Head of Policy

The Role

The binding regulations that will determine ERW's revenue ceiling for the next decade — the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework, Japan's GX-ETS, California's AB 1207, and Article 6 mechanisms under the Paris Agreement, among others — are being written now. Terradot needs to establish clear, tangible entry proof-points within these markets. Equally, existing tax credits like 45Z and 45Q represent sources of immediate value.

The Head of Policy is the person who makes that happen. This is not a communications or government affairs role in the traditional sense. It is a technical-political-commercial role: you need scientific and carbon market literacy to understand key scientific sticking points on ERW methodologies, policy fluency to navigate the regulatory environment, political chops to sit in any room, and commercial instinct to connect how all of this contributes to Terradot's long-term growth.

This means knowing how to prioritize across multiple geographies and regulatory developments, when to engage internal teams versus external experts or lobbyists, and not stopping until real, practical outcomes are achieved. You will own Terradot's regulated market entry strategy and be the primary driver of the company's regulatory positioning across all key jurisdictions.

Role Responsibilities

• Own regulated carbon market entry strategy — Drive regulator-aligned partnerships, MOUs, and methodology co-designs that open qualifying pathways into compliance carbon markets across target jurisdictions.
• Produce and maintain market entry intelligence — Own the analytical framework and all regulatory content per target market, covering regulatory eligibility, timeline to first compliance revenue, key dependencies, and total addressable market sizing.
• Lead alternative regulatory path positioning — Own the regulatory understanding and strategic positioning for our other tax benefits like 45Q, 45Z, Biofuels, including carbon intensity claims and MRV frameworks.
• Engage and manage external policy stakeholders — Know when to bring in external consultants or lobbyists and how to manage them to deliver outcomes, not just advice.
• Build cross-sector coalitions for ERW policy outcomes — Convene and align ERW and CDR peers, agricultural stakeholders, and industrial lobbies around shared regulatory priorities, translating broad support into coordinated advocacy that advances Terradot’s market-entry goals.

Background and Requirements

Essential

• Deep knowledge of carbon removal policy in target markets: EU, US (California), UK, Canada, and Japan.
• Fluency in carbon market mechanics — Article 6.2, 6.4, ITMOs, corresponding adjustments, JCM, CRCF unit types, MRV standards, and additionality frameworks. These are vocabulary, not concepts you need to look up.
• Fluency in tax credit mechanisms, including 45Z and 45Q.
• Demonstrated experience influencing technical regulatory documents. You have written consultation responses, methodology submissions, or position papers that have actually changed regulatory text. You understand the difference between lobbying and co-designing.
• Science literacy sufficient to work alongside a technical team. You do not need to be a geochemist, but you need to be able to read an MRV protocol, understand what a flux chamber measurement is, and translate a quantification methodology into regulatory language without misrepresenting the science.
• Strong existing relationships that allow you to get a meeting without an intermediary at DG CLIMA, DG AGRI, CARB, METI, or equivalent bodies.
• Proven ability to translate regulation into business opportunity and vice versa.

Strongly Preferred

• Familiarity with agricultural carbon markets or soil-based removal methodologies. ERW sits at the intersection of climate and agriculture policy.
• Experience with Article 6 mechanisms (6.2 bilateral or 6.4 Supervisory Body), including what a Letter of Authorization requires and how corresponding adjustments work in practice.
• Familiarity with lifecycle carbon intensity models — i.e. GREET, RED II, CORSIA — and the CI threshold mechanics that govern biofuel compliance value. 
• Experience in an early-stage company or startup environment. This role is not about managing a large policy team; it is about being the person who does the work and builds the function from scratch.

Personal Attributes

• Mission-driven: You are passionate about climate solutions and motivated by the possibility of deploying a technology that can have a measurable impact on atmospheric CO₂ at scale.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: You thrive in ambiguity, are energized by building from scratch, and take ownership without waiting for direction.
• Technically grounded: You engage credibly with scientists, regulators, and commercial counterparts alike, translating across these worlds without losing accuracy.
• Outcome-oriented: You are not satisfied with access or influence for its own sake — you pursue regulatory outcomes that translate into commercial value.
• Collaborative: You know how to work across internal functions (science, commercial, finance) and external stakeholders (regulators, methodology bodies, buyers) to get things done.

What Does Success Look Like in This Role?

• Within 3 months: You have a clear map of the highest-priority regulatory pathways by jurisdiction, have established direct relationships with key regulatory counterparts, and have initiated at least one formal methodology engagement or consultation process.
• Within 6 months: Terradot has credible, active pathways into at least two regulated markets, backed by dossiers that clearly define timelines, eligibility criteria, and market opportunity. 
• Ongoing: You are the recognized expert on ERW regulatory strategy inside Terradot and are building the company's external reputation as a serious, science-led participant in the policy processes that will shape the carbon removal market.