Background
C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities, who are working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis, and create a future where everyone, everywhere can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help the world limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. Through a Global Green New Deal, mayors are working alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to go further and faster than ever before.
C40’s team of 400+ staff is based in offices in London, in New York, Johannesburg, Singapore, Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, Beijing and Paris, and individual staff based across 25+ different locations.
The strategic direction of the organisation is determined by an elected Steering Committee of C40 mayors, which is chaired by Mayor Sadiq Khan of London and Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of Freetown. Three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the C40 Board of Directors, responsible for operational oversight. A regionally diverse management team, led by Executive Director Mark Watts, leads the day-to-day management of C40. C40’s three core strategic funders are Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Realdania.
Our international staff work with the C40 network under the leadership of city governments to deliver this mission. Using a data-driven approach, our team identifies and promotes the exchange of proven programmes and policies developed by cities; provides world-class research, technical expertise and access to key partners to deliver new programmes and policies with cities; and communicates cities’ individual achievements and collective leadership.
Diversity Statement
C40 is committed to supporting and promoting equity and diversity and creating an inclusive working environment for everyone. We believe that when people with different life experiences are involved in decision-making, we deliver better.
We believe having a diverse workforce ensures we connect better with all the different communities and people affected by the climate crisis. This enables us to make better decisions which lead to better outcomes in the work we do through increased creativity, productivity, greater global impact alongside a broader perspective and approach to our work.
We welcome applicants that are diverse in terms of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity and perspective. Our goal is for C40 to be an environment where everyone, from any background, can flourish and can be themselves whilst contributing to our mission. If you identify as a person with a disability, we work to provide reasonable appropriate measures and any additional support needed to provide an equitable working experience. If you are living with a disability, chronic illness or neurodiversity please inform us, to provide you with the proper assistance in the application process.
C40 promotes a work culture where staff can input to improve equity, diversity and inclusion through staff-led groups and formal forums. We know that creating our ideal working environment is a learning process and we are committed to the ongoing effort.
C40 Zero Emission Bus programmes
C40 cities are scaling up and expanding our electric bus work. Since 2017, 36 cities have signed the Green and Healthy Streets Accelerator committing to procure only zero emission buses from 2025. C40 is supporting cities to transition to electric buses as a priority to decarbonise the transport sector. We are building upon the success of our work delivering major electric bus programmes supporting cities across the world. We are now expanding our e-bus work within existing regions and into new regions through the Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA) Partnership, the TUMI e-Bus Mission initiative and a South-South Cooperation grant (China-Africa). This new position will focus on programme delivery and supporting our e-bus strategy and business development.
Zero Emission Bus Rapid Deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA)
The Zero-Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA) is a partnership led by C40 and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), funded by ClimateWorks Foundation. The partnership was launched in 2019 to accelerate the deployment of zero emission buses in major Latin American cities by overcoming political, technical and financial barriers to this market transition. Since 2023, the Partnership is also supporting cities in South Africa in their transition towards zero emission bus fleets. ZEBRA focuses its efforts in the following areas:
- Cities Guarantee ambitious political commitments towards zero emission buses and translate these into fleet-wide deployment strategies and innovative business models to support the establishment of a procurement pipeline of e-buses.
- Bus industry Make new technology available by engaging bus manufacturers and industry partners to increase the availability of zero emission bus products.
- Financial institutions Engage major investors and financiers, identify the best business models for e-bus deployments and establish context-specific financial mechanisms to support a continuous pipeline of investable projects.
- Knowledge sharing Share best practices for bus electrification between C40 cities and other major cities leading the transition, through events, webinars, and the maintenance of the E-Bus Radar platform
Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) E-Bus Mission
The Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) is a global implementation initiative on sustainable mobility formed through the union of 11 prestigious partners united with the goal of changing mobility for the benefit of people and the environment.
Led by a diverse coalition of non-profit organisations (GIZ, C40, WRI, ITDP, UITP, ICLEI), the TUMI E-Bus Mission focuses on 3 key elements to support cities and deliver those objectives: a large technical assistance package to support the preparation of viable projects, the development of local municipal coalitions to bring together relevant stakeholders and build long-term local capacity, and a network of cities with whom to share knowledge and experiences to scale the deployment of e-buses.
C40’s role as a partner in the TUMI coalition focuses on coalition building and knowledge-sharing. In the second phase of the programme which will run into spring 2025, C40 works at the city level with relevant stakeholders and leading the formation of municipal working groups to facilitate a collaborative preparation of e-bus projects. These working groups will bring together municipal decision-makers, transit authorities, transit operators, as well as vehicle manufacturers, technology providers, financiers, and other private sector partners with a shared objective of accelerating the adoption of zero-emission buses in their cities.
Position Description
The Zero Emission Buses Senior Programme Manager will programme manage the delivery of the C40 grant funded electric bus projects in Africa and related global activities. The Senior Programme Manager will be responsible for leading C40’s work on electric buses in Africa, including the expansion of the ZEBRA programme to this new region beyond Latin America, in close collaboration with the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), co-leader of the Partnership. This role will manage and oversee the delivery of three grants to support and inform electric bus deployments for South African municipalities and other activities in the region. The Senior Programme Manager will build upon existing research to inform the expansion of C40’s e-bus work in South Africa. This role will also be responsible for aligning the three electric bus grant funded projects in South Africa and working with ICCT.
The Programme Manager will lead the ZEBRA and TUMI E-Bus Mission’s activities in South Africa, managing the Zero Emission Bus project officer, and the China-Africa Transport Cooperation manager, and a consultant based in Latin America. The Senior Programme Manager will execute the project deliverables on the ground in Africa in collaboration with relevant staff in the regions, such as Director of Implementation in Africa. The Senior Programme Manager will work with the Zero Emission Bus Project Officer and consultant on the management of local stakeholder working groups (referred to as sub-coalitions) in each region, and efforts to map out the stakeholder landscape in those cities, and coordinate municipal coalitions towards achieving the objectives of the TUMI E-Bus Mission.
The Senior Programme Manager will be responsible for maintaining excellent funder relationships, grant reporting and budget management. The Senior Programme Manager will coordinate the overall projects, ensuring alignment of delivery across regions, sharing best practice and lessons learned with partners, C40 staff and wider stakeholders. The Senior Programme Manager will ensure the projects are on track to deliver objectives on time and to budget, and bring in knowledge from the wider ZEBRA team, the Transport team (particularly the ZEV network, Public Transport network), Regions, City Finance, Air Quality and Research teams.
As the Senior Programme Manager responsible for the delivery of C40’s electric bus projects in Africa, the candidate will have experience building and managing stakeholder relationships and coordinating action with multiple actors including funders, wider stakeholders and partners and city officials. The Senior Programme Manager will have excellent relationship-building talents and outstanding management and organisational skills.
Responsibilities:
- Manage and deliver the strategically important TUMI E-Bus Mission, the Africa workstream for the ZEBRA programme, and the transport work-stream for the China-Africa Cooperation grant to time and to budget
- Manage the Zero Emission Bus consultant in Latin America, an E-Bus Project officer, and the China-Africa Transport Manager both based in South Africa.
- Ensure reporting to funders is done on time and to high standard
- Build and manage strong relationships with relevant partners and funders including internal colleagues working on E-Buses.
- Work with team members and multiple partners to deliver a strategically important electric bus workshop in Africa.
- Work with China-Africa Cooperation manager to deliver an electric bus study tour.
- With the Project Officer and Manager, ensure city actions are tracked and attributed where appropriate to C40 support.
- Manage contractors and partners for project delivery where appropriate including the West Africa electric bus study
- Organise and lead internal and external coordination groups with partners
- Advise senior colleagues within C40 and represent C40 externally to senior stakeholders on best practice for electric buses
- Track and report to the Director of Transport on contracts, budgets, key performance indicators and deliverables, ensuring they are on schedule.
- Pro-actively collaborate with colleagues in the Transport team, wider City Solutions and Networks team, and across C40, including City Finance, Communications, Regions, Research, Events, and City Diplomacy, to effectively support cities in achieving their transport and GHG reduction goals.
- Management of municipal working groups (sub-coalitions)
- Lead the action of the global TUMI E-Bus Mission coalition at the municipal level in deep dive cities in South Africa, India, and Indonesia.
- Ongoing identification, scoping and business development for new e-bus projects and proposals in line with the C40 Business Plan
- Other duties as assigned.
Person Specification:
- Proven track record in programme management and successful delivery in large scale, complex programmes
- Extensive experience in government, business, research and/or NGO sectors with a strong focus on transport and electric bus related policy and programmes.
- Knowledge of global best practices and different approaches to solve transport, zero emission vehicle and electric buses in Africa, at the municipal and international level, required; advanced degree in relevant discipline preferred.
- Proven ability in developing, delivering and reporting on programme plans, including contract, funder and budget management.
- Experience of developing and implementing strategy required, preferably through working in or with city governments.
- Proven track record of working collaboratively and effectively with major global partners, such as NGOs, national governments, industry and academia.
- Strong problem-solving, interpersonal and strategic thinking capabilities coupled with an outcome, delivery-oriented approach required.
- Proven business development and proposal writing skills.
- International experience required, particularly working across different cultures, languages and time zones.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills essential, including proven ability to facilitate in-person workshops as well as virtual meetings or webinars.
- Fluency in English essential; fluency in another language spoken in a C40 city preferred.
Other Requirements:
Applicants must already have the right to work in South Africa. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role.
Reporting To: Director of Transport
Term: Fixed term contract until 31st March 2026
Location: South Africa
Salary: (Grade 3) ZAR 1,036,800 (gross per annum)
Application Process:
Closing date for applications is Thursday 21st November 2024 at 5.00pm GMT. C40 reserves the right to close this job opening before the closing date for applications so please do submit applications early.
To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit www.c40.org, follow us on Twitter @c40cities and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/C40Cities.
For any queries about the role, please contact careers@C40.org. Kindly note that this email address is for recruitment related queries only. We are unable to accept CVs and cover letters sent to this inbox. We can only accept and process applications that are submitted via our website.
C40 is an equal opportunities employer.
