Executive Consultant – Carbon Markets, ESG & Decarbonisation Advisory

Job Title: Executive Consultant – Carbon Markets, ESG & Decarbonisation Advisory
Company: VPA India
Location: Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Job Location Type: In person and flexible/hybrid, with work-from-home option for suitable tasks
Job Type: Full-time / Part-time / Contract / Temporary / Freelance / Internship / Student Job
Expected Hours: 21–42 hours per week
Engagement Duration: Permanent/ongoing association for suitable candidates; fixed-term or project-based arrangements may apply depending on the engagement type and business requirements
Probation / Initial Assessment Period: Up to 6 months, where applicable
Education Requirement: Engineering or Technology background only
Preferred Education Streams: Environmental Engineering, Energy Engineering, Power Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Biotechnology, Renewable Energy, Environmental Technology, Energy Technology or related technical branches
Experience: 0–40 years; responsibilities and remuneration will be aligned with demonstrated capability and engagement type

About VPA India

VPA India is a professional consulting organisation based in Vadodara, Gujarat, with 30 years of expertise in carbon markets, decarbonisation, ESG, sustainability, carbon credits, GHG accounting, climate advisory and carbon-credit commercialisation support for Indian and international clients.

VPA India supports clients across carbon credit project development, voluntary carbon markets, compliance carbon markets, Indian Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, Article 6, CORSIA, Verra VCS, Gold Standard, corporate GHG inventory, Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions, BRSR reporting, ESG advisory, EU CBAM, product carbon footprint, life cycle assessment, SBTi, net zero pathway, carbon neutrality, biodiversity and nature credits, and carbon market advisory.

Role Purpose

We are looking for an Executive Consultant to support technical consulting, research, project documentation, proposal preparation, client coordination and execution work across VPA India’s carbon markets, ESG and decarbonisation service verticals.

The candidate will work with the CEO and consulting team on technical and commercial assignments, including proposal preparation, quotation support, feasibility studies, carbon credit documentation, PDD preparation, monitoring report preparation, MRV tables, evidence checklists, client data requests, calculation logic and AI-assisted documentation workflows.

This role is suitable for engineering and technology students, fresh graduates, interns, freelancers, early-career professionals and experienced professionals interested in carbon markets, climate consulting, sustainability and decarbonisation advisory. This is a multi-level role, and assigned responsibilities will be aligned with the candidate’s demonstrated capability and engagement type.

Key Service Verticals and Responsibilities

1. Carbon Credit Project Development

The candidate will support end-to-end carbon credit and carbon offset project development activities, including:

• Project conceptualisation and initial opportunity screening.

• Pre-project analysis and feasibility assessment.

• Project eligibility review under relevant carbon standards and methodologies.

• Methodology mapping for project types such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, agroforestry, afforestation, biochar, methane avoidance, industrial decarbonisation and other eligible project types.

• Baseline scenario assessment and project scenario documentation.

• Additionality, leakage, permanence, ownership and double-counting risk review.

• Preparation support for Project Design Documents and Project Description Documents (PDDs/PDs).

• Preparation of monitoring plans, MRV structures and parameter tables.

• Preparation of monitoring reports and supporting calculation sheets.

• Compilation of audit evidence for validation and verification.

• Coordination support for assessment of PDDs and monitoring reports by designated operational entities (DOEs), validation/verification bodies (VVBs) or other approved auditors, as applicable.

• Support for registry submission, validation, verification, registration and issuance-readiness documentation.

• Support for carbon credit commercialisation, buyer due diligence, data-room preparation and trading documentation.

2. Voluntary Carbon Market Standards

The candidate will assist in work related to voluntary carbon market standards, including:

• Verra VCS project documentation and methodology research.

• Gold Standard project documentation and SDG-related support.

• ACR, GCC, Isometric and other registry-related research where applicable.

• Carbon credit unit terminology, project-cycle steps and registry documentation requirements.

• Preparation of technical notes comparing registry options, project risks, monitoring requirements and documentation needs.

3. Compliance Carbon Markets

The candidate will support assignments related to compliance and regulated carbon markets, including:

• Indian Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS)-related research and documentation.

• Carbon Credit Certificate-related market and compliance support under the Indian Carbon Market.

• CORSIA-eligible carbon credit project research.

• UNFCCC Article 6.2 cooperative approaches and Article 6.4 Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM)-related documentation support, including research on authorisation, corresponding adjustments and international transfer requirements, as applicable.

• EU ETS, UK ETS and other compliance-market background research where relevant.

• Preparation of client notes, comparison tables and compliance-readiness checklists.

4. Corporate GHG Inventory and Carbon Footprint

The candidate will support corporate greenhouse gas inventory and carbon footprint assignments, including:

• Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 activity-data collection.

• Preparation of client data-request formats and data-gap lists.

• Emission source identification for manufacturing, industrial, commercial and service-sector clients.

• Compilation of fuel, electricity, process, transport, purchased goods, waste and other activity data.

• Support for emission factor research and documentation.

• Preparation of calculation templates, QA/QC checks and summary tables.

• Support for ISO 14064-1, the GHG Protocol and related GHG accounting documentation.

5. Product Carbon Footprint, LCA and CBAM

The candidate will assist in product-level and trade-related carbon assessment assignments, including:

• Product carbon footprint data collection.

• Life cycle assessment support for selected products and processes.

• Material and energy flow mapping.

• Embedded emission data compilation for EU CBAM-related assignments.

• Preparation of product-wise data-request sheets, calculation workbooks and client communication notes.

• Support for sector-specific research for steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, chemicals, hydrogen, electricity and other CBAM-relevant sectors.

6. ESG, BRSR and Sustainability Reporting

The candidate will support Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG), Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) and corporate sustainability advisory assignments, including:

• BRSR data collection support.

• ESG disclosure research and framework mapping.

• Preparation of client questionnaires, data-gap trackers and evidence checklists.

• Support for sustainability report sections related to environment, energy, emissions, water, waste, governance and stakeholder engagement.

• Research support for GRI, SASB, CDP, TCFD, IFRS S1/S2 and other sustainability frameworks.

• Preparation of summary tables, charts and structured notes for client reports.

7. Net Zero, SBTi and Decarbonisation Strategy

The candidate will assist in strategic decarbonisation assignments, including:

• Baseline emission data compilation.

• Emission hotspot analysis support.

• Decarbonisation option mapping for energy, process, fuel, renewable energy and efficiency measures.

• Support for net zero pathway documentation.

• SBTi-related research and target-setting support.

• Preparation of abatement-option tables, implementation trackers and decarbonisation roadmap inputs.

• Support for carbon neutrality and residual-emission offsetting documentation.

8. Biodiversity, Nature Credits and Emerging Climate Markets

The candidate may support emerging advisory work related to:

• Biodiversity and nature credit research.

• Nature-based solution opportunity screening.

• Ecosystem, land-use and conservation-related project research.

• Preparation of concept notes, market briefs and project screening templates.

• Monitoring, reporting and evidence-support formats for nature-related opportunities.

9. Carbon Market Advisory and Commercialisation

The candidate will support commercial and market-facing work, including:

• Carbon credit buyer and investor research.

• Preparation of carbon credit portfolio summaries.

• Commercialisation notes, buyer due-diligence packs and project profiles.

• Support for carbon credit trading documentation and transaction-readiness checklists.

• Market research on credit demand, project types, standards, quality criteria and buyer preferences.

• Preparation of proposal inputs, quotation support and client-facing presentations.

10. Proposal, Quotation and Business Development Support

The candidate will assist in business development work, including:

• Preparation of technical proposals for carbon credit, ESG, GHG, CBAM, net zero and decarbonisation services.

• Support for quotation preparation and scope-of-work tables.

• Preparation of client intake forms, service descriptions and presentation material.

• Research on prospective clients, sectors, regulations and project opportunities.

• Drafting of meeting notes, follow-up emails, executive summaries and technical annexures.

AI Tools and Digital Workflows

The candidate must be willing to work with AI tools and digital assistants for improving speed, quality and consistency of consulting outputs. Work may include:

• AI-assisted preparation of proposals, quotations and technical notes.

• AI-assisted drafting of PDDs, monitoring reports and MRV tables.

• Use of AI tools for methodology research, data-gap identification and document structuring.

• Review, correction and professional formatting of AI-generated drafts.

• Preparation of Excel sheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, checklists and calculation-support files.

• Maintaining quality control so that AI-generated outputs are technically reviewed, fact-checked and made client-ready before use.

Required Qualifications

• Candidate must have an engineering or technology education background.

• Any engineering or technology branch may apply.

• Preference will be given to candidates from Environmental, Energy, Power, Electrical, Chemical, Mechanical, Civil, Renewable Energy, Environmental Technology or related technical streams.

• Fresh graduates, students, interns, freelancers and experienced professionals may apply.

• Experience range: 0–40+ years; role level and responsibilities will be aligned with demonstrated capability.

• Prior carbon market or ESG experience is preferred but not mandatory.

Required Skills

• Strong interest in carbon markets, climate change, sustainability, ESG and decarbonisation.

• Ability to understand technical concepts and convert them into structured documents, tables and reports.

• Good written communication skills in English.

• Working knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Drive, email and internet research.

• Ability to work with spreadsheets, calculation sheets, checklists and structured data.

• Good analytical thinking and attention to detail.

• Ability to follow instructions and work systematically.

• Willingness to learn carbon standards, methodologies, frameworks and regulatory requirements.

• Ability to work independently with flexible supervision.

• Professional behaviour, confidentiality and reliability.

Preferred Skills

• Basic knowledge of greenhouse gases, carbon credits, renewable energy, energy efficiency, industrial processes or environmental management.

• Familiarity with GHG Protocol, ISO 14064, Verra VCS, Gold Standard, CORSIA, Article 6, Indian CCTS, BRSR, ESG frameworks, CBAM, SBTi or net zero concepts.

• Experience in technical report writing, research, project documentation or consulting support.

• Good Excel capability, including tables, formulas, data cleaning and basic calculations.

• Ability to prepare professional documents, presentations and client-ready summaries.

• Experience with AI tools, Google Workspace, Canva, online research platforms or project-management tools will be an advantage.

Work Arrangement

The job location is Vadodara, Gujarat, India. The role will be in person and flexible. Some work may be performed from home depending on task requirements, while office meetings, training, client coordination or documentation work may require in-person availability.

Expected working hours will be approximately 21–42 hours per week. The final working schedule will be mutually agreed based on candidate availability and VPA India’s work requirements.

What We Offer

• Flexible schedule.

• Work-from-home option for suitable tasks.

• Technical exposure to carbon markets, ESG, decarbonisation and climate consulting.

• Opportunity to work on professional assignments involving carbon credits, PDDs, monitoring reports, GHG inventory, BRSR, CBAM, SBTi, net zero and climate advisory.

• Learning opportunity for engineering and technology students, fresh graduates and early-career professionals.

• Opportunity for long-term association based on performance.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate should be technically curious, disciplined, research-oriented and interested in building capability in carbon markets, sustainability, ESG, climate consulting and decarbonisation advisory. The candidate should be comfortable learning new standards, working with technical documents and using AI tools responsibly under professional supervision.

Applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds are welcome. Selection will be based on qualifications, skills, experience and role fit.

Application Instructions

Interested candidates should submit an updated CV with the following details:

• Expected remuneration or stipend.

• Current location.

• Current education status or highest qualification.

• Engineering or technology education branch.

• Preferred job type: full-time, part-time, contract, temporary, freelance, internship or student job.

• Earliest joining date.

• Marital status and family details.

• Confirmation of laptop/computer and reliable internet availability.

How to Apply

Interested candidates may send their CV/resume and the application details listed above, in English, to careers@decarbonisation.expert or WhatsApp +91 8905541120.

Please use the following subject line: “Job Application — Executive Consultant – Carbon Markets, ESG & Decarbonisation Advisory — Job Code: 20260711Technical12”

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stage of selection.