Openings – C40 Cities

Apply by 27th Oct 23

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 350+ staff is headquartered in New York, with offices in London, Johannesburg, Singapore, Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen and Beijing , and individual staff based across 25+ different locations, with the Office of the Chair based in London.

The strategic direction of the organisation is determined by an elected Steering Committee of C40 mayors which is chaired by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the C40 Board of Directors, which is responsible for operational oversight. A 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 (CIFF) 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 Regions and Mayoral Engagement team: 

The Regions & Mayoral Engagement Team is one of the most diverse teams in C40, with staff members located in every region of the globe, representing C40 and coordinating with local cities on the ground. One of the major roles of the Regions & Mayoral Engagement Team, and what makes us unique in C40, is promoting and utilising effective and robust communication with the mayors and their teams; meaning that the Regional Directors and Deputy Directors are often the first point of contact for any queries or concerns any of our member cities might have, and act as local Ambassadors of C40.

We are involved in a wide variety of tasks throughout the year, such as: ensuring our member cities meet C40’s membership requirements (Leadership Standards); receiving feedback from our cities; supporting/ encouraging cities to commit to ambitious action and to keep active despite changing city administrations; advising on the internal preparation of fundraising proposals, programme development and events/ campaigns/ diplomacy initiatives’ design; and engaging cities on C40 programmes, initiatives, events and other activities

C40 Climate Solutions and Networks:

C40’s Climate Solutions and Networks (CSN) team oversees six program areas focused on priority climate action sectors and interventions: Energy and Buildings; Transportation; Urban Planning and Design; Food and Waste; Air Quality; and Climate Resilience. Under these program areas, CSN operates 16 different networks that facilitate city-to-city best practice sharing on specific climate action areas, such as clean energy or zero-emission vehicles. The networks help cities replicate, improve and accelerate climate action to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. These city-only working groups provide for honest knowledge and experience exchange, enabling cities to tap into the global expertise of their peers as well as connect with technical partners. Through networks, cities find opportunities to undertake joint projects in areas of mutual interest and benefit. C40 networks also amplify individual city solutions by providing a global platform for showcasing city success. The result is that cities’ climate actions to reduce GHGs, air pollutants and climate risks are bolder, fairer, and more impactful than if they were to go it alone.

A number of these programs and networks also offer direct support to cities through technical assistance projects, training, tools, and resources, often in conjunction with other C40 teams and programs. The CSN team also supports cities to deliver on the mayoral commitments made through C40’s declarations including, but not limited to, the Green & Healthy Streets Declaration, the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration, and the Advancing Towards Zero Waste Declaration. The C40 declarations are statements of political leadership giving cities an opportunity to show leadership globally and locally.

Part of the C40 Climate Solutions and Networks, the Urban Planning and Design team (UPD) supports cities to accelerate sustainable and resilient planning policies and urban design practices that will help them deliver climate action in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. The UPD team runs several programs and activities, including the Land Use Planning Network, the Green and Thriving Neighbourhoods Programme and the Reinventing Cities design competition.

C40 is seeking to grow the activities of the UPD Team in the coming years to provide increased support to cities in this key field. The latest IPCC report has indeed outlined the importance of planning policies as cross-cutting enablers of emissions reduction and resilience, and as a key tool to institutionalise city Climate Action Plans.

1. Manager Urban Planning

Regions and Mayoral Engagement · Chennai

Position Description:

The role will be reporting to the ​​Senior Manager Urban Planning and will be part of the C40 Regions and Mayoral Engagement team. The successful candidate will also be working closely with the C40 Urban Planning and Design Team.

This role has arisen due to the creation of a new C40 program to support cities to mainstream climate action into their land use planning policies and regulations – the “Mainstreaming Climate Action through Urban Planning” program. This new program will pilot with a geographic focus on C40’s South and West Asia region, providing deep technical and project management support to one or two cities in this region.

The Climate Action and the  Manager Urban Planning will support the Climate Action   to lead C40’s efforts on the integration of climate action planning with urban planning in South and West Asia. The program will support two cities in the South and West Asia region – likely Chennai and Amman – to integrate the actions identified in the city or cities’ Climate Action Plan into their Master Plan (also commonly referred to as Urban Plan, Strategic Plan or Comprehensive Plan).

The learnings from the deep support provided to  two pilot cities will be used to develop a methodology and tools for mainstreaming Climate Action Plans through urban planning which will be shared with other C40 cities in the region and globally.

To deliver “proof of concept”, the programme also includes support to the two cities to implement a ‘pilot project’ in a smaller scale, specific area that the city will identify. eg. a neighbourhood to be revitalised or a new area of development.

The ideal candidate will have strong professional experience in urban planning, especially at the city-wide/metropolitan scale, and have participated in the development of city master plans/metropolitan land use plans. We also expect the successful candidate to be familiar with urban planning policies and tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and for enhancing climate resilience. Experience working with municipal authorities on program development and management will also be valued.

Given the current geographic focus of the program on South and West Asia, experience in this region will especially be appreciated.

Responsibilities:

• Support the delivery of all activities of the new mainstreaming program in collaboration with the Senior
• Manager, the South and West Asia Regional team and the Urban Planning and Design (UPD) team
• Report to the program Senior Manager and collaborate closely with the UPD team to plan and execute activities including engagement with project cities, preparing newsletter, webinars and workshops for the project.
• Under the guidance of the Senior Manager, provide technical support to selected cities on the revision of their master plan document, including capturing lessons learned to be disseminated across the C40 cities network
• Under the guidance of the Senior Manager, support the two leading Cities to implement a pilot in a specific area. Eg. a neighbourhood to be revitalized, a new area of development.
• Support coordination with other C40 teams and especially with the Climate Action Planning and Innovation team, the Inclusive Climate Action Team as well as with C40 Fundraising, Communication  and Corporate Services teams.
• Be the point of contact for the project in assigned cities and coordinate engagement with the project cities and partners
• Support Engagement with key global partners of the programme to build on the programme and strengthen the partnerships that C40 has already forged on the topic with leading organisations such as World Bank.
• Support fundraising efforts to expand the program activities.
• Coordinate with consultants to ensure project deliverables meet C40 expectations and outputs delivered in time.
• Other duties as assigned.

Person Specification

• At least 3-7 years experience in urban planning, with value attributed to each additional year of professional experience
• A Bachelors and/or Masters degree in urban planning or a related field
• Demonstrable knowledge of the intersection between urban planning and climate change (ideally in relation to both mitigation and adaptation)
• Experience in working with international programs or projects related to climate, urban planning and design at city-wide or regional scale is a plus
• Experience in working with cities or other local governments is a plus
• Experience in developing, delivering and reporting on programme plans, including contract and budget management is a plus
• Ability in working collaboratively and effectively with external partners such as leading organisations, funders, and private or academic sector
• Excellent written communication skills and creativity
• Excellent problem-solving, strategic thinking and analytical capabilities
• Superior attention to detail
• Excellent organisation skills with the ability to meet a variety of deadlines
• Proactive self-starter with the ability to work independently
• Experience working across different cultures, languages and time zones is a plus
• Fluency in English is essential

Other Requirements

Applicants must already have the right to work in the location they’re applying for. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role.

Reporting To: Senior Manager Urban Planning

Term: Fixed Term Until 31 July 2026

Location: Chennai

Salary: (Grade 4) INR 1,643,725

Application Process:

Closing date for applications is Friday 27th October 2023 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

C40 is an equal opportunities employer

2. Senior Manager Urban Planning

Regions and Mayoral Engagement · Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai

Position Description:

The role will be reporting to C40’s Regional Director of South and West Asia and will be working closely with the C40 Urban Planning and Design Team.

This role has arisen due to the creation of a new C40 program to support cities to mainstream climate action into their land use planning policies and regulations – the “Mainstreaming Climate Action through Urban Planning” program. This new program will pilot with a geographic focus on C40’s South and West Asia region, providing deep technical and project management support to one or two cities in this region.

Senior Manager Urban Planning will lead C40’s efforts on the integration of climate action planning with urban planning in South and West Asia. Working on a new program that aims to empower cities to mainstream climate action planning through urban planning. The program will support two cities in the South and West Asia region – likely Chennai and Amman – to integrate the actions identified in the city(s)’ Climate Action Plan into the Master Plan. The learning from this deep dive will be used to develop tools and methodology for mainstreaming Climate Action Plans through urban planning which will be shared with other cities in the region and globally.

The learnings from the deep support provided to the pilot cities will be used to develop a methodology and tools for mainstreaming Climate Action Plans through urban planning which will be shared with other C40 cities in the region and globally.

To deliver “proof of concept”, the programme also includes support to the two cities to implement a ‘pilot project’ in a smaller scale, specific area that the city will identify. eg. a neighbourhood to be revitalised or a new area of development.

The ideal candidate will have strong professional experience in urban planning, especially at the city-wide/metropolitan scale, and have participated in the development of city master plans/metropolitan land use plans. We also expect the successful candidate to be familiar with urban planning policies and tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and for enhancing climate resilience.Experience working with municipal authorities on program development and management will also be valued.

Given the current geographic focus of the program on South and West Asia, experience in this region will especially be appreciated.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of all activities of the “Mainstreaming Climate Action through Urban Planning” program supported by the Project Manager and in collaboration with both the South & West Asia regions team and the Urban Planning and Design team
• Coordinate and provide technical support to selected cities on the revision of their master plan document, including capturing lessons learned to be disseminated across the C40 cities network
• Support the two leading cities to implement a pilot in a specific area. Eg. a neighbourhood to be revitalised, a new area of development.
• Coordinate engagement with other C40 teams and especially with the Climate Action Planning and
• Innovation team, the Inclusive Climate Action Team as well as with C40 Fundraising, Communication  and Corporate Services teams.
• Engage with key global partners of the programme to build on the programme and strengthen the partnerships that C40 has already forged on the topic with leading organisations such as World Bank.
• Explore and build new partnerships to contribute to the fundraising efforts to expand the program activities in the South West Asia Region and beyond
• Manage consultants engaged under the program and ensure project deliverables are met in time
• Report to the Regional Director for South and West Asia and collaborate closely with Director of Urban
• Planning and Design (UPD) and the wider UPD team to plan and execute activities, including engagement with cities and preparing programme webinars and workshops, Help in fundraising and development of partnerships
• Other duties as assigned.

Person Specification:

• At least 7-15 years of experience in urban planning
• Knowledge in sustainable urban planning and design, a Master’s degree is desirable, other relevant backgrounds will also be considered
• Knowledge of urban planning policies for climate climate mitigation and resilience is required
• Experience in working with international programs or projects related to climate, urban planning and design at the city-wide scale and having additional experience at neighbourhood scale is a plus
• Experience in working with cities or other local governments is a plus
• Experience in developing, delivering and reporting on programme plans, including contract and budget management is a plus
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with external partners such as leading organisations, funders, and private or academic sector
• Excellent written communication skills and creativity
• Excellent problem-solving, strategic thinking and analytical capabilities
• Superior attention to detail
• Excellent organisation skills with the ability to meet a variety of deadlines
• Proactive self-starter with the ability to work independently
• Experience working across different cultures, languages and time zones is a plus
• Fluency in English is essential

Other Requirements

Applicants must already have the right to work in the location they’re applying for. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role.

Reporting To: Regional Director of South and West Asia

Term: Fixed Term Until 31 July 2026

Location: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai

Salary: (Grade 3) INR 2,348,178

Application Process:

Closing date for applications is Friday 27th October 2023 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

C40 is an equal opportunities employer