CEO AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CLIMATE ACTION DATA TRUST (SINGAPORE)

This role may be full-time or part-time (3 or 4+ days) for the right candidate.
The Climate Action Data Trust (CAD Trust) is an NGO supporting global data infrastructure for carbon markets. The Singapore-based organisation was founded in 2022 following concept development under the Climate Warehouse Program at the World Bank and an incubation period led by the World Bank, the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and the Government of Singapore. Through a multi-stakeholder governance model, it supports a decentralised meta data platform that links, aggregates and harmonises all major carbon registry data and a common data model to enable this process.
The CAD Trust open-source metadata system uses distributed ledger technology to create a decentralised record of carbon market activity. The organisation aims to mobilise climate action by building confidence in carbon markets by enhancing the transparency and environmental integrity of carbon credit transactions, supporting transparent accounting aligned with global policy objectives (e.g., Article 6 of the Paris Agreement), helping avoid double counting, and increasing interoperability between registry systems. The CAD Trust data model is also used in national registry infrastructure in multiple countries.
Since launch, CAD Trust has connected 10 carbon credit registries to its platform, representing close to 90% of all credits issued to date. The Secretariat works with key capacity building partners and governments to support information access and management in developing countries and accelerate the operationalization of Article 6. The team is also building on its pioneering work on a common data model to contribute and coordinate greater data harmonization and interoperability in the industry, including the development of international standards and supporting the integration of carbon trading into broader financial markets.

DESIRED COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

The successful candidate should have:

• Stakeholder management
• Experience of working with governments or international organisations
• Commercial understanding – balancing user needs against financial realities, through prioritisation and communications
• Ambassadorial qualities and executive presence
• Confident, communicative and social
• Well-known to the carbon market ecosystem and understands it well
• Can manage up and work with oversight bodies
• A minimum of 10 years’ relevant work experience in carbon markets or in climate change/energy related policy in corporations, governments and/or institutions
• Educational background and experience in market-based climate change policy and understanding of the global landscape of climate negotiations, in particular the UNFCCC process on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
• Familiarity and experience working with carbon market infrastructure institutions including carbon crediting programmes and registries, trading exchanges, and market intermediaries
• A very high-level understanding of IT data platforms and familiarity with decentralised ledger technologies and their deployment
• Experience in operational leadership, supporting governing bodies, and ability to communicate effectively with external stakeholders
• Demonstrated entrepreneurial approach in building and scaling new organisations and/or a self-funding operation through developing its value propositions
• Resilience, flexibility and ability to adapt to significant workloads, prioritising accordingly
• Enthusiasm and a willingness to learn, collaborate and grow your professional skills.

• Experience in fundraising and donor relations managementAvailable for travel.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Accountable for ensuring the governance body structure is fit for purpose and runs efficiently
• Accountability for the operational direction
• Transition operation process and systems from IETA where appropriate
• Steer the operations from the interim period into independent way of working
• Work with the Leadership Team in driving improvement in operational efficiencies.
• Utilise the Council and Board as an asset to leverage the skills, experience and network
• Support the development and presentation of meeting materials for the Council, Board and other bodies, as required
• Work with the Director of Strategy and Outreach to execute the work programme and prepare recommendations for strategic decisions by the Council and Board
• With the Director of Strategy and Outreach, represent the organisation and liaise with multilateral institutions, governments, independent carbon crediting programmes, other market infrastructure institutions, and market participants, as required
• Represent the organisation at public events and conferences.
• Work with the Director of Strategy and Outreach in fundraising efforts to secure additional financial resources and build relationships with current funders
• Oversee transition to self-sustaining funding through value proposition driven partnerships with public and private sector organisations
• Work with the Secretariat team to ensure all enablers for smooth operations are in place
• Maintain overview of budget, financial plans and reports to ensure financial sustainability
• Accountable for the Financial Health and Accounting Audits

• Serve as an Executive Director to the legal entity registered in SingaporeAccountable for ensuring Secretarial duties are in place

CAD Trust is delighted to introduce the newly defined role of CEO and Executive Director. This role is expected to be based in Singapore and is Part-Time but Full-Time may be considered. The role involves transitioning the current grant-funded setup into a stable, independent, and self-funded operation with a small team. The CEO will oversee financials and team needs, enabling the Board to focus on strategic oversight while equipping the Secretariat to function effectively. This includes fostering a collaborative governance model and representing the organisation. To contribute to the scaling of high-integrity carbon markets, the key objectives and priorities for the CAD Trust in the medium term are:

• Promoting data harmonization and interoperability in carbon markets with clear leadership, contributing to data model standardization efforts, integration to financial markets, and applications in international credit tracking and accounting
• Supporting a rise in quality and informed decision-making in the market through improving access to information on key credit attributes and exploring infrastructure uses for integrity check