Carbon Pulse, Environmental Markets Correspondent

We are looking for an Environmental Markets Correspondent based in North America to help us bolster and expand our coverage.

Location: Home-based/remote working from a base in the contiguous US or Canada.

Job type: Full-time

Salary: Annual, commensurate with experience

Want to work for a specialist news agency with a strong reputation in a fast growing market?

Carbon Pulse is an online, subscription-based service dedicated to providing in-depth news and intelligence about carbon pricing initiatives and climate change policies around the world. Founded in 2015, with offices in the UK and China and a growing number of reporters dotted around the world, our unrivalled coverage focuses mainly on emissions trading markets and other methods of using taxes and market-based mechanisms to cut greenhouse gas output.

The ideal candidate will be a keen self-starter with an innovative and analytical mind, able to quickly, comprehensively, and accurately report on breaking stories while identifying larger market trends and chasing initiative stories.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

This role will cover North and South American environmental markets, GHG pricing initiatives, and government and corporate climate policy, with a specific focus on:

• The Western Climate Initiative (California and Quebec)
• The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI (US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic)
• Emerging US subnational carbon markets or cap-and-reduce systems (Washington state, Oregon, Pennsylvania, North Carolina)
• Canada’s federal ‘backstop’ CO2 levy and output-based pricing system, as well as provincial programmes (Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan)
• Established or nascent carbon taxes and cap-and-trade systems in Latin America, including Mexico, Chile, and Colombia
• The voluntary carbon market, including its interaction with UN body ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and other compliance systems
• Low-carbon fuel standards in California, Oregon, and British Columbia, as well as emerging policies in Washington and Canada
• The US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
• Other markets (Renewable Energy Certificates)

You will be tasked with covering climate change policy on international, national/federal, state/provincial, corporate, and sometimes municipal levels.

You will be responsible for covering breaking news, as well as for writing weekly and sometimes ad-hoc market reports on some of the above markets - always writing from an unbiased and balanced perspective. You will also be required to chase emerging or compelling stories, conduct interviews and develop wider, in-depth analysis pieces based on larger issues or identified trends.

You will also be asked to edit your colleagues’ copy, assist with the daily newsletter, and contribute in other areas including sales, marketing, and conference planning.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Markets: You must have a good understanding of the workings of financial markets and, in particular, environmental markets. This should be demonstrated in your application.
• Policy: You must be able to follow and adeptly report on policy developments across an array of jurisdictions and market segments. You need to understand the basic rules and subtle nuances of the markets and programmes listed above. You should strive to become an expert in the rules and trends of the markets on your beat, and in the government policy that underpins those programmes.
• Writing ability: You need to have strong English skills, while the ability to speak and write in additional languages including French, Spanish, and/or Portuguese is seen as a valuable trait. A background in journalism is advantageous but not essential. A lack of experience in writing articles can be compensated by a superior knowledge of environmental markets.
• Team player: You should be able to work effectively either on your own or in a team, and be highly adaptable to a fast-paced, deadline-driven, and continuously developing environment.
• Organised: As you will be home-based or working remotely, you need to be both flexible and organised. You must be able to multi-task while managing your time and adhering to strict deadlines.
• Networking: Journalists are only as good as their sources, so you need to be able to build and maintain a network of contacts in every market segment. Carbon Pulse’s correspondents have fostered a vast network of cultivated primary and secondary sources to help us not only report stories, but to also add market insight and reaction to them.
• Analytical: You should know your way around Microsoft Excel and be able to analyse and manipulate data, with a talent for identifying trends and converting them into stories. You may also be required to demonstrate this during the interview process.
• Highly-motivated: The news and markets never sleep, so part of being a journalist means you’re always on call. Some days and weeks will be busier than others, but long hours and some light weekend working may be required from time to time. As such, you always need to be highly-motivated and ready to call contacts or quickly write breaking news. Carbon Pulse prides itself on being second-to-none and ready to go the extra mile to win a scoop or file a story, so you need to subscribe to that mentality and demonstrate it on a daily basis.
• Willing to travel: This role will require occasional travel around North America and elsewhere in the world, mainly to industry conferences.

To apply, email your resume, a cover letter and a sample article of 300-500 words. The sample article can be either a piece of your previous work or a story reporting on a recent trend or historical event related to the carbon markets (eg. a policy development, an auction result, etc.)

Deadline: Jan. 18, though we will likely start interviews before this date. Only candidates that are being considered will be contacted for Skype interviews.

Carbon Pulse is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, nationality, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by US or Canadian law.