Impact Measurement and Management Graduate Fellow

About the organization:

Blue Forest is a conservation finance non-profit founded in 2015 that is focused on advancing ecosystem restoration through scientific research, financial innovation, and collaborative partnerships. Since 2018, Blue Forest has managed investor capital through its flagship financial product, the Forest Resilience Bond (FRB), which deploys private capital to finance forest restoration projects to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. More recently, Blue Forest has also established Blue Forest Asset Management (BFAM), an investment management platform connecting investors to compelling, mission-aligned opportunities in a broader set of asset classes beyond FRB projects, such as private equity and private credit investments.


Blue Forest is made up of an interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, foresters, finance, and communications professionals committed to the mission: “To accelerate ecological restoration through conservation finance, enabling climate resilience for ecosystems and communities”. Employees at Blue Forest are:
-Committed to Continuous Learning
-Driven by Collaboration
-Thoughtful Innovators for Impact
-Grounded in Science
-Passionate about Restoring Earth’s Ecosystems


As we grow and develop new financial solutions to pressing environmental problems, we are seeking to amplify and collaborate with those historically excluded in conservation finance. We recognize that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization is not only vital but also a key driver of strength, resilience, and success.

https://www.blueforest.org/

Position Description: 

Blue Forest currently measures our impact exclusively by reporting outcomes of on-the-ground work made possible by our conservation finance projects. Our Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) Fellow will take our impact assessment to the next level by developing the methods and process for capturing Blue Forest’s organizational impact. This Fellow will report to the Director of Strategy and External Affairs, and is pivotal for helping figure out how to measure and articulate the impact of our work outside of our environmental and economic impacts of our conservation finance projects. This work will directly feed into future impact reports at Blue Forest, and developed metrics will also be used to highlight in external communications to partners, communities, investors, donors, and Native Nations. The Fellow will intersect with the science and research team to ensure there is collaboration and uniformity around impact measurement and management at Blue Forest broadly, as the science team tackles the ecosystem, carbon, biodiversity, economic development, and public health impacts.

Responsibilities & Duties
The aim is that by the end of the spring 2025 semester, the Fellow will have developed methodologies to measure the impact of Blue Forests's capacity building, leveraging capital, long-term FRB impacts, and DEIJ and governance practices.

The Fellow will also be responsible for consolidating relevant impact statistics and statements for our overview decks, pitches, and impact reports, and will collaborate with the science team to establish uniformity around impact measurement and articulation practices at Blue Forest.

Desired Qualifications:

-1+ years of graduate academic or professional experience in social impact measurement and management
-Comfortable working remotely
-Strong research abilities, and problem solving skills
-Thrives working independently, with light guidance, and ability to perceive when feedback is needed
-Deep understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and use and applicability cases for both
-Preference for candidates with hands on experience in developing impact reports for nonprofit organizations

Time Commitment: ~5-10 hours/week