About The Global Covenant of Mayors For Climate & Energy
The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM or Global Covenant), is a global coalition of cities and local governments with a shared long-term vision of promoting and supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move to a low-carbon, resilient society. The alliance unites and inspires its stakeholders to strengthen global climate coherence, accelerate the energy transition, and generate locally-tailored solutions for a common purpose: creating an inclusive, just, low-emission, and climate-resilient future for all.
Co-chaired by former New York City Mayor and UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, Michael R. Bloomberg, and European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, and with the support of global and regional city networks, the Global Covenant of Mayors represents the strongest and clearest signal to national governments that cities are not only acting to stop the effects of climate change, they are leading and leading together. Mayors from across all global regions serve on the Board, and represent city networks, Regional Covenants and bring locally specific perspectives – ensuring that the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy is truly led by mayors.
C40 Cities is the fiscal sponsor of the Bloomberg Philanthropies funded parts of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM). As the host organization, C40 provides financial, administrative, and operational services to GCoM. C40 and GCoM are working closely together on aligned programmes and areas of activity.
About C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
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.
About the C40 x GCoM Joint Program
Building on a strong foundation of collaborative work over many years, C40 and GCoM are now enhancing their partnership through a new major program for 2023-25, generously funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which focuses on critical areas where their shared expertise can support cities to deliver urgent and transformative climate action. This includes:
- Scaling up joint work across urban finance programs delivered by C40 and GCoM, which address climate finance challenges on both the demand and supply side through activities such as finance diplomacy and advocacy, finance initiatives, finance capacity building and technical assistance support to cities, partner engagement and connecting cities to funding sources.
- Integrating the cities’ data and planning journey by building on existing work, integrating its components and simplifying them, so that climate action planning across C40 and GCoM cities can accelerate and data can be leveraged to inform implementation of projects and policies, notably complementing the finance strand of the program.
- Amplifying C40 and GCoM cities’ climate actions, and creating opportunities to implement ambitious local policies and projects by supporting engagement and sending powerful messages to the right partners.
Position Description
The Manager, Climate Solutions and Tools will be dedicated to the Joint Program, supporting both GCoM and C40, with a focus on developing climate solutions, tools and data programs. They will lead on:
- Identifying and facilitating endorsement of data and tools by the GCoM Alliance of partners to support cities on their climate action journey in line with the findings from the Decision Making and Tools White Paper, a joint landscape assessment conducted in 2023 and the GCoM strategy for data and tools;
- Guiding research, recommendations, and demonstrations of digital transformation and impact and outcome reporting that supports multilevel climate action; and
- Delivering dialogues and insights with cross-sector stakeholders at the crossroads of digital technologies, geospatial information, artificial intelligence and multilevel climate action, with cities and local governments positioned as pivotal actors.
The Manager will collaborate directly with the Joint Program Data team, including the Senior Manager, Climate Solutions and Tools (GCoM) and Head of Research and Innovation (GCoM), and while also engaging with C40 teams including Climate Action Planning and Innovation and with a broad base of GCoM alliance partners.
Responsibilities:
- Provide support to identify, engage, and integrate innovative datasets and tools into an improved climate action journey for cities and local governments. The Manager will:
- Identify, engage and integrate innovative datasets and tools, prioritizing AI features, building on insights from our pilot work with Brazil and 2023 landscape assessment of data and tools
- Facilitate internal and external alignment on criteria for ‘good enough’, fit-for-purpose adaptation tools
- Build the growing Tools Resource Library endorsed by the GCoM alliance to better link cities and partners to the latest fit-for-purpose data and tools, and engage with a broader set of organizations to meet local needs across the city climate action journey
- Undertake research and collaboration to demonstrate the futureproofing of reporting, impact analysis, and action-oriented data for multi-level climate action. The Manager will:
- Support the development and implementation of recommendations on optimizing city climate reporting for multi-level climate action without increasing the reporting burden on cities and local governments
- Coordinate the development and piloting of machine-learning methods to extract actions and finance data - among others - from city climate action plans
- Coordinate the testing and deployment of prospects for populating GHG emissions inventories and climate risk and vulnerability assessments
- Facilitate roundtable discussions with key GCoM and C40 partners focused on reporting for multilevel climate action
- Facilitate dialogue and partnership at the nexus of artificial intelligence (AI) and city climate action, building on insights from the AI x City Climate Action Hackathon. The Manager will lead delivery, organization and logistics when needed of convenings with AI-relevant organizations, GCoM and C40 partners, and other stakeholders, with the aim to signal city demands for AI, demonstrate viable pathways to product development, and update the understanding of how innovative projects and actions can be operationalized.
Person Specification:
- At least three (3) years’ experience of working in urban sustainability, data management, tool development, climate change, and/or a related field, preferably in a municipal or international context.
- Substantial experience in data management and applications to inform decision-making, particularly at city and local government level and with a focus on the use of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Experience in data collection, analysis and/or monitoring and reporting.
- Excellent project management and analytical capabilities, with advanced MS Excel experience;
- Strong problem-solving, interpersonal and strategic thinking capabilities coupled with an outcome/delivery-oriented approach.
- Experience of working globally, particularly working across different cultures, languages and time zones.
- Fluency in English essential; fluency in another language spoken in a C40 city strongly preferred.
Other Requirements:
Applicants must already have the right to work in the listed locations. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role.
Reporting To: Senior Manager, Climate Solutions and Tools, GCoM
Term: Fixed term, until 31 December 2025
Location: Brussels, London
Salary: (Grade 4)Brussels EUR 68,867, London GBP £53,243
Application Process:
Closing date for applications is Thursday, 2nd January 2025 at 5pm 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.
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.