Vaulted Deep is a cutting-edge technology company that injects waste deep underground to support sustainability goals while providing waste management solutions to support clean land, air and water. Vaulted is based in Houston, San Francisco, and Kansas.

With a growing team of 50 people across the country, Vaulted signed a $58.3 million offtake agreement with Frontier, and completed a $32 million Series A round in 2024. Vaulted's proprietary technology builds on decades of expertise to deliver safe, durable carbon and waste management solutions, now, at scale.

About the Role

At Vaulted, we source a wide variety of organic wastes to use as feedstock, injecting them deep underground for durable carbon sequestration. Because we are leading in the BiCRS space, clear and comprehensive standards for sustainably sourcing feedstock over long timelines are still being developed.

The Carbon Removal Science Lead will drive forward Vaulted’s efforts to lead the industry in CDR quality standards and approaches to organic waste sourcing and accounting.

Reporting to the Head of Commercialization, your responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

BiCRS Science Consortium Building and Partnership Management: identifying and building partnerships with industry thought leaders (e.g., academic, NGO, government, corporate, etc.) in carbon removal science with a focus on advancing the scientific rigor of BiCRS solutions
Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) Management: in collaboration with Vaulted’s Data Lead, lead development of and management of LCAs for new projects as well and modifications to LCAs for existing projects as modifications to existing projects occur
Carbon Removal Science Literature Management and Research: identify leading research on critical inputs to Vaulted’s carbon removal calculations (for example, studies on the decomposition rates of various organic wastes) and determine prioritization of and lead implementation of additional areas of research (through modeling, field studies, and partnerships with universities, think thanks, academics, etc.) Also lead research on co-benefits (e.g., reduction of PFAS, reduction of nutrient pollution, reduction of various contaminants in local land, air, and water, methane avoidance, improvements to local human health in the areas where we reduce organic waste exposure, etc.)
Carbon Removal Science Thought Leadership and Policy: in collaboration with Head of Commercialization and Vaulted leadership team, drive forward thought leadership and federal and state policy involving sustainable biomass sourcing, CDR subsidies, CDR grants, and all other CDR-related policy agendas. Also drive forward Vaulted’s international CDR Policy efforts
Audit Preparations and Monthly Submissions: in collaboration with Vaulted’s Data Lead, assemble required data and documentation for and submit to auditor (in collaboration with Registry) Vaulted’s monthly submission packets to generate carbon removal credits; managing modifications to monthly submissions as new feedstocks, new suppliers, and new projects are onboarded
Sustainable Organic Waste Sourcing Strategy: collaborate with Vaulted’s Business Development Team to evaluate waste types and build systems to ensure the CDR quality of waste sourced for Vaulted. Assist with the prioritization of waste types based on a variety of factors, including Vaulted’s strategy to sustainably reach gigatonne scale CDR over the next couple decades

What You Will Bring

To succeed in this role, and to help the company to succeed in our mission, the Carbon Removal Science Lead will need restlessness, drive, hustle, and a deep sense of urgency. They will need to be able to manage multiple threads at the same time, while delivering rapid results with the resources of an early-stage startup, if for no other reason than the planet simply cannot wait. In addition, we seek a candidate with:

3+ years of work experience in environmental science, land use change, agriculture, waste management, carbon science, and/or biomass sustainability space
Master’s degree in environmental science, agriculture, agro-economics, or other related fields. Applicants without Master’s degree and with substantial relevant work experience will be considered.
Strong creative problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to market feedback quickly.
Strong leadership and team-building skills with a proven track record of managing complex negotiations.
Ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders, including government officials, landowners, and local communities.
Academic and/or professional experience in some or all of the following areas:
- Soil Ecology:
  - Nutrient depletion in soil / fertilizing effects of land applied organic wastes (namely, feedlot manures, biosolids, and paper sludge)
  - Key questions: For land-applied wastes, how are optimal nutrient levels assessed? What practices are in place for determining levels of nutrient depletion?
- Environmental Science:
  - Contaminants in waste (pathogens, Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), PFAS, etc.) – local environmental impacts (nutrient run off, ground water contamination, etc.)
  - Key questions: When, how, and by whom is environmental contamination from organic waste measured? What organic waste drives the most environmental contamination? What is the nature and quantity of the harm? To what degree does such contamination occur?
- Public Health / Epidemiology:
  - Contaminants in waste (pathogens, Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), PFAS, etc.) – local human health impacts
  - Key questions: When, how, and by whom is environmental contamination from organic waste that causes harm to public health measured? What organic waste causes the most harm to public health? What is the nature and quantity of the harm? To what degree does such contamination or exposure occur?
- Environmental Justice:
  - Non-uniform distributions of environmental + human health implications
  - Key questions: What types of organic waste cause the great local environmental and human health harms (noted above) to disadvantaged communities? How is this being tracked? What are best practices for addresses such harms? Where are there specific opportunities to remedy unjust organic waste management?
- Waste Management and Circular Economy:
  - Framework building around “Highest and Best Use” of specific wastes with particular attention to holistic waste management systems (how composting, anaerobic digestion, carbon removal, etc. can be combined to drive greatest impact and create most efficient system at scale)
  - Key questions: What are the key current and future competing uses of organic waste?

The Fine Print

We have a strong preference for an in-person candidate in San Francisco, but we may accommodate geographic flexibility for the very best fit candidate.
This position will require some work travel for industry conferences internationally and potential site visits across North America
The role reports to the Head of Commercialization
Benefits package includes health insurance and 401(k), as well as access to life, disability, vision, and dental insurance coverage.

What Makes This Job Great

Opportunity to lead development of industry standards for high quality carbon removal; because Vaulted is delivering today, we are setting the standards that other carbon removal suppliers will follow
Work with a very high performing and diverse team in a fast-paced startup environment
Contribute to solving climate change by developing high-quality carbon removal

Apply now

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