Project Development Manager, Acorn

Join Acorn at Rabobank: Make a Global Impact in Sustainable Agriculture

This is what we offer you

• Salary: Gross monthly salary between EUR 4,516 and EUR 6,449 (scale 09) for a 40-hour work week.
• Extras: a thirteenth month, 8% holiday allowance, and a 10% Employee Benefit Budget.
• Development budget: EUR 1,400 development budget per year for your growth and development.
• Hybrid working: a balance between home and office work (possible for most roles).
• Pension: decide for yourself the amount of your personal contribution.

Help hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in Latin America and beyond transition to agroforestry, increasing their income and combating climate change through scalable, innovative partnerships.

Acorn, an initiative within Rabobank, uses satellite images to measure the farmer's carbon storage and translate this into carbon removal units. This gives smallholder farmers access to the international voluntary carbon market. This is how we are contributing to growing a better world as well as a stronger Rabobank.

You & Your Role

As Acorn Project Development Manager, you will be at the heart of a pioneering initiative, working with local partners to empower smallholder farmers. Imagine collaborating in Latin America or other Acorn projects across the world, supporting the planting of millions of trees, and transforming thousands of hectares into sustainable agroforestry systems. Your expertise will drive measurable impact and lasting change.

Your responsibilities will involve close cooperation with a diverse array of stakeholders, including local partners, government agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and international validation & verification bodies or certifiers. Together, you will design, implement, and scale impactful projects, ensuring that robust plans are in place for expanding the number of farmers involved, increasing the area of land converted to agroforestry, and maximising the number of trees planted each year.

You will benefit from a supportive, international working environment that values innovation, knowledge sharing, and personal development. As you work alongside a team of 15 colleagues in the Project Development Team, you will have opportunities to develop your professional skills and expand your expertise in sustainable agriculture, project management, and stakeholder engagement, making a tangible difference both locally and globally.

Get Results

• Enable access to Acorn’s benefits for hundreds of thousands of additional smallholder farmers in Latin America and worldwide.
• Support local partners in planting millions of trees each year.
• Convert thousands of hectares of agricultural land into agroforestry.

Facts & Figures

• Join a team of 15 colleagues in the Project Development Team.
• Acorn already works with over 500,000 farmers worldwide.
• Rabobank serves 9.5 million customers worldwide.

Top 3 Responsibilities

• Collaborate with local partners in Latin America to develop and implement plans that grow projects in terms of farmers reached, trees planted, and hectares transitioned to agroforestry.
• Lead strategic discussions with local partners on scaling, business case development, and financing to ensure sustainable project growth.
• Oversee the end-to-end process of onboarding, measurement, and monitoring of projects, ensuring quality and impact at every stage.

Within the organisation, you will report to the Project Development Lead Latin America and work closely with a diverse, international team dedicated to scaling sustainable agriculture and carbon removal initiatives.

Together We Achieve More Than Alone

We believe in the power of difference. By combining our unique perspectives, we become an even better bank. We are eager to discover what you will add to our Acorn Project Development Team.

“We have grown tremendously in scale and team. We look forward to welcoming pragmatic, result-oriented team players who will contribute to Acorn in the years to come.”
Jelmer van de Mortel, Head of Acorn

The 50 people in Acorn combine their strengths, intelligence, and experience to realise innovation strategies. Working together is our way of working: as one problem-solving team within Rabobank. Our culture is collaborative, ambitious, and impact-driven, with plenty of room for your ideas and growth.

Work on Yourself & the World Around You

At Rabobank, your development and that of society go hand in hand. That’s why we invest in you and work together for a better world. At Rabobank, you work on yourself & the world around you. This is reflected in your personal development budget, our hybrid working environment, and a healthy work-life balance. You will contribute to banking for private and business clients, as well as to societal challenges such as food and energy transitions.

You & Your Talent

• 4+ years of professional experience in Latin America, with a strong preference for work with agroforestry initiatives in smallholder farming contexts.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in carbon markets, including familiarity with certification standards. Experience with nature-based projects is highly preferred.
• Professional experience or comprehensive knowledge of coffee and/or cocoa crops, combined with a strong understanding of agroforestry impacts, is a plus.
• Track record in driving portfolio growth through effective project management and fostering strategic partnerships with government entities and stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills in English and Spanish are a must. Portuguese is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing circumstances, including supporting projects beyond Latin America (such as in Africa or Asia), while maintaining a positive, constructive, and solution-oriented approach.
• Excellent intercultural communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrates flexibility and willingness to travel, with the ability to adapt seamlessly to different time zones and diverse work environments.

To be considered for this position, you must be located in the Netherlands and have the legal right to work in the Netherlands. We are unable to consider candidates requiring relocation from another country.

For questions about the job content: Paola López Vargas, Project Development Lead Latin America, via Paola.Lopez.Vargas@rabobank.com.

For questions about working at Rabobank and the process: Lonneke Boelens, Corporate Recruiter, via Lonneke.boelens@rabobank.nl.