to effectively contribute to Aurora’s leadership in forest carbon land management.
Primary Responsibilities and Competencies:
- Transaction Support: Assist the Senior Director in managing large-scale strategic dispositions, including data room management, memorandum preparation, forest inventory analysis, environmental assessments, and title and land record reviews.
- Project Management: Lead all phases of timberland acquisition and disposition projects, including strategy development, due diligence, contract negotiation, and closing.
- Due Diligence: Conduct thorough due diligence, including property research, timberland appraisals, environmental assessments, and legal document reviews.
- Stakeholder Coordination: Collaborate with internal teams (forestry and carbon operations, portfolio management, finance, and legal) and external stakeholders (buyers, sellers, attorneys, brokers, consultants, and public agencies) to facilitate transactions.
- Market Analysis & Valuation: Apply knowledge of timberland, carbon, and renewable energy markets and valuation techniques to assess property value and support strategic decisions.
- Risk Assessment: Identify risk areas in timber and forest carbon transactions by understanding land management practices, forest carbon methodologies and Aurora’s strategic priorities.
- Research & Reporting: Analyze publicly available data and reports relevant to transactions, including market rates for energy leases, conservation funding trends, policy developments, and financial market activity (e.g., mergers in renewable energy or carbon capture sectors).
- Documentation & Modeling: Prepare investment memoranda, financial reports, and Excel-based financial models to support proposed transactions.
- Travel: Occasional domestic travel is required.
Required Education, Experience and Certification:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, forestry, or natural resource management; or a bachelor’s degree in any field combined with a JD, MBA, or master’s in forestry or natural resource management.
- Minimum of three years of experience in real estate, timberland management, carbon project development, investment management, law, or a related field.
- Strong understanding of financial concepts, portfolio performance metrics, decision-making frameworks, and discounted cash flow analysis.
- Demonstrated quantitative skills and proficiency in scenario analysis and financial modeling.
- Ability to critically review lease, easement, or option agreements for key commercial terms and risks.
- Familiarity with nature-based climate solutions, renewable energy, or land conservation is a plus.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
Skills:
- Strong work ethic and ability to thrive in both collaborative and independent work environments.
- Ability to prioritize and manage a variety of projects in a fast paced, growth-oriented, small team environment.
- Self-motivated, organized, and capable of managing multiple tasks and deadlines efficiently.
- Professional presence and demeanor suitable for representing Aurora in high-level transactions.
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