Manager, Financial Industry Innovation

Job Title:               Manager, Financial Industry Innovation

Location:               Remote-Worldwide (with significant overlap with US business hours)

Start Date:            Immediately

Reports to:           Director, Financial Innovation

As the preeminent standard setter for greenhouse gas emission reduction and removal projects, Verra is establishing a new role: Manager, Financial Industry Innovation. This role will lead the development and implementation of financial-industry-related standards for scaling up climate action and sustainable development.

Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven non-profit organization, Verra is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving livelihoods, and protecting natural resources across the private and public sectors. We support climate action and sustainable development with standards, tools, and programs that credibly, transparently, and robustly assess environmental and social impacts and enable funding for sustaining and scaling up projects that verifiably deliver these benefits. We work in any arena where we see a need for clear standards, a role for market-based mechanisms, and an opportunity to generate significant environmental and social value.

Verra manages a portfolio of standards, including the:

• Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) -- the world’s leading carbon crediting program, with more than 1700 registered projects in 80 countries, and accounting for three-quarters of all voluntary carbon market transaction volume.
• Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) -- a flexible framework for assessing and reporting on the sustainable development benefits of project-based activities.
• Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards -- to identify projects that simultaneously address climate change, support local communities, and conserve biodiversity.
• Plastic Waste Reduction Program -- to enable robust impact assessment of new or scaled-up waste recovery and recycling projects around the globe.

A day with Verra’s Financial Innovation Team might include:

• Leading a Green Bond Standard working group of external stakeholders to develop a new program
• Developing a policy with Verra’s Nature-based Solutions Innovations team on the insurance requirements of carbon projects that qualify for buffer pool contribution reductions
• Developing a new sustainable real estate finance methodology with external stakeholders
• Working with Verra’s Program Development, Program Management and Markets teams to enhance the design and uptake of our new forward-financing product, the Projected Carbon Unit (PCU)
• Planning and coordinating with Verra’s registry for the development of an automated conversion feature of PCUs into VCUs
• Working with our Sustainable Development group to collect and execute the implementation requirements to enable PCU-labelling functions from our CCB and SDVista programs
• Conducting a survey to understand PCU user experience challenges and opportunities for enhancement
• Working with the European Investment Fund to explore how PCUs might be collateralized for additional lending products to project developers

Specific functions you will be responsible for leading:

• Engaging standards users and financial industry players to research the potential for, and developing, new traditional finance  standards for products and services related to: bonds, insurance, derivatives, investment funds and portfolios, financial performance standards,
• Engaging standards users and financial industry players to address carbon project development, transaction, and funding barriers and unlock major new investment in GHG mitigation
• Engaging with major insurance players to identify the potential for insurance products to address non-permanence (reversal) risks as a complement or alternative to the current VCS buffer approach
• Engaging with carbon insurance product providers to understand how underwriting for carbon credits is performed and to evaluate how Verra’s carbon credits can be improved for increased successes for underwriting
• Engaging with agricultural project developers to identify financial mechanisms to assist in the funding of smallholder farmer aggregation and development
• Managing a team of colleagues and contractors that ensures the integrity and quality of Verra’s traditional finance innovations
• Researching the potential for new financial standards or mechanisms that would drive additional finance to projects interested in certifying co-benefits through Verra’s SDVista program
• Assessing financial product design/development proposals and making recommendations for accepting or rejecting pilots, partnerships, and other developments.
• Assessing existing and emerging financial regulations and FinTech that might affect Verra standards, and developing recommendations for potential actions that should be taken to mitigate possible risks and take advantage of worthwhile opportunities.
• Managing PCU-related stakeholder relationships and issues arising from PCUs and other potential investment-enabling assets or programs that may be developed by Verra.
• Collaborating with Verra’s Policy & Markets Department to develop a coordinated engagement strategy for the financial industry
• Serving as a traditional finance subject-matter expert to the team, and Verra more broadly.
• Representing Verra at relevant industry conferences, workshops, and events

You bring with you:

• A degree, preferably a master’s in business administration, finance, or related field
• At least 7 years of relevant financial industry experience, including at least five years in the development, implementation, or assessment of financial products, carbon projects or environmental programs.
• Experience in environmental, preferably carbon, markets.
• Project management and organizational skills, including prioritizing and working efficiently and effectively under deadlines.
• Culturally aware with the ability to work with stakeholders and partners from different countries and cultures.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Fluency in English is essential. Fluency in other languages, especially Spanish and French, would be an asset.

In this role, you will grow and expand your expertise by:

• Working at the cutting edge of traditional finance innovation to drive greater investment and scale to the voluntary carbon market.
• Working on challenges and opportunities faced by project developers, standards bodies, market makers, and carbon credit buyers.
• Finding effective ways to expand Verra’s finance-related program offerings.

You will know you are successful if:

• The standards-based financial innovations you create are widely adopted and drive greater investment into climate action and sustainable development.
• You are seen as a leader, a go-to resource by your peers, and a reliable and capable team member by your manager.
• Verra staff and stakeholders consistently express positive feedback regarding your ability to collaborate to find workable solutions to the challenges they face.

You will join a team:

• From diverse locations and backgrounds, including carbon market experts, project developers, consultants, policymakers, researchers, auditors, and more.
• Committed to driving finance at scale to projects and programs that advance climate action and sustainable development through high-quality standards and programs.
• That embodies Verra’s values, which include Teamwork, Results, Integrity, Balance, and Exploration.

Compensation at Verra

To help us attract and retain top talent, Verra pays employees competitively to the market. In return, we expect each employee to, at a minimum:

• Meet expectations in terms of work effort and performance;
• Take the initiative to build the skills and knowledge needed to do their job effectively; and
• Embody Verra’s values.

For this position, the salary range is USD 81,371 – 92,383, depending on experience.

We will recognize employees who go beyond expected performance with salary increases and/or promotions, but the bar for earning those rewards is high.

Salary is one component of Verra’s total compensation package, which also includes:

• Health, vision and dental care, and life insurance;
• Verra contributions to each employee’s retirement plan;
• Verra contributions as required by national labor laws in countries where staff are located;
• Paid Time Off (PTO) comprising 22-30 days plus ten floating holidays, sabbatical after five years of service, and other leave allowances; and
• Funds to support professional development.

How to Apply

To apply, please send us the following:

• Cover letter (not to exceed one page)
• Resume/CV (not to exceed two pages)

*Please add app.bamboohr.com to your contact list to ensure you receive emails from us*

Verra provides equal opportunity for all job applicants and employees and is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination. We conduct our recruitment and hiring without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetics, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.