At Indigo, our mission is: harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. We started down this path leveraging microbiology, but we have quickly expanded across the entire agriculture supply chain.

Indigo Carbon and the broader Terraton Initiative is the most explicit expression of our sustainability goals yet. Our goal is to remove 1 trillion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, sequester it in agricultural soils, and by doing that, improve the health of the soil, the profitability of farmers, the quality of our food, and the health of our planet. This goal is massive, and it will require a diverse team to make it happen. If you’ve been looking for a company that moves at the speed of Silicon Valley and is explicitly taking on climate change, we’d love to hear from you.

This role is essential. A carbon credit or a carbon offset is, fundamentally, a data product. You can’t see it, touch it, or feel it. If we say, “this smallholder farmer in India removed 4 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere”, that claim is only as good as the data we have to support it and how easily, accessibly, and clearly we package and communicate those data. The Director of Carbon Operations – Methodology will own the detailed process, practices, and standards that define how we create a carbon credit/offset. 

She/he will play a critical role establishing this rigorous methodology, ensuring it is appropriately implemented across a variety of cross-functional teams at Indigo (e.g., agronomists, data scientists, soil scientists, satellite/geospatial analysts, product managers, etc.), and securing buy-in and approval from critical external stakeholders (e.g., carbon registries).

It’s a dynamic role that requires technical aptitude, the ability to manage a wide array of internal stakeholders, and the ability to manage external stakeholders. It requires someone who can set a strategy and rigorously manage a complex process. In this role, you will be responsible for helping us create the most credible, rigorous, transparent carbon offsets ever.

This role reports to Ed Smith, VP and Head of IndigoCarbon.

The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, with additional offices in Memphis, TN, Research Triangle Park, NC, Sydney, Australia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and São Paulo, Brazil. www.indigoag.com

Responsibilities

• Drive our carbon quantification methodology strategy and execution
• Own the submission process to registries and manage all relationships with the major registries
• Develop a strategy and roadmap for carbon methodology development across all crop types and geographies
• Ensure Indigo’s carbon quantification methodologies are approved by a well-respected carbon registries in each global market
• Be the main point of contact for all internal stakeholders involved in developing and implementing the systems, analyses, and processes for executing our carbon quantification methodologies at scale
• Become the key point of contact for all external stakeholders, including the leaders of the voluntary registries, our advisory team, and key NGO stakeholders
• Develop long-term strategy and advocacy approach for registry innovation. E.g.,
  • How we want offsets to factor into science-based targets
  • Difference between offsets and insets
  • Difference in scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and regulations / guidelines around these
  • Entry into compliance markets
• Make 2-5 critical hires to build out the team required to manage methodology creation, innovation, and implementation

Competencies

• In-depth understanding of the carbon accounting, quantification, and methodology standards and broader landscape
• Intellectual flexibility, agility, and an innovative mindset; willing to think outside the box and advance the state of carbon accounting to meet the needs of the world today
• Ability to work and lead collaboratively with teams across an organization
• Ability to translate complex or ambiguous concepts into digestible information (e.g., protocols) for a diverse set of stakeholders
• Technical aptitude
• Obsessive about quality
• Passion for data
• Thrives in a fast-paced extremely ambiguous environment. Is a pioneer.
• Extremely organized

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ work experience
• Advanced degree in STEM preferred
• Proven ability to manage, build and empower a large, high-performing, technical team
• Experience managing complex and fast-paced projects with a high degree of ambiguity
• Experience in the carbon quantification and methodology space
• This role is based in Boston, some travel to be expected

Indigo is committed to living our values, specifically “creating a work environment where everyone feels respected, connected, and has opportunities to learn and grow.” As part of living our values, we strive to create a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone feels they can be themselves and has an equal opportunity of succeeding.