Head of Commercial Finance

Job Mission

As our Head of Commercial Finance, you will play a crucial role in driving the financial viability of our forest restoration projects. By leveraging your expertise in financial structuring and your deep understanding of carbon and forest deals, you will help ensure our projects are both economically viable and environmentally impactful. Your work will directly support our mission to accelerate successful restoration projects and scale this climate solution.

Location: Remote; US Preferred

Salary: $120,000 - 150,000 USD, plus equity (depending on location and experience)

Responsibilities

• Lead the commercial assessment of forest projects and investments to align financial strategies with Terraformation’s mission and goals.
• Support the sales team in executing complex project finance contracts by providing financial expertise and analysis to ensure successful project structure. 
• Negotiate and structure financing agreements with clients and funders, ensuring favorable terms and conditions.
• Develop financial models for forest project economics across various regions and biomes.
• Analyze and model Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), tax implications, and cross-border investments to optimize project returns.
• To enhance forest project profitability, explore and implement creative financial strategies, including additional revenue streams and innovative tax solutions.
• Manage and mentor finance team members, fostering their professional growth and development to build a high-performing finance team.

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, business administration, or a related field; an MBA or relevant advanced degree is preferred
• Minimum of 7+ years of experience in financial analysis, preferably within project finance in carbon, forestry, infrastructure, or renewable energy sectors 
• Experience with financial modeling, SPVs, tax structuring, and cross-border investments
• Experience in project finance, with an understanding of the challenges and opportunities of investing in different countries, especially countries within Africa, Latin America, or Asia
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think creatively about financial strategies and project viability
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Proven experience in managing and mentoring a team, with strong leadership skills and a track record of fostering team growth and development.

Ideal Qualifications

• Experience as a US, EU, or UK licensed fund or asset manager
• Experience with structured finance, senior vs. mezzanine tranching, first-loss and concessionary tranches, etc.
• Experience with project finance for timber, forestry, agriculture assets

About Terraformation

Terraformation is committed to addressing climate change through the power of native forest restoration. Our portfolio of high-quality projects is designed to restore forests that will remove high quantities of carbon, renew ecosystems, enhance biodiversity, and create sustainable long-term community income and benefits. Our project teams have planted over one million biodiverse and native trees, stored 131 million seeds, supported 19 forestry projects, and created over 700 jobs through reforestation efforts worldwide. 

Our innovative approach not only equips local forestry teams with training, technology, and access to capital, but also empowers businesses to be a part of the solution to climate change. By investing in our projects, businesses can directly address climate change, offset carbon emissions, meet net zero commitments, and enhance corporate sustainability initiatives. 

Terraformation’s mission-driven global team, which includes experts in forest science, carbon markets, operations management, and business development, demonstrates how diverse backgrounds drive innovation and create significant impact.

Learn more at terraformation.com.