Biodiversity Project Developer (gn) for Peatland Restoration

Full-/Part-time (min. 32h/w) | Northern Europe (or Berlin)

Are you passionate about biodiversity and motivated to shape the future of peatland restoration? Aeco is seeking a Biodiversity Project Developer to join our team to lead pioneering biodiversity initiatives that support peatland restoration across Europe.

Peatlands are vital ecosystems, providing essential services like carbon storage, water purification, flood mitigation, and habitats for endangered species. Decades of drainage have severely degraded these ecosystems, disrupting their balance and resilience. At aeco, we are committed to promoting climate mitigation and ecosystem restoration, and expanding sustainable finance mechanisms beyond carbon to scale up peatland restoration efforts.

As the lead on peatland biodiversity in our team, you will design and implement biodiversity pilot projects, either standalone or as co-benefits of carbon initiatives, ensuring alignment with biodiversity scheme requirements. Your responsibilities include assessing biodiversity status, developing conservation strategies and management plans, and creating effective monitoring plans. Additionally, you will strongly contribute to the 2 year EU LIFE project, "Testing Biodiversity Credits on European Wetlands", which aims to pioneer biodiversity credit schemes for European wetlands and peatlands, bridging the gap between global biodiversity goals and real-world applications in the European market.

1. Biodiversity assessment and management plans:
2. Assess the current biodiversity status of peatlands in collaboration with project partners, incl. flora, fauna, and ecosystem health
3. Develop management plans for biodiversity conservation, identifying key indicators specific to peatland ecosystems
4. Pilot Biodiversity Projects on Peatlands:
5. Design and manage biodiversity restoration projects on selected peatland sites across Europe, ensuring alignment with biodiversity schemes’ requirements and best-practice
6. Create synergies between biodiversity and carbon project development
7. Data Collection and Standardizing MRV:
8. Support the development of comprehensive and standardized MRV (Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification) plans
9. Establish biodiversity indicators to measure project impact in collaboration with project partners, while exploring the use of innovative technologies such as, eDNA, bioacoustic sensors, and remote sensing
10. Facilitate communication and collaboration with third-party auditors.
11. Project Coordination and Documentation:
12. Liaise with key stakeholders to ensure smooth project implementation
13. Prepare and maintain project documentation, prepare reports, and document lessons learned to support the effective execution of biodiversity projects

1. Deep knowledge about biodiversity conservation, ideally focused on species conservation
2. Expertise in species with protection status (e.g. Red List species)
3. General understanding of moist and wet grassland habitats, including their conservation and management (knowledge of other types of wetlands can be beneficial)
4. Work experience in project management and development
5. Ability to work independently, solve problems, and align with team goals in fast-paced settings
6. Strong ability to learn and adapt to new subject areas
7. Excellent English communication skills
8. Optional:
9. Experience with MRV for nature-based projects, incl. biodiversity monitoring and biodiversity credit schemes (carbon markets expertise can be beneficial)
10. Expertise on ornithology, invertebrates, and/or plant ecology
11. Peatland expertise
12. German language skills

1. Join a passionate and dynamic team focused on scaling up peatland restoration
2. Pioneer a new sector of biodiversity projects in peatlands, shaping its direction from the ground up
3. Flexible, results-oriented work environment with the possibility of remote work
4. Competitive remuneration package
5. Opportunity to shape the organization’s future and grow professionally