About Aurora Sustainable Lands

General Summary: Aurora Sustainable Lands (Aurora) is seeking a Forest Sustainability Manager to support the company’s Carbon Operations Team. This role will have responsibility for Aurora’s stakeholder engagement, reporting on sustainability and impact, biodiversity tracking, monitoring, and monetization, and mission-aligned partnerships to enhance the community, economic, and ecological value of our lands. These strategic initiatives are critical to Aurora’s continued success and contribute materially to the value proposition for our carbon projects. The successful candidate will have a unique mix of tactical and strategic skills, including familiarity with biodiversity and wildlife management, knowledge of forestry and nature-based climate solutions, and experience with community-based environmental management. Success will also require strong project management and interpersonal skills. This is an excellent opportunity for a mid-career professional seeking experience in private-sector forest conservation and exposure to forest carbon markets and large-tract management.

Primary Responsibilities and Competencies:

• Implement Aurora’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan by working with forestry consultants, developing project documentation, engaging with various property-level stakeholders, and developing a stakeholder engagement tracking framework.
• Expand Aurora’s biodiversity, habitat, and wildlife projects, including developing data collection methodologies for biodiversity indicators and coordinating with the geospatial team on data tracking.
• Generate and manage strategic partnerships on the properties in Aurora’s portfolio to enhance the community, economic, climate, and ecological values of Aurora’s forests. Partnerships can include universities, researchers, non-profits, governments, and community organizations.
• Project management of Aurora’s sustainability report, including annual impact reporting related to biodiversity, partnerships, and ecological projects, including the following frameworks: TNDF and LEAP, TCDF, SASB, and FSC, and carbon credit buyer and investor reporting.
• Communicate with Aurora’s investors, carbon credit buyers, media, and various other stakeholders on Aurora’s work related to biodiversity and partnerships.
• Support on of Aurora’s Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification through development of documentation and processes to meet operational standards under FSC and annual FSC audit support.

Required Education, Experience, and Certification:

• Having completed a bachelor's program with studies focused on forestry, environmental management, wildlife or natural resources, and/or sustainability.
• 3-5 years of professional experience in forestry, conservation, or natural resource fields.
• Experience facilitating meetings or workshops, ensuring alignment and productive outcomes among varied stakeholders.
• Comfortable working in dynamic environments, with the flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and organizational needs.
• Proven experience in stakeholder coordination across multiple organizations, including managing timelines, expectations, and deliverables.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust and rapport with diverse external partners.
• Strong organizational and project management abilities, including experience with collaborative tools and cross-functional workflows.
• An enthusiasm for using environmental markets to address critical climate challenges.
• Willingness to travel to remote forest locations to communicate with stakeholders and engage with boots-on-the-ground project partners.

Preferred Education, Qualifications, and Experience:

• Having completed a graduate degree relevant to forestry, wildlife, and/or environmental management (e.g., Master of Forestry, Master of  Environmental Management, or Master of Science with a Forestry focus).
• Experience with geospatial information systems, remote sensing, and statistical analysis
• Awareness of trends and developments in biodiversity monitoring frameworks
• Familiarity with forestry concepts and terms
• A demonstrated strong background, keen interest, or past work experience in collecting and synthesizing ecological data of natural ecosystems

About Aurora: Aurora Sustainable Lands LLC (“Aurora”) was established in Fall 2021 as a joint venture between Oak Hill Advisors, a global investment firm, and Anew Climate, LLC, the largest marketer and originator of carbon and environmental credits in North America. Aurora’s mission is to harness the power of natural forests to remove and store atmospheric CO₂. Today, Aurora owns and manages approximately 1.6 million acres of forestland across 14 Eastern U.S. states, making it one of the 10 largest forestland owners in the country.

General Summary: Aurora is seeking a Transactions Manager to support all aspects of its transactional operations. This position reports to Joe Schwartz, Senior Director of Transactions.
The Transactions Manager will be responsible for project management, financial modeling, investment memorandum preparation, due diligence for acquisitions, land sale preparation, internal tracking, and market analysis. The role may also lead transactions related to new revenue streams such as renewable energy leases or easement sales. The ideal candidate will develop a strong understanding of forest carbon methodologies and economics to effectively contribute to Aurora’s leadership in forest carbon land management.

Primary Responsibilities and Competencies:

• Transaction Support: Assist the Senior Director in managing large-scale strategic dispositions, including data room management, memorandum preparation, forest inventory analysis, environmental assessments, and title and land record reviews.
• Project Management: Lead all phases of timberland acquisition and disposition projects, including strategy development, due diligence, contract negotiation, and closing.
• Due Diligence: Conduct thorough due diligence, including property research, timberland appraisals, environmental assessments, and legal document reviews.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Collaborate with internal teams (forestry and carbon operations, portfolio management, finance, and legal) and external stakeholders (buyers, sellers, attorneys, brokers, consultants, and public agencies) to facilitate transactions.
• Market Analysis & Valuation: Apply knowledge of timberland, carbon, and renewable energy markets and valuation techniques to assess property value and support strategic decisions.
• Risk Assessment: Identify risk areas in timber and forest carbon transactions by understanding land management practices, forest carbon methodologies and Aurora’s strategic priorities.
• Research & Reporting: Analyze publicly available data and reports relevant to transactions, including market rates for energy leases, conservation funding trends, policy developments, and financial market activity (e.g., mergers in renewable energy or carbon capture sectors).
• Documentation & Modeling: Prepare investment memoranda, financial reports, and Excel-based financial models to support proposed transactions.
• Travel: Occasional domestic travel is required.

Required Education, Experience and Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, forestry, or natural resource management; or a bachelor’s degree in any field combined with a JD, MBA, or master’s in forestry or natural resource management.
• Minimum of three years of experience in real estate, timberland management, carbon project development, investment management, law, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of financial concepts, portfolio performance metrics, decision-making frameworks, and discounted cash flow analysis.
• Demonstrated quantitative skills and proficiency in scenario analysis and financial modeling.
• Ability to critically review lease, easement, or option agreements for key commercial terms and risks.
• Familiarity with nature-based climate solutions, renewable energy, or land conservation is a plus.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.

Skills:

• Strong work ethic and ability to thrive in both collaborative and independent work environments.
• Ability to prioritize and manage a variety of projects in a fast paced, growth-oriented, small team environment.
• Self-motivated, organized, and capable of managing multiple tasks and deadlines efficiently.
• Professional presence and demeanor suitable for representing Aurora in high-level transactions.