Entrepreneurship in the territories: is it the right time?
Nursery Manager
Based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Full time and long term position, local contract
Travels : up to 50%
Beginning: February 2025
PUR Description
PUR is a global, impact-focused B-Corp specializing in the development of environmental restoration projects, known as 'nature-based solutions' (NbS). Since 2008, we have been helping the world’s largest organizations meet their ESG targets, reduce their environmental footprint, and regenerate the ecosystems they depend on across complex supply chains. Having developed over 45 projects in more than 30 countries, PUR is recognized as both a pioneer and leader in a sector that is now at the forefront of global efforts to address the ongoing climate and biodiversity crisis.
At the heart of our mission is a commitment to fostering and operationalizing insetting strategies—interventions by companies within their own value chains designed to reduce GHG emissions while creating positive impacts for communities, landscapes, and ecosystems. By championing this insetting approach, we aim to create a holistic range of benefits that extend beyond ecological restoration, encompassing social and economic dimensions through enhanced agricultural yields and resilience to climate change-induced stresses, among others.
One of the distinctive features of our work is our ability to tailor projects to the specific needs of different regions and communities. By recognizing the unique characteristics of each ecosystem and the cultural context of the communities involved, we ensure our initiatives are contextually relevant and have a meaningful and sustainable impact. All our projects are developed in close collaboration with local actors, including cooperatives, NGOs, governments, and corporations.
Today, we employ 200 staff across 16 countries with key offices in Paris (HQ) and Toronto.
Industry
PUR operates within the dynamic and rapidly evolving sector of environmental consultancy services and nature-based solutions markets. These markets are closely linked with the voluntary carbon markets (VCM) when NbS projects produce carbon credits that can be traded on the VCM. The NbS market has recently gained traction as society recognizes the invaluable services provided by nature and the need to preserve, restore, and harness these services to mitigate and adapt to environmental challenges. To be considered a nature-based solution, projects must effectively address real societal challenges and offer strong environmental, economic, and social benefits for local communities.
Market KPIs:
If combined with deep decarbonization efforts, NbS projects could provide up to 30% of the mitigation needed to limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels by 2030 (World Economic Forum, 2023).
NbS project credits make up the largest volumes of carbon credits available in the VCM and continue to attract the most investment, with $9 billion invested between 2020 and 2022 (Sylvera, 2023).
In 2021, the VCM was estimated to be worth $2 billion, four times its 2020 value. By 2030, the market is expected to reach $10 to $40 billion (BCG, 2022).
5,307 companies have set science-based targets—a 4.2x increase since 2022—and are a significant driver of demand within the NbS and VCM markets (SBTi, 2024).
To meet their SBTi targets and mitigate their climate-risk exposure, organizations around the world will need to invest in the type of projects PUR develops. Today, very few market players have a proven track record in NbS project implementation, and PUR is therefore well-positioned to benefit from the market’s expansion.
PUR is hiring a Nursery Manager.
As a key member of the Operations team, you will report to the Country Manager in Abidjan and will develop and execute nursery startegic plans. Your responsabilities will be :
Nursery selection: Define, with the inputs of the Project Managers, the needs for seedlings in Ivory Coast (number of trees, species, characteristics,timeline..), Adapt global nursery selection criteria to own context. Seek nurseries with the potential to become suppliers of PUR projects, visiting and assessing them based on the selection criteria and due diligence results.
Nursery network management: Lead the contract negotiation with the supplying nurseries, with the support and review of the Legal team. Establish a quality control plan; visit the nurseries monthly to audit the seedlings, the infrastructures and the processes, collaborating with Project Managers and reporting to the Country Manager. Provide timely feedback to supplying nurseries to improve proceedings. Review deliverables linked to nursery operations before the payment of invoices, and transfer payment orders to the Project Managers for their validation. Provide capacity building & training to the nurseries when needed and/or to internal teams.
Seedlings distribution: Make sure seedling distribution timelines are clearly defined in the nursery contracts/orders (whether such contracts are signed by PUR directly or by the implementing partner(s)). Establish with the nurseries and/or the implementing partner(s) the optimum itinerary for seedlings distribution. Establish a quality check process to ensure the seedlings and other nursery materials meet our standards prior to distribution. Attend seedling distribution events to supervise the process and check the health and quality of the seedlings that reach the drop-off sites.
Project management skills: Acquire knowledge and support PUR’s nursery operations improvement in Ivory Coast. Develop context-specific nursery management guidelines at the attention of PUR internal teams and supplying nurseries.
