How to apply for Senior Legal Counsel Carbon Markets

About Carbonfuture

Carbonfuture provides trust infrastructure for carbon removal credits, making them traceable and enforceable for buyers, suppliers, and financial institutions. It is the global market leader by facilitated carbon removal sales volume and counts Microsoft, Swiss Re, and SAP as clients, with SIX (operator of the Swiss and Spanish stock exchanges) as a strategic investor. The company operates from Freiburg, Germany, with subsidiaries in Switzerland and the US, and contracts are governed under German law.

About the role

This senior legal counsel role focuses on building governance frameworks, standardized contracts, and enforceable rules for carbon credits as an emerging financial asset class. You will work on novel liability and risk questions where the legal landscape is largely unmapped, and the groundwork you establish will set standards for the industry. You will contract with project developers using frontier carbon removal technologies and with financial institutions, regulators, and corporate buyers.

A typical day

A typical day may involve drafting or negotiating standardized contracts with project developers and financial institutions, and developing governance frameworks for Carbonfuture's digital infrastructure. You will likely research novel legal questions around liability and risk in carbon markets, and coordinate with teams across Germany, Switzerland, and the US. Because the role is remote within the EU, much of the work is done independently with regular virtual collaboration.

Who Carbonfuture is looking for

• Experienced lawyer with a strong background in financial services regulation, commodities, or environmental markets, ideally with exposure to German law and cross-border contracting.
• Able to draft and negotiate complex, standardized contracts for an evolving asset class, including settlement infrastructure and governance frameworks.
• Comfortable working in a remote, EU-based role with a German-headquartered company that also has Swiss and US subsidiaries.
• Interested in carbon markets and durable carbon removal, and willing to work on novel legal questions without clear precedent.

Tips for this application

• Highlight any experience with German law and cross-border contracts, since Carbonfuture GmbH is the headquarters and contracts are governed under German law.
• Reference specific carbon market or environmental commodity experience, including any work with carbon credits, registries, or removal technologies.
• Show familiarity with financial market infrastructure, settlement, or asset-class formation, as the role aims to turn carbon credits into a financial asset class.
• Mention any work with project developers or frontier technology suppliers, since the role involves contracting with them.
• Demonstrate ability to work remotely and across EU jurisdictions, and note any exposure to Swiss or US subsidiary structures.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your experience drafting standardized contracts and governance frameworks for emerging or novel asset classes.', 'Specific knowledge of carbon markets, carbon removal, or environmental commodities, and how you have applied it legally.', 'Your ability to handle unmapped liability and risk landscapes, and examples of where you set legal precedent.', 'Your familiarity with German law and cross-border contracting, especially with financial institutions and regulators.']

Research before applying

• Study Carbonfuture's products and how their digital infrastructure makes carbon removal credits traceable and enforceable.
• Research their clients and partners, including Microsoft, Swiss Re, SAP, and SIX, to understand the market context.
• Look into the legal and regulatory landscape for carbon credits in the EU, Germany, Switzerland, and the US.
• Understand the difference between carbon avoidance and carbon removal, and the specific challenges of durable carbon removal.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you approach drafting standardized contracts for carbon removal credits where liability and risk are largely unmapped?
• What legal issues arise when turning carbon credits into a financial asset class with settlement infrastructure?
• How would you handle contracting with project developers using frontier carbon removal technologies versus financial institutions?
• What is your experience with German law and cross-border contracts, particularly in a remote EU role?
• How would you build governance frameworks that regulators and financial institutions can rely on for carbon credits?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic legal cover letter without referencing carbon markets, carbon removal, or financial asset class formation.
• Ignoring the German law and Freiburg headquarters context, which is central to the contracting structure.
• Failing to address the novel and unmapped nature of the legal work, instead relying on standard legal experience only.