Head of Project Delivery at Natural State

The Head of Project Delivery will lead Natural State's MRV implementation across all project types, including credit-generating projects, donor-funded conservation programmes, compliance monitoring, and government or partner reporting.

This role combines strategic oversight with operational leadership and scientific acumen. It requires someone who can build systems, interpret complex scientific data, manage teams, coordinate complex field and lab workflows, and engage confidently with technical partners, auditors, verifiers, and land stewards. A strong technical foundation in biodiversity MRV is essential, with additional MRV experience in carbon, social, or water monitoring considered highly desirable.

The role will also work in close collaboration with the Nature Finance Department to ensure MRV implementation aligns with project crediting requirements, feasibility assessments, and emerging nature-finance mechanisms, whilst maintaining scientific rigour and operational integrity.

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Division Establishment

• Pursue Natural State's mission of transformational nature restoration through project partnerships underpinned by cost-effective, transparent, and robust impact monitoring using best-in-class technological solutions.
• Establish and lead the Project Delivery Division responsible for delivering all MRV-dependent projects, including credit-based MRV cycles, compliance monitoring, donor/funder reporting, ecological baselines, and landscape performance monitoring.
• Develop scalable workflows, management systems, and operational standards suitable for diverse project types and partner requirements.
• Contribute to departmental planning, pipeline prioritisation, and decisions related to capacity growth and resource allocation.
• Work with the Conservation Technology division to ensure data quality, build data pipelines, and generate robust and informative metrics of performance.
• Work with the Biometrics and Lab Science divisions to iteratively improve and expand monitoring capabilities and to package these capabilities for project partners.
• Survey the credit framework landscape to identify the best standards and frameworks to robustly and cost-effectively capture project impact and build partnerships with certification bodies.

Project Oversight and Execution

• Coordinate closely with the Biometrics, Conservation Technology, and Lab Science divisions to ensure project delivery aligns with analytical models, digital pipelines, sensor systems, and laboratory workflows used across Natural State.
• Coordinate closely with the Nature Finance division to ensure MRV delivery supports crediting pathways, verification cycles, feasibility assessments, funder expectations, and project structuring needs.
• Oversee planning, budgeting, and execution of MRV activities for existing PV Nature (PVN) projects and other active MRV workstreams, ensuring high-quality delivery against scope, timeline, and financial targets.
• Develop operational capabilities, systems, and workflows to support future delivery of MRV solutions across a broader set of frameworks.
• Monitor project risks and performance; develop mitigation plans where needed.
• Lead project close-out activities, including financial reconciliation, deliverables submission, partner reporting, and lessons-learned reviews.

Partner Coordination and External Engagement

• Serve as the primary liaison with project partners, including project developers, conservancies, community organisations, NGOs, government agencies, funders, and research collaborators.
• Represent Natural State in technical discussions with auditors, verifiers, donors, and other external stakeholders.
• Communicate project expectations, deliverables, timelines, and technical requirements clearly throughout the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate verification cycles, audits, and compliance reviews with standard bodies, government agencies, and independent verifiers.
• Conduct technical evaluations of project capacity and determine the technical feasibility of prospective projects.

Team Leadership and Management

• Supervise and mentor the MRV Specialist, Project Managers, and Project Data Officers.
• Build a culture of integrity, excellence, scientific rigour, and accountability within the Project Delivery Division.
• Develop KPIs, performance systems, and professional development pathways for staff.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Master's degree or PhD in ecology, conservation biology, environmental science, natural resource management, geography, or a related field.
• Significant professional experience leading conservation, ecological monitoring, or MRV projects across diverse landscapes, with proven ability to manage complex teams and workflows.
• Strong technical knowledge of biodiversity MRV methods (e.g., ecological field surveys, bioacoustics, eDNA, camera traps, remote sensing-derived indicators).
• Proficiency in data science and ecological statistics using open source software (e.g., R, Python, Julia, SQL).
• Proven ability to build and manage multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.