Carbon Projects Quality Control Intern
Climate action is our business. At South Pole we develop and finance projects that cut emissions worldwide. Join a global team turning climate ambition into real impact — apply today.
South Pole is a global climate solutions company on a mission to accelerate the transition to a climate-smart society. Since 2006, we've turned climate action into real-world impact — developing and financing emission-reduction projects, advising organizations on their path to net zero, and building one of the world's largest portfolios of carbon and renewable energy projects.
From our roots as an ETH Zurich spin-off to teams across the globe, we work with Fortune 500 companies, governments, foundations and NGOs to tackle the climate challenge from every angle: carbon finance, renewable energy, sustainable land use, climate strategy and beyond.
Join us and help build a more sustainable future — one project, one partnership, one climate solution at a time.
The role
You will play a crucial role in supporting the integrity and credibility of nature-based carbon projects developed and managed by our organization. Working alongside the Director, Carbon Projects Risk, you will assist in developing quality control (QC) frameworks, supporting the integration of frameworks in our digital risk tool, and performing hands-on technical risk evaluations of carbon projects. This role offers the opportunity to gain direct experience in high-integrity carbon project assessment, helping shape portfolios that deliver real emissions reductions and positive impacts on local communities and biodiversity.
What you'll do
Support the development, refinement, and standardization of quality control frameworks, risk matrix models, and evaluation checklists for nature-based carbon projects (e.g., ARR, IFM, REDD+).
Assist in embedding quality control protocols and risk assessment methodologies into internal operational tools and platforms.
Perform quality control assessments on carbon projects, analyzing baseline logic, growth models, carbon accounting, and GIS spatial data.
Gather, compile, and cross-reference relevant project data - including Project Design Documents (PDDs), monitoring reports, validation and verification reports, spatial information,and field inventory reports - to identify risks related to permanence, carbon accounting, and additionality.
Maintain accurate documentation of quality control findings, risk assessments, and technical recommendations.
Collaborate with internal teams to communicate risk insights and support continuous process enhancements across the Risk team.
What we're looking for
Currently pursuing or recently completed a degree in Forestry, Forest Engineering, Environmental Science, or a related field.
Basic understanding of forest inventory, growth modeling, and carbon accounting standards (e.g., Verra/VCS, Gold Standard, CAR).
Familiarity with GIS applications and remote sensing data.
Strong analytical skills with high attention to detail when reviewing complex datasets.
Effective written and verbal communication skills in English. A second language is considered a plus.
What we offer:
At South Pole, we care about our employees as much as we care about the planet. South Pole is not just an employer, we are a Team. South Pole does not just offer people a job, we offer you a career. By joining our team, you will find strong purpose and deep meaning in everything you do. You will have the chance to make a real difference for our clients and for the planet, working alongside a passionate team of like-minded colleagues, while building your knowledge/skills and developing your career in a fun, dynamic, international and fast-growing organisation.
We’re a planet of 7.5 billion unique and different people. We all have a contribution to make and South Pole is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status or disability. Our recruitment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.
- Department
- Support Functions
- Role
- Risk
- Locations
- Flexible Location - Colombia
- Employment type
- Internship
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Work-life balance
From flexible working hours to flexible workplace (home office), with above-average vacation allowances, we strive to make the work and family life puzzle an easy one for our employees.
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Flexible Vacation Benefits
Options to buy up to 5 extra days of time off.
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Life Insurance
Available to all employees across the world.
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Care for your Wellbeing
Access to mental, physical and financial wellbeing support through our Employee Assistance Program (TELUS Health).
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Parental leave
Should any of our employees need to take time off the Iceberg as a result of a new addition to their household, we are happy to be able to offer competitive Paid Parental leave to support them during this time.
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Compassionate Leave
Sometimes life is unpredictable, and when unfortunate events occur, we want to give you peace of mind so you feel fully supported during this time.
What makes us unique
At South Pole, we are first and foremost a purpose-driven Company. People join us because they believe in our mission and want to be part of a community that fights together for our shared values and beliefs. But that is not the only reason why working at South Pole is such a rewarding experience.
- We know that our vision to help create a greener world is both bold and challenging. To achieve it, we settle for nothing less than the absolute best. We form a Community that is stronger than the sum of its parts.
- Entrepreneurial at heart. It’s not just our founders who are entrepreneurs. We actively promote an innovative mindset at all levels of the organisation, where each and every employee is encouraged to challenge the status quo and empowered to make decisions.
- Growing employees in a growing company. With a team of smart, passionate and engaged colleagues, as well as increasing demand from our clients, opportunities to learn, develop our skills and grow our careers are endless.
- All for one, and one for all! Above all other things, what truly drives our dedication and commitment to our purpose is our colleagues. We learn from each other and grow together. Because that is who Penguins are.
About South Pole
Our story began in Zurich, with 5 friends* in 2002. They had a belief and a vision to shape and change the future of the world through climate empowerment, education and projects with their non-profit organisation; MyClimate. These ‘social entrepreneurs’ went on to pioneer climate change with the introduction of South Pole in 2006*. More than 20 years on, with the support of some of the most passionate and talented entrepreneurs around them, who are empowered to all play their part and with their founding belief in aligning purpose with passion, people and profit, they have created South Pole, an organisation that has gone onto positively impact the lives of over 20 million people across the world through its projects, saving over 20,000 km2 of forests from deforestation.
*Patrick Bürgi, Thomas Camerata, Renat Heuberger, Ingo Puhl, and Christoph Sutter
*2006 Joined by Marco Hirsbrunner and Christoph Grobel