Head of Business Development

About Acta

Acta is a forestation project developer working on large-scale carbon and biodiversity projects across Europe and Central Asia. We restore ecosystems, improve forest management, and generate high-integrity carbon credits in partnership with public and private stakeholders.

As our flagship project moves toward first planting and our pipeline of additional projects continues to develop, we need a senior lead to take each new project from opportunity, through feasibility, to an investment-ready plan that our operations team can execute.

The Role

The Head of Business Development owns the front end of Acta’s project lifecycle: screening new opportunities, running the feasibility process and study, and bringing each project to an investment decision and a clean handover to execution.

Feasibility is a multi-workstream programme delivered by internal leads and external consultants. You will manage it end to end: scope, workplan, milestones, risks and decisions. Around that core you will manage the partners, institutions and regulatory processes each project depends on, and build the pipeline of projects that comes next.

This is a senior, hands-on role. You will work directly with the CEO, the forestry, operations, commercial and finance leads, and our country teams.

Key Responsibilities

Feasibility and project development

• Own the feasibility process for each project, from scoping to final study: define the scope, workplan, budget, milestones and decision gates
• Run feasibility as a structured, multi-workstream programme, coordinating internal technical leads and external consultants
• Own the feasibility study: assign sections to owners, run the review cycle and deliver it on time
• Track progress, dependencies, risks and spend; report status and the decisions needed to the CEO and leadership
• Prepare the go / no-go and investment decision, then hand each project over to execution with a clear plan
• Build Acta’s project development toolkit (workplans, templates, risk registers, lessons learned) so each new project moves faster than the last

Partners and consultants

• Select and manage the partners and consultants that feasibility and project development depend on, from verification and rating to insurance and technical advisory
• Run partner selection end to end: market scans, shortlists, scopes of work, proposal review, contracting and delivery oversight
• Manage strategic relationships already in place, including go-to-market and market intelligence partners

Government, institutions and regulatory pathway

• Together with our Stakeholder Director, lead relationships with forestry agencies, ministries, state design institutes and national carbon authorities in our host countries
• Plan and drive the certification and host-country approval pathway for each project as part of the project plan
• Build partnerships with international organisations, development partners and universities
• Track developments in Verra VCS, Article 6, CORSIA, ICVCM/CCP, the EU CRCF and the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, and turn them into short briefings for leadership and project teams

Pipeline and growth

• Originate and screen new project opportunities and geographies
• Take qualified opportunities into feasibility with a clear scope, budget and business case
• Identify funding and co-financing opportunities, including EU programmes and development finance, working with the finance team

Representation and materials

• Represent Acta at industry events, expos and bilateral meetings, including joint appearances with government partners
• Supply the feasibility, regulatory and pipeline content for investor and investment committee materials

Profile

• 7+ years in project development, programme management, business development, strategy or advisory roles
• Track record of leading complex, multi-workstream projects from early stage to investment decision, such as feasibility studies, project development or due diligence
• Strong project management discipline: scoping, workplans, budgets, risk registers, milestone tracking and reporting (PMP, PRINCE2 or similar a plus)
• Experience managing consultants and partners against scopes of work, and working with government bodies and international institutions, ideally in emerging markets
• Strong writer: produces clear studies, briefings and presentations with little support
• Excellent written and spoken English (required)

Nice to Have (Not Required)

• Experience in carbon markets, nature-based solutions, renewable energy, infrastructure or international development, including working knowledge of Verra VCS, Article 6 / ITMO mechanics, CORSIA and ICVCM/CCP
• Experience writing or managing a Verra project description or a carbon project feasibility study
• Experience with ARR or IFM project development, ideally under VM0047 or VM0003
• Existing network among VVBs, rating agencies, carbon insurers or development finance institutions
• Experience with EU funding programmes or national nature restoration planning
• Background in strategy, sustainability or public sector consulting

What This Role Offers

• Ownership of how Acta develops its projects, from first screening to an execution-ready plan
• A central role in some of the first Article 6-eligible forestry projects in Central Asia
• Direct work with the CEO and leadership team, with real influence over where Acta goes next
• Senior exposure to governments, international organisations and leading carbon market players
• A mission-driven team building projects that matter, at scale