Skills and Abilities

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong analytical, quantitative and research skills.
• Good understanding of carbon markets, carbon credit mechanisms and greenhouse gas accounting.
• Ability to conduct independent research and produce high-quality technical and policy-oriented outputs.
• Strong numerical and data-analysis skills, including the ability to interpret emissions data and carbon credit calculations.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy and research integrity.
• Ability to assess complex methodologies, technical information and regulatory frameworks.
• Ability to develop evidence-based recommendations and practical solutions to carbon market challenges.
• Strong professional communication, presentation and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical and policy information to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of assigned research activities.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet agreed deadlines.
• Ability to collaborate effectively within a remote and internationally distributed team.
• A proactive, innovative and solutions-focused approach to work.

General and Specialist Knowledge

Candidates should have strong knowledge or experience in several of the following areas:

• Carbon credits and carbon offset mechanisms.
• Voluntary and compliance carbon markets.
• Carbon credit generation, quantification, certification and trading.
• Greenhouse gas emissions accounting and carbon credit calculations.
• Carbon project baselines, additionality, permanence and leakage.
• Carbon credit monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV).
• Emissions trading systems and carbon pricing mechanisms.
• Climate finance and carbon market policy.
• Renewable energy, forestry, land use and nature-based carbon credit projects.
• Carbon credit registries and tracking systems.
• Carbon market transparency, environmental integrity and double-counting risks.
• Climate change mitigation and emissions reduction strategies.
• Carbon market regulation and international climate agreements.
• Applied research methodologies and quantitative data analysis.
• Emerging digital technologies and their applications in carbon markets.

Knowledge or experience relating to the following frameworks, standards and mechanisms would be particularly advantageous:

• Paris Agreement – Article 6: International cooperation and carbon market mechanisms.
• UNFCCC: International climate policy and carbon market frameworks.
• GHG Protocol: Greenhouse gas accounting and reporting standards.
• ISO 14064: Greenhouse gas quantification, reporting and verification.
• ISO 14065: Requirements for bodies validating and verifying environmental information.
• ISO 14068-1: Climate change management and transition to net zero – Carbon neutrality.
• Verified Carbon Standard (VCS): Carbon credit project methodologies and certification.
• Gold Standard: Carbon credit certification and sustainable development requirements.
• Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): Carbon credit project methodologies and emissions reduction mechanisms.
• REDD+: Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

Knowledge of the application of artificial intelligence, blockchain, IoT, data analytics and other emerging digital technologies to carbon credit verification, emissions data management, carbon registries and carbon market transparency would also be advantageous.

Candidates should demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant research, data-analysis or carbon accounting tools.

Education and Training

Candidates should preferably possess:

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree, or equivalent qualification, in Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Climate Change, Carbon Management, Environmental Economics, Energy, Sustainability, Environmental Engineering, Climate Finance, Public Policy or another relevant discipline. A Master's degree or postgraduate qualification in a relevant field would be advantageous.

Relevant professional qualifications, certifications or specialist training in the following areas would also be beneficial:

• Carbon accounting and greenhouse gas emissions reporting.
• Carbon markets and emissions trading.
• Carbon credit quantification and verification.
• Climate finance and carbon pricing.
• Environmental auditing and management.
• Climate change mitigation and environmental policy.
• Research methodologies and quantitative data analysis.

Equivalent professional experience, specialist training or demonstrated technical expertise may also be considered where appropriate.

Professional proficiency in English is required.

Knowledge of an additional international language would be advantageous.

Experience

Candidates should ideally demonstrate:

• Relevant professional or research experience in carbon markets, carbon credits, greenhouse gas accounting, climate finance, emissions trading, environmental management or a closely related field.
• Experience conducting research on carbon credit mechanisms, carbon markets or emissions reduction projects.
• Experience working with carbon accounting methodologies, greenhouse gas emissions data or carbon credit calculations.
• Experience researching or evaluating carbon market policies, regulations, methodologies or certification frameworks.
• Experience analysing quantitative data and developing technical assessments or policy recommendations.
• Experience designing, conducting or contributing to research projects.
• Experience producing research reports, policy briefs, technical publications or other substantive research outputs.
• Experience communicating research findings to policymakers, institutional stakeholders or non-specialist audiences.
• Experience building constructive relationships with research institutions, government agencies, international organisations or other relevant stakeholders.
• Experience working independently and collaborating within multidisciplinary research teams.
• Experience contributing to carbon credit project development, validation, verification, certification, registry management or carbon market transactions would be advantageous.
• Experience applying digital technologies to carbon accounting, emissions monitoring, carbon credit traceability or environmental data management would also be desirable.
• Experience within an international organisation, research institution, university, environmental consultancy, nonprofit organisation, carbon market organisation, energy-sector organisation or climate-focused institution would be advantageous.

What Difference Will You Make?

Carbon markets and carbon credit mechanisms can support climate change mitigation by creating financial incentives for emissions reductions and carbon removals. Their effectiveness depends on the environmental integrity of credited activities, reliable emissions accounting, transparent reporting and appropriate verification.

As a Senior Research Officer – Carbon Credits, you will contribute specialist research expertise to DTID's work on carbon markets, climate finance and the application of emerging digital technologies to environmental sustainability.

Your research will help identify how artificial intelligence, blockchain and other emerging technologies can improve carbon credit traceability, emissions data management, verification processes and the transparency of carbon market systems.

Your contribution will strengthen DTID's research capabilities, technical expertise and policy relevance in carbon markets, carbon credit mechanisms, climate finance and sustainable development, supporting the development of evidence-based recommendations for governments, international organisations and other relevant stakeholders.

Benefits

What Will You Gain from Volunteering with DTID?

Although this position is unpaid, volunteering with DTID provides opportunities to:

• Apply and strengthen specialist expertise in carbon markets, carbon credits and climate finance.
• Contribute to international research initiatives on carbon credit mechanisms, emissions trading and climate change mitigation.
• Develop experience researching carbon accounting methodologies, carbon market regulations and international climate frameworks