Careers at
NATURAL STATE
A career at NATURAL STATE means working hard to catalyse large-scale restoration globally by revolutionising impact monitoring, developing new financial mechanisms and supporting local leaders. Our team of diverse people, ideas and skills help us achieve our impact goals and values.
Who We Are
Our goal at the NATURAL STATE research centre is to develop technology and financial systems that will catalyse large-scale restoration globally as well as help train future leaders for this sector. In the short term we are revolutionising impact monitoring for carbon, biodiversity and human-wellbeing, so that the success or failure of restoration efforts can be clearly defined. We are using this technology to help test a broad range of innovative financing mechanisms that aim to support large-scale restoration, sequester carbon, and provide benefits to local communities.
About Our Team
NATURAL STATE's mission is brought to life every day by our talented team of individuals with unique perspectives and a deep passion for the natural world.
A career with us means working hard together to achieve our goals. From species diversity studies at the NATURAL STATE research centre, located at the base of Mt. Kenya, to analysing data to help trigger investment in the nature economy.
NATURAL STATES staff are lifelong learners, continually developing new approaches and new skills. We fail fast and learn fast with a “lean impact” approach. NATURAL STATE provides skill development opportunities through all career stages, and we do this in an inclusive and respectful environment. We pride ourselves at NATURAL STATE for our passion, dedication, and diverse backgrounds.
OPEN OPPORTUNITIES
Head of East African Restoration Programs
Line Manager: Director of Restoration Projects
Position Type: Full-time
East Africa-based preferred: with flexibility for coordination across various global time zones and up to 20% travel as needed
Application instructions: Please follow the full instructions at the end of this job advert, failure of which may disqualify a candidate.
The Organization:
NATURAL STATE is a not-for-profit organisation head-quartered in the savannas of Kenya with the aim of catalysing nature restoration globally. We design and test new nature financing mechanisms and the supporting impact monitoring systems, and train local leaders to access this finance and deliver large scale restoration projects. Our location on the doorstep of vast ecosystems means that our team can be in the field every day, testing solutions in the places, and with the people, facing the challenges.
Founded in 2021, we have built a team of 50+ team members who have a wealth of experience and proven track records in the fields of landscape monitoring, nature financing mechanism creation, the development of IT solutions, and the design and implementation of leading conservation education training programmes. It is important to us to nurture a new generation of experts in the region, so we also recruit talented career starters from the local communities who undergo rigorous on-the-job training under the wings of our more experienced team members.
Our partnerships make us stronger, and we believe that by bringing together the best-in-class partners, we will accelerate the creation of the transformative solutions needed to address the greatest issues facing humanity. We will scale our impact by making our solutions open science, packaging them up for use by the broader sector and into training programmes that we provide for local leaders to mobilise action on the ground.
We have a supporting 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation in the US. For more information, visit www.naturalstate.org.
Job Description:
As the Head of East African Restoration Programs at Natural State, you will lead our ambitious ecosystem restoration and reforestation projects, with a focus on rewilding and reforestation strategies to enhance biodiversity and support climate resilience in Kenya. This role oversees relationships with external teams and partners to drive measurable impact. In this highly cross-functional position, you will collaborate closely with teams across Natural State to ensure that projects are supported from design through implementation.
Key Deliverables:
Lead and implement a strategy for scaling regional forestry and rewilding partner operations in East Africa. Oversee projects and establish consistency and best practices across projects to maximize ecological and community impacts.
Serve as a primary leadership liaison with reforestation partners, local communities, and government stakeholders.
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Build and maintain strong relationships with community leaders, government officials, NGOs, and strategic stakeholders to ensure that projects align with local values and operational needs.
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Facilitate accountability to agreements, ensuring transparency and mutual support with local partners to overcome challenges and drive success.
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Act as an advocate for Natural State’s impact on ecosystem restoration, representing
Coordinate with the Natural State Impact Monitoring team to deploy and iterate on carbon and biodiversity restoration capabilities on the ground
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Develop and iterate on monitoring and reporting processes in collaboration with our Impact Monitoring team to maintain accountability for milestones.
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Coordinate internal and external reporting to meet rigorous standards for biodiversity and carbon verification, supporting long-term ecosystem and financial outcomes.
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Iterate on monitoring technologies and processes with Impact Monitoring to develop science-based and field-informed processes for data generation.
Coordinate with Natural State Nature Finance team to identify potential buyers and gather feedback on project marketing.
Required Qualifications:
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Minimum master's degree in environmental science (or similar).
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Proven expertise in ecosystem restoration and reforestation, with a strong understanding of nature-based carbon markets and biodiversity metrics preferred.
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8+ years of experience leading teams and managing science-based projects across multiple geographic locations.
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Experience managing diverse partnerships, including local communities, NGOs, and government stakeholders, with a focus on trust-building and collaboration.
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Strong communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to coordinate across cultural and organizational lines.
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High emotional intelligence and respect for local cultures and ecological systems.
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Ability to travel internationally, including remote locations (up to 25%).
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Excellent research and writing skills.
Compensation:
A competitive salary will be offered, commensurate with experience, qualifications and location.
Application process:
To apply, send a detailed cover letter describing how you meet the above qualifications and a resume/CV as one document to recruitment-ke@naturalstate.org Deadline: Friday 31st January 2025.
Marine Social Impact Contractor
Line Manager: Head of Marine Strategy
Position Type: Part-time Contractor minimum 20-hours a week
Duration: 6 months with possibility to extend
Kenya-or Africa-based preferred: remote location acceptable
Application instructions: Please follow the full instructions at the end of this job advert, failure of which may disqualify a candidate.
The Organization:
NATURAL STATE is a not-for-profit organisation head-quartered in the savannas of Kenya with the aim of catalysing nature restoration globally. We design and test new nature financing mechanisms and the supporting impact monitoring systems, and train local leaders to access this finance and deliver large scale restoration projects. Our location on the doorstep of vast ecosystems means that our team can be in the field every day, testing solutions in the places, and with the people, facing the challenges.
Founded in 2021, we have built a team of 50+ team members who have a wealth of experience and proven track records in the fields of landscape monitoring, nature financing mechanism creation, the development of IT solutions, and the design and implementation of leading conservation education training programmes. It is important to us to nurture a new generation of experts in the region, so we also recruit talented career starters from the local communities who undergo rigorous on-the-job training under the wings of our more experienced team members.
Our partnerships make us stronger, and we believe that by bringing together the best-in-class partners, we will accelerate the creation of the transformative solutions needed to address the greatest issues facing humanity. We will scale our impact by making our solutions open science, packaging them up for use by the broader sector and into training programmes that we provide for local leaders to mobilise action on the ground.
We have a supporting 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation in the US. For more information, visit www.naturalstate.org.
Job Description:
The consultant will be instrumental in advancing NATURAL STATE’s (NS) goal to scale our impact monitoring systems to the marine realm, focusing on social impacts of blue nature-based solution (NbS) projects. This role will focus on five Kenyan marine projects funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), conducting a gap analysis for socio-economic, governance, and gender monitoring for the three projects and researching best practice for social indicators and monitoring globally. Working together with the NS Social Impact Monitoring team and Head of Marine Strategy, the successful candidate will support the delivery of a standardized social indicator framework to be used across NS marine projects.
Key Deliverables:
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Conduct a monitoring needs assessment (gap analysis) for five blue economy projects in Kenya.
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Provide technical support and recommendations on how to fill gaps and improve social impact monitoring across the five projects.
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Research and provide advice on state-of-the-art social impact monitoring and best practices for marine Nature Based Solutions (NbS) projects.
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Produce key documents (gap analysis report, standardised social impact monitoring framework), supported by the Head of Marine Strategy, for the five projects.
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Provide technical recommendations on how to integrate the marine social indicator framework with the overarching NS Social Impact Monitoring system.
Required Qualifications:
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Minimum bachelor’s degree in social and/or environmental science (or similar).
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Experience working on social and gender-based marine projects.
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Preference for marine projects coupled with nature restoration.
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More than 5 years' work experience with social development projects, including skills training, economic empowerment of women-run enterprises, and governance.
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Excellent understanding of global trends in social impact monitoring for donor reporting and nature-based markets.
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Excellent research and writing skills.
Compensation:
A competitive salary will be offered, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Application process:
To apply, send a detailed cover letter describing how you meet the above qualifications and a resume/CV as one document to recruitment-ke@naturalstate.org Deadline: Friday 31st January 2025.
Marine Carbon/Biodiversity Impact Monitoring Contractor
Line Manager: Head of Marine Strategy
Position Type: Part-time Contractor minimum 20-hours a week
Duration: 6 months with possibility to extend
Kenya-or Africa-based preferred: remote location acceptable
Application instructions: Please follow the full instructions at the end of this job advert, failure of which may disqualify a candidate.
The Organization:
NATURAL STATE is a not-for-profit organisation head-quartered in the savannas of Kenya with the aim of catalysing nature restoration globally. We design and test new nature financing mechanisms and the supporting impact monitoring systems, and train local leaders to access this finance and deliver large scale restoration projects. Our location on the doorstep of vast ecosystems means that our team can be in the field every day, testing solutions in the places, and with the people, facing the challenges.
Founded in 2021, we have built a team of 50+ team members who have a wealth of experience and proven track records in the fields of landscape monitoring, nature financing mechanism creation, the development of IT solutions, and the design and implementation of leading conservation education training programmes. It is important to us to nurture a new generation of experts in the region, so we also recruit talented career starters from the local communities who undergo rigorous on-the-job training under the wings of our more experienced team members.
Our partnerships make us stronger, and we believe that by bringing together the best-in-class partners, we will accelerate the creation of the transformative solutions needed to address the greatest issues facing humanity. We will scale our impact by making our solutions open science, packaging them up for use by the broader sector and into training programmes that we provide for local leaders to mobilise action on the ground.
We have a supporting 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation in the US. For more information, visit www.naturalstate.org.
Job description:
The Contractor will be instrumental in advancing NATURAL STATE’s (NS) goal to scale our impact monitoring systems to the marine realm. By researching and advising on state-of-the-art impact monitoring and best practices for the regenerative Blue Economy, the consultant will provide expertise and recommendations on current carbon and biodiversity methodological gaps that limit the scalability and growth of blue nature-based solutions (NbS).
Working with the Head of Marine Strategy, this role will focus on supporting the delivery of an impact monitoring framework for two Blue Economy projects (mangrove, seagrass plus algae focus) in Kenya, as well as the Natural State’s strategy to fill current impact monitoring gaps and create methodologies that are cost-effective, robust, and scalable for the Blue Economy markets.
Key Deliverables:
Blue Economy Pilot Projects:
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Support the Head of Marine Strategy in conducting a monitoring needs assessment (gap analysis) for two Blue Economy projects on the Kenyan coast.
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Provide technical support and recommendations on how to fill gaps and improve impact monitoring for the two Kenyan pilot projects.
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Support the Head of Marine Strategy in producing key documentations (gap analysis report, standardized impact monitoring framework, final report).
NS Marine Strategy:
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Research and provide advice on state-of-the-art impact monitoring and best practices in interventions for blue Nature Based Solutions (NbS) projects globally (focus on mangroves, seagrass and seaweed).
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Identify, and participate in meetings with, marine impact monitoring experts with the aim of broadening the NS knowledge base of existing methodologies, key global players, and potential partners.
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Provide technical recommendations for NS Marine Strategy on how to adapt our impact monitoring solutions to the marine biome by improving on existing methodologies, filling global gaps, and integrating new technologies into the NS Impact Monitoring Portal.
Required Qualifications:
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Minimum master's degree in marine ecology, environmental science/ conservation (or similar).
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Technical expertise in mangroves and/or seagrass restoration and impact monitoring methodologies.
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More than 5 years' work experience in the field of marine conservation/marine habitat restoration.
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Understanding of cutting-edge impact monitoring technologies.
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Excellent research skills.
Compensation:
A competitive salary will be offered, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Application process: To apply, send a detailed cover letter describing how you meet the above qualifications and a resume/CV as one document to recruitment-ke@naturalstate.org Deadline: Friday 31st January 2025.