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.
Department Description
C40’s Air Quality Program works with city governments at the political and technical level to raise mayors’ ambition, overcome gaps in data and evidence, and design and deliver effective air quality-climate solutions. The C40 Air Quality Program provides a range of support, from deep engagement in pilot cities to technical assistance across a broader group, while connecting cities through peer to peer networks and creating tools and resources available to all cities.
The Air Quality Program also includes deeper assistance programs, a global technical assistance initiative that partners with cities in developing and implementing air quality management activities, and the African Cities for Clean Air initiative, a regional program supporting African cities in implementing air quality actions. In 2024, C40, working with its partners at the Clean Air Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies, launched a major new air quality initiative, Breathe Cities, to enable clean air progress in cities around the world.
Position Description
The City Engagement Manager will support air quality knowledge-sharing across C40’s 50-city Clean Air Network, and in particular, the delivery of technical working groups focused on pressing urban air quality challenges. This includes building community among Clean Air Network members, publicising opportunities to technical staff in participating C40 cities, onboarding participant cities, managing the logistics of peer-to-peer exchange events, writing supportive technical materials, managing technical consultants, and producing outcome reports.
The City Engagement Manager will coordinate with air quality programme colleagues to streamline knowledge-sharing across C40’s other air quality initiatives, such as Breathe Cities and African Cities for Clean Air; and to create a cohesive, compelling set of communication outputs to build trust and community among the Clean Air Network’s members.
Responsibilities:
Coordinate and support delivery of technical working groups
- Support technical air quality working groups by coordinating work with technical consultants, including steering the procurement process, budgeting, and week-to-week communication between C40 and service providers.
- Create onboarding materials for technical working groups, including invitations to cities, content for webinars, rosters, agendas, minutes, and terms of reference.
- Organise working group meetings by finding appropriate time slots for participant cities, drawing up draft agendas, taking detailed notes, preparing meeting summaries, organising translation and interpretation, and facilitating calls as needed.
- Contribute to the design of the packages of support and associated policy implementation activities that C40 will deliver, by shaping needs/capacity assessments and workplans to support achievement of Clean Air Accelerator commitments and C40 High Impact Actions.
- Assist with reporting on outcomes of technical working groups, with an emphasis on evaluating and communicating their role in cities achieving Clean Air Accelerator commitments and C40 High Impact Actions.
Clean Air Network city engagement
- Serve as a technical resource on urban air quality issues, both internally and for Clean Air Network city staff.
- Participate in city meetings, workshops, and other convenings to provide technical input and expertise in development, assessment, communication, and evaluation of priority air quality policies linked to air quality monitoring.
- Coordinate meetings with Clean Air Network member cities (and prospective cities) to collect relevant city information, respond to queries, design peer-to-peer activities to address challenges, and more.
- Coordinate communication from the Clean Air Network to cities, working with air quality team colleagues.
- Identify technical support needs and opportunities, around development and delivery of related policy measures, in collaboration with C40 air quality colleagues and city staff.
Knowledge management
- Coordinate internal communication between the Clean Air Network and other C40 teams, by cultivating, establishing, and nurturing connections to other relevant C40 networks and initiatives.
- Contribute to knowledge products including best practice articles, case studies, research and toolkits, to support in-city delivery and dissemination of best practices across cities, and keeping the wider air quality community informed.
Person Specification:
- Prior experience and technical knowledge in air quality management.
- Experience in government, business and/or NGO sectors with a focus on program management, delivery, strategic partnership-building and convening.
- Convening and relationship-building experience, with preference for prior experience supporting air quality- or climate-related working groups, technical committees, or other projects that bring together experts working towards technical outputs.
- Proven ability to support development, delivery, and reporting on program plans, including timeline, contract, and budget management.
- Passion for blending problem-solving, relationship-building and strategic thinking, coupled with an outcome/delivery-oriented approach.
- Excellent communication skills, including written, presentation, and facilitation skills, are required; including the ability to communicate about environmental health issues with nuance to a range of audiences.
- Ability to work with a global and remote team, with experience and skill in collaborating virtually, including a tendency toward proactive communication. Willingness to work across time zones with a flexible work arrangement.
- Superior organisational skills and acute attention to detail.
- English fluency required. Professional communications skills in additional language(s) (particularly French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Mandarin) 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: Head of Air Quality and Health Technical Programs
Term: Fixed Term Contract – until 31st December 2026
Location: Colombia, South Africa
Salary: (Grade 4) Colombia COP 108,074,116, South Africa ZAR 715,392 (gross per annum)
Application Process:
Closing date for applications is Friday 6th December 2024 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.
