C-Quest Capital LLC (CQC) is a social impact project developer whose purpose is to transform the lives of families, particularly women, children and infants, in poor communities around the world. We do this by providing access to sustainable energy services and clean energy technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat global climate change, and improve the health of those in need. CQC was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Washington D.C., USA, with subsidiaries in India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia and on-ground teams in a host of countries around the world.

CQC develops high impact carbon finance projects under four operational platforms: Cleaner Cooking, Efficient Lighting, Sustainable Energy, and Nature based Solutions (NbS). Currently, we have active carbon project operations in over 15 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, and South and Southeast Asia that have improved the lives of over 20 million people.

Background: CQC is rapidly expanding its portfolio of nature-based carbon removal projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within the NbS portfolio, we have launched a series of pilots on assisted natural regeneration (ANR), afforestation, agro-forestry, farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) and regenerative agriculture. To support the ongoing development and implementation of a large-scale pilot programme in Malawi and a series of trials in the region, CQC is looking for an experienced agronomist or ecologist to manage field-operations across the NbS portfolio in Southern Africa.

The Role: CQC is hiring a Nature-based Solutions Field Manager, to support the implementation of our NbS programme, in collaboration with local Implementing Partners (IPs). This role will be an operations and field focused role, ensuring the timely and high-quality implementation of the programme (capacity building, community engagement, field operations, etc.). It will provide technical support and project management oversight to partners in establishing field trials, piloting, and implementing these programmes. He/she will report to the Regional NbS Programme Manager, and work in close coordination with the local CQC operations team.

Responsibilities include:

Technical oversight, support, supervision of IP and project field teams:

• Provide guidance, technical support and oversight to project implementing partners on technical and operational elements of project implementation, site selection, and field activities, and establishing and managing practices.
• Ensure that there are clear work plans with a detailed timeline of all project events, and track and report against these.
• Ensure that project activities comply with regulations and agreed action plans.
• Supervise the establishment and management of relevant on-farm demonstrations and research trials.
• Review and assist in the development / dissemination of training and communications materials on the project’s interventions for use by field coordinators and the target beneficiaries.
• Supervise and guide the local consultation processes (e.g., including Government Departments, traditional authorities, and communities) to ensure compliance with FPIC (Free Prior Informed Consent) & CCB (Climate, Community & Biodiversity) requirements.

Training

• Training will include hands-on work, classroom courses with field exercises and cross-farm visits, involving the development and use of extension posters, leaflets, booklets, manuals, slides, videos, and other relevant audio-visual aids.
• Identify training needs of the field team and prepare a training curriculum that covers all aspects of the project’s interventions; Conduct the training of the field coordinators in the skills areas required for delivery of the targeted interventions.
• Provide formal and informal training to IPs, extension staff and farmers in conservation agriculture, tree nursery establishment, agroforestry, crop diversification and other related practices/technologies, including data collection procedures for monitoring and evaluation,
• Providing technical training, support and supervision to IPs, field extension staff and farmers on implementing project interventions, e.g., natural regeneration methods, nursery management, seed collection/handling, sustainable agroforestry, conservation agriculture, soil conservation, irrigation, other related practices, other agriculture/landscape interventions identified.
• Provide formal and informal training to extension staff and farmers on data collection procedures for monitoring and evaluation.
• Coordination and training with cookstove operations and field staff to build capacity and extend NbS programmes through existing cookstove project areas.

Assessments, monitoring & reporting:

• Overall responsibility for tracking IPs and project progress against agreed Key Performance Indicators and deliverables set in the management plan and contract, including ensuring that IP delivers quarterly and annual technical and financial reports.
• Coordinate with IP staff and stakeholders on the identification of key indicators for each component of the project, specifying methods and frequency of data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Keep an inventory of project results; ensure appropriate tracking of project participants and results according the CQC’s systems and requirements of the relevant methodology.
• Provide written and oral briefings of all project activities in selected field sites.
• Collect and organize M&E data related to training, field results, problems, benefits, recommendations, and targets for input into quarterly and other project progress reports highlighting key achievements, challenges and solutions/ actions taken to resolve the problems.
• Working closely with CQC NbS team and technical experts to support relevant baseline assessments and sampling to prepare for the GHG (Greenhouse Gas) crediting project (these activities would be led by the carbon technical team, but support to coordinate or implement would be expected).
• Managing any additional trials / research efforts required to test agroforestry/agriculture components in the pilot (these activities would be led by the carbon technical team, but support to coordinate or implement would be expected).

Location & Travel: The job covers NbS projects in Zambia and will require frequent travel to project sites in country with occasional (1-2 times per year) travel to other countries of operation.

Supervision: The position reports to the relevant Regional NbS Programme Manager and has a co-reporting line to the Country Manager.

Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Extensive experience working in a similar role in rural community environments.
• Minimum 5 years work experience in agricultural sciences, conservation, environmental management, land management.
• Diploma or degree in agriculture, forestry, natural resources, environmental management, or related fields.
• Operational and field experience with implementing farmer training, capacity building and extension programmes.
• Familiar with the decentralized / participatory extension system with a focus on farmer field schools and village-based extension approaches.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, along with a deep understanding of the cultural context and complexities involved with implementing such initiatives, while maintaining a high degree of accuracy and control.
• Responsiveness to emails and other forms of communication is critical.
• Fluency in local languages required.
• Practical knowledge and experience with MS Word, Excel and use of GPS devices, tablets and smart phones uploaded with software to collect data on households, villages and all interventions.