Senior Technical Manager, Asia Pacific Carbon Technical Development

Senior Technical Manager, Asia Pacific Carbon Technical Development

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 Tokyo, Japan

The Asia-Pacific Carbon Team serves as Conservation International's regional hub for Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) carbon development, supporting the identification, design, and advancement of high-integrity carbon projects and programs across Asia-Pacific. The team provides technical expertise, carbon accounting guidance, analytical support, and project development leadership to help ensure CI's carbon portfolio is technically robust, aligned with leading standards, and responsive to country priorities. 

The Senior Technical Manager, AP Carbon Technical Development provides technical leadership across carbon accounting, methodological design, data analysis, and quality assurance for CI's Asia-Pacific carbon portfolio. Working closely with country programs, technical specialists, consultants, government counterparts, and external partners, the role supports the development of technically credible carbon projects and programs, ensuring that technical approaches, data, and project documentation are fit for purpose and aligned with national and international carbon standards.

The role spans a broad range of technical and relationship-building activities, including work on Asia-Pacific and jurisdictional or national-scale carbon initiatives, leadership of distributed technical workstreams, use of remote sensing, GIS, and carbon data platforms, management of external technical providers, and engagement with Japanese government, research, industry, and carbon market stakeholders. This includes supporting CI’s engagement with Japan’s climate policy and regulated carbon market landscape, including the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), Article 6 cooperation, and related frameworks. The successful candidate is not expected to bring equal depth in every area on appointment, but should demonstrate the capacity and motivation to build these capabilities over time.
Success in this role means CI's Asia-Pacific carbon projects hold up to scrutiny: technically sound, aligned with recognized standards, and credible to governments, partners, and buyers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Carbon Methodology & Technical Leadership

• Serve as CI's APAC technical lead for carbon accounting methodologies, modeling approaches, and standards alignment.
• Provide technical guidance on baselines, carbon estimation pathways, uncertainty management, and methodological risk.
• Lead technical analysis supporting project development, jurisdictional programs, and emerging market opportunities.
• Maintain current knowledge of relevant carbon methodologies and standards

Technical Quality Assurance

• Oversee technical quality control of carbon calculations, analytical models, assumptions, datasets, and project documentation.
• Ensure technical outputs are accurate, defensible, and fit for use in project development, financial analysis, government engagement, and validation processes.

Technical Design & Data Strategy

• Design technical approaches for carbon development activities, including data acquisition, field validation, carbon modeling, and analytical workflows. 
• Develop practical technical workplans and identify critical decision points, dependencies, and risks. 

Team Leadership & Delivery

• Provide technical leadership, line management, performance feedback, and professional development support to carbon staff, consultants, and technical contributors. 
• Lead staff capacity planning, allocation of staff time across workstreams, prioritization, workflow management, and delivery across multiple projects and workstreams. 
• Support a collaborative team culture and ongoing technical learning 

Partner & Government Engagement

• Help steward key corporate relationships for carbon-based projects 
• Represent CI in technical discussions with governments, project partners, consultants, and other external stakeholders, including, where relevant, Japanese government agencies and technical working groups focused on carbon market development, climate finance, and related policy initiatives.
• Support data-sharing arrangements, validation planning, and alignment with national and international carbon frameworks.

Organizational Contribution

• Contribute technical inputs to fundraising, strategic partnerships, and business development efforts.
• Develop tools, methodologies, guidance materials, and technical approaches that support carbon project development and promote knowledge exchange across CI's global carbon portfolio. 

WORKING CONDITIONS

• The position is based in Tokyo, with hybrid work flexibility in accordance with CI policies.
• The role requires regular coordination across multiple time zones, including occasional early-morning or evening meetings with regional teams, global colleagues, consultants, and external partners.
• Regional travel, approximately 15–25%, may be required to support technical design, government or partner engagement, field validation planning, project development, and internal coordination with Field Management Units and country programs.
• Travel may include visits to rural or remote field sites, sometimes involving basic conditions, in alignment with CI safety and security protocols.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in environmental science, forestry, ecology, geography, climate science, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Professional proficiency in written and spoken English and Japanese.
• At least 5 to 7 of relevant experience in natural climate solutions carbon development, carbon accounting, MRV, forest or restoration carbon, climate finance, or a related field, with a sound understanding of carbon project and program development and applicable voluntary or regulated standards.
• Demonstrated technical competence in reviewing carbon models, calculations, assumptions, datasets, and technical outputs, and in identifying quality, uncertainty, and methodological risks, and weighing their implications for projects, partners, and affected people.
• Ability to design fit-for-purpose analytical and data approaches, drawing on spatial, field, remote sensing, government, and other relevant datasets.
• Demonstrated ability to lead people and technical work, set priorities, coordinate contributors, adapt to changing conditions, provide constructive feedback, and support professional development.
• Ability to build trusted and effective working relationships, communicate openly, and work through competing priorities with governments, NGOs, consultants, corporate partners, and other stakeholders, and to communicate complex carbon concepts clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to interpret Japan’s climate policy and regulated carbon market landscape and apply that understanding to carbon project and program development, including in relation to the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), Article 6 cooperation, and related frameworks.
• Sound technical judgement, integrity, and a commitment to high-quality conservation outcomes, respect for Indigenous peoples and local communities, alignment with national priorities, transparency, and credibility.

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

Application Deadline: October 31, 2026  (11:49 PM EST)

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