Our client is looking for a consultant to provide expert, on-demand technical, financial, commercial, and regulatory support to the companies Carbon Markets initiatives. The consultant will assess project opportunities, review and develop financial models, evaluate agreements, prepare inputs for IC and Board approval, and advise on practical delivery considerations. The consultant may also support targeted pipeline generation where required to inform specific financial instruments and portfolio structuring efforts.

This is a 6-month renewable retainer requiring approximately 1–2 days of work per week, with flexible deployment based on project needs, and performed remotely with occasional in-person workshops or site visits as required.

Responsibilities - Required

A.     Project Assessment & Risk Analysis

• Conduct due diligence on identified projects, including:
• Review of technical design, additionality, permanence, leakage, legal alignment, robust MRV and co-benefits
• Assessment of commercial viability and scalability.
• Identification of key technical, regulatory, commercial, and counterparty risks with mitigation recommendations.
• Provide a holistic viability view, integrating technical, financial, regulatory, and delivery considerations.

B.     Regulatory & Policy Review

• Assess applicable national and international regulatory requirements (Article 6 approvals, host country authorisations, benefit-sharing frameworks, registry requirements).
• Advise on likely timelines, sequencing, and key dependencies for regulatory approvals.
• Identify potential policy risks (e.g. moratoria, rule changes) and recommend engagement strategies with DNAs and government stakeholders.

C.    Delivery Pathway & Dependencies

• Advise on the ease and feasibility of actual project implementation, including:
• Key milestones (project registration, validation, verification, credit issuance).
• Dependencies such as land tenure, community agreements, or offtake commitments.
• Realistic delivery timelines and critical path items.
• Flag bottlenecks that could delay credit issuance or revenue realisation, allowing for more accurate financial modelling.

D.    Financial Modelling & Analysis

• Develop or review project and portfolio financial models, ensuring:
• Realistic forecasts of carbon credit generation and issuance schedules.
• Market-aligned assumptions for prices, costs, discount rates, and verification cycles.
• Sensitivity and scenario analyses to inform structuring and risk assessment.
• Aggregate project data into portfolio-level models where needed for financial instrument design.

Key Responsibilities - Nice to have

E.     Funding Options & Structuring Advisory

• Analyse funding requirements for each project stage (feasibility, development, construction, operations) and recommend appropriate instruments (grants, concessional finance, guarantees, equity, debt).
• Advise on structuring solutions such as results-based finance, carbon revenue securitisation, carbon-linked bonds, and blended finance stacks.
• Map potential sources of capital — including local financial institutions (banks, pension funds, insurers), development finance institutions, impact investors, and corporates.
• Recommend strategies to de-risk participation of local capital (e.g. first-loss tranches, partial credit guarantees, revenue floors).
• Identify opportunities to leverage carbon revenues to unlock additional climate finance (green bonds, adaptation-linked instruments).
• Provide input on aligning financing structures with host country climate strategies, benefit-sharing frameworks, and NDC commitments.

 F.      Review of Technical, Legal & Commercial Agreements

• Review ERPAs, benefit-sharing agreements, term sheets, and partnership agreements.
• Ensure alignment between contractual terms, financial assumptions, and delivery milestones.
• Highlight gaps, risks, and negotiation points.

G.    Investment Committee (IC) & Board Support

• Prepare and input into IC/Board papers and presentations, including risk matrices, sensitivities, and delivery timelines.
• Join IC meetings as a subject-matter expert where required.
• Ensure materials are decision-ready and highlight key risks and mitigations clearly.

H.    Market & Strategic Advisory

• Provide insights on pricing benchmarks, methodology updates, and regulatory trends.
• Recommend adjustments to structuring approaches or project prioritisation based on market shifts.
• Provide insights on emerging climate finance opportunities and recommend how FSD Africa can position its carbon initiatives to attract innovative finance (domestic and international).
• Share lessons learned to build institutional knowledge.

I.        Targeted Pipeline Generation (Where Required)

• Support sourcing and validation of projects required to anchor specific financial instruments.
• Apply eligibility criteria to select projects with the right scale, credit type, geography, and risk profile.
• Provide gap analysis where pipeline volume or credit profile does not meet instrument design requirements.

Collaboration & Reporting

• Engage closely with the Carbon Centre of Expertise, Key Pillars (Early Stage Finance, Adaptation & Resilience, Financial Markets, Investments and Nature Centre of Expertise), Legal and Risk teams.
• Coordinate with government and ecosystem stakeholders where regulatory insights are required.
• Provide short written updates after major deliverables and maintain a log of project reviews.

Experience & Expertise Required

• Technical Expertise:
• Deep knowledge of carbon markets (voluntary, Article 6, CORSIA) and integrity frameworks (VCMI, ICVCM).
• Familiarity with project methodologies (nature-based and technology-based solutions).
• Understanding of MRV requirements, registries, and policy linkages to NDCs.
• Regulatory & Delivery Knowledge:
• Experience navigating host country authorisation processes and Article 6 readiness.
• Understanding of policy and regulatory timelines, and ability to map out key delivery dependencies.
• Experience in engaging with local authorities in developing a fair project approach
• Financial & Commercial Skills:
• Strong experience developing and reviewing financial models for carbon or infrastructure projects.
• Experience advising on funding options and blended finance design for climate or infrastructure projects.
• Familiarity with blended finance, portfolio aggregation, and innovative instruments linking carbon finance with overal climate finance.
• Ability to interpret ERPAs and benefit-sharing frameworks from a financial perspective.
• Transaction & Advisory Experience:
• Track record supporting IC/Board-level approvals with decision-ready material.
• Experience advising on risk allocation and deal structuring.
• Track record of structuring transactions that integrate concessional, commercial, and local capital.
• Familiarity with local financial market instruments (e.g. local currency bonds, guarantees, credit enhancement tools).
• Ability to engage with domestic investors and regulators to crowd-in local capital.

General Attributes:

• 5 - 10 years’ relevant experience in carbon markets, climate finance, or project finance.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills with ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Collaborative and proactive approach, comfortable engaging with multiple stakeholders.