Senior Program Associate / Program Associate - Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW)

Role Overview

We are seeking a passionate and technically skilled professional to lead and support projects in Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) — a permanent carbon removal pathway that accelerates natural mineral weathering to capture CO₂ while improving soil health. The candidate will design, implement, and monitor ERW interventions across agricultural landscapes, ensuring scientific rigor, operational efficiency, and socio-economic co-benefits.

Interested candidates - please send your detailed resume to admin@erdaillumine.com

Key Responsibilities

• Project Development & Implementation
• Design ERW deployment strategies tailored to local soils, crops, and climates.
• Coordinate supply chains for basalt and silicate rock powders, ensuring sustainable sourcing and logistics.
• Work with farmers and cooperatives to integrate ERW into agricultural practices.
• Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)
• Develop and apply protocols for monitoring CO₂ sequestration, soil chemistry, and crop yield impacts.
• Conduct laboratory analyses of soil and rock samples to quantify mineral weathering rates, bicarbonate formation, and metal mobilization.
• Collaborate with research institutions to validate models and field data.
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Build partnerships with agronomists, geologists, carbon buyers, and technology providers.
• Conduct farmer training and awareness programs on ERW benefits.
• Represent the organization in climate-tech forums and carbon market discussions.
• Innovation & Research
• Pilot new application technologies (e.g., precision spreading, drone-based monitoring).
• Explore synergies with biochar, regenerative agriculture, and other carbon removal pathways.
• Contribute to methodology development for high-integrity carbon credits.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Geochemistry, Soil Chemistry, Rock Mineralogy and Environmental Chemistry.
• Strong academic grounding in mineral weathering processes, soil-carbon interactions, and geochemical modeling.
• Hands-on experience in soil and rock mineralogy, including laboratory testing for metals, cations, and bicarbonates.
• Familiarity with carbon markets and certification methodologies.

Skills & Competencies

• Technical expertise in geochemistry and mineralogy (weathering kinetics, silicate mineral dissolution), environmental chemistry (carbonates, bicarbonates, trace metals in soils) soil chemistry, and carbon sequestration.
• Laboratory proficiency with techniques such as ICP-OES, XRF, titration methods, and carbonate/bicarbonate quantification.
• Knowledge of monitoring technologies (remote sensing, isotopic analysis, AI-based MRV).
• Ability to design scalable operational workflows and reduce deployment costs.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.