Deadline: Sat, 03/02/2024 - 12:00pm Employer: Aurora Sustainable Lands Job Field: Other Job Type: Seasonal, Temporary, Internship Location: North Carolina Location Detail: Chapel Hill, North Carolina Job Description: : Aurora Sustainable Lands (Aurora), was formed in the fall of 2021 as a joint venture of the global investment firm Oak Hill Advisors and Anew Climate, LLC, the largest marketer and originator of carbon and environmental credits in North America. Aurora’s mission is to purchase and more sustainably manage high value forestland. In total, Aurora now owns and manages some 1.7 million acres of forestland spread over 17 U.S. Eastern states, and the firm is now one of the 10 largest forestland owners in the U.S. We are a passionate group of people dedicated to delivering real GHG emission reduction and efficiency projects, services, and strategies, and we are looking for enthusiastic, personable, and like-minded team players to join our team to help us increase our positive impact. Position Summary: Aurora seeks an intern to support the company’s transaction and analytics team. This is an excellent opportunity to gain exposure to timberland investments and carbon markets. Preferably, the candidate will have experience in financial and forest modeling, growth and yield modeling, an awareness to forest product market dynamics (particularly in mixed hardwood regions), knowledge of nature-based climate solutions, and an understanding of the timber investment landscape. Success will require strong data processing skills. The Transactions Intern reports to Jack Durgin, Director of Strategic Analysis for Aurora. Primary Responsibilities and Competencies*: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. • Help maintain functional databases that improve efficiency of use for historical Aurora data, including stumpage prices, timberland transactions, and other items related to transactions and portfolio management. • Ad-hoc analyses, such as project & strategy evaluation, benchmarking, scenario analyses etc. • Learn appraisal review process and become familiar with timberland appraisal methodologies. • Generate yield tables in FVS for use in forest estate models. • Help develop forest estate model templates in Woodstock and/or R. • Produce capstone memo to be shared with executive team detailing internship experience. Qualifications: The successful candidate will be in pursuit of or have completed an undergraduate degree in Forestry/Natural Resource Management, Forest Business, Economics, or a closely related subject. A candidate who has completed or is currently in or is currently in pursuit of an MBA or graduate degree in Finance, Economics, Forestry, or Forest Biometrics is highly desirable. Strong quantitative skills are required. A basic understanding of linear programming and harvest scheduling concepts is preferred. Experience working with Woodstock and programming skills in R and SQL are highly desirable. The successful candidate will be familiar with core forestry concepts and terms. He/she will have enthusiasm for using environmental markets to address critical climate challenges. Ideal Personal Background The Transactions Intern must have excellent verbal and written communications skills. He/she will have a strong work ethic, must be able to work in collaborative and team environments, and must also be able to work independently. He/she must be self-motivated, organized, and able to efficiently manage several diverse tasks at the same time to meet required deadlines. Finally, the successful candidate must report to Aurora’s Chapel Hill office, a hub of forestry activity where the intern will regularly interact with a variety of Aurora team members and executives. The position is expected to work 40 hours per week. The position will receive an $8,500 stipend and any required field travel will be paid for by the company. How to Apply: Please send a cover letter and resume to Jack Durgin, jdurgin@aurorasustainablelands.com
