Urban Transitions Mission Community Support

ABOUT THE GLOBAL COVENANT OF MAYORS FOR CLIMATE & ENERGY

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) is the world’s largest alliance for city climate leadership with a shared long-term vision of promoting and supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move to a low-carbon, resilient society, based on the following core principles:

• Local Governments are Key Contributors: The Global Covenant works to organize and mobilize cities and local governments to be active contributors to a global climate solution
• City Networks as Critical Partners: Local, regional and global city networks are core partners, serving as the primary support for participating cities or regions
• A Robust Solution Agenda: Focusing on those sectors where cities have the greatest impact, the Global Covenant supports ambitious, locally relevant solutions, captured through strategic action plans that are registered, implemented and monitored and publicly available
• Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fostering Local Climate Resilience: The Global Covenant emphasizes the importance of both climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as universal access to clean energy

A Locally Tailored and Globally Coherent Alliance: Driven by the efforts of cities, local governments, and regions, the Global Covenant of Mayors works to facilitate regional adaptation to meet local level needs and ambitions under one united, all-encompassing vision.

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.

THE URBAN TRANSITIONS MISSION

Mission Innovation’s Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) was launched at COP26 within the framework of Mission Innovation, a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission (on behalf of the European Union), catalysing a decade of action and investment in research, development and demonstration to make clean energy affordable, attractive and accessible for all.

The Urban Transitions Mission will work with a cohort of 50 ambitious cities worldwide to demonstrate integrated pathways towards holistic, people-centred urban transitions built around clean energy and innovative net-zero carbon solutions. By 2030, these pathways will be validated by a group of 250 cities and inspire cities across world regions on their journey towards decarbonisation.  

The UTM seeks to expand its cohort to fulfil the goal of 300 communities engaged in the Mission by recruiting up to 200 new cities across the world and to strengthen capacity building and support for new and existing cohort of cities, helping these communities to future-proof their current strategies and climate action plans to accelerate their journey to net-zero and implement holistic urban net-zero action plans across multiple sectors. 

By applying the net-zero urban transitions framework, UTM cities’ plans (developed, adopted and monitored as part of these cities’ commitment to GCoM) are strengthened. Cities are offered opportunities to co-create knowledge and to test innovative partnerships, technologies, and approaches. 

The UTM mobilises a Global Innovation Alliance (GIA) of partners, and national governments to support cities to develop, pilot, and scale innovative solutions and approaches for urban transitions. Cities benefit from global support for their net-zero transition through the Urban Transitions Mission Centre platform (UTMC), which will continue to foster the systematic convening of the UTM community online, and through the development of new opportunities for cities to exchange knowledge including a twinning programme.

We are seeking an Urban Transitions Mission Community Support to support engagement of new and existing cities, as well as partners of the Global Innovation Alliance, supporting capacity building activities (including a city twinning programme) and help with the organisation of the UTM Global Innovation Summit in 2025 and 2026. 

Position Description

The Urban Transitions Mission Community Support will support the engagement of the UTM community across the board – including cities and partners of the Global Innovation Alliance.

The post-holder will closely assist the Mission Director in all their activities. They will help recruit new cities and partners, as well as support the roll-out of key capacity building activities, including the organisation of the UTM Global Innovation Summits.

The post-holder will also have the opportunity to support broader Urban Transitions Mission work and collaborate with the UTM team to ensure an impact-driven delivery of the support and knowledge provided by the Urban Transitions Mission Center. 

Responsibilities:

• Supporting the engagement of the UTM city cohort and community:
  • helping to expand the UTM cohort up to a total of 300 cities, working with these cities to demonstrate by 2030 integrated pathways towards holistic, people-centred urban transitions, 
  • helping liaise with research and academia, sectoral organisations and initiatives, civil society and urban practitioners
  • supporting the Director in the engagement the Global Innovation Alliance members and partners and private sector
• Supporting and facilitating exchange and networking opportunities for UTM cities:
  • helping collect and identify UTM cities’ needs, organise and promote e.g., training and capacity building opportunities and working with partners to plan and guide implementation of training and pilot activities
  • fostering exchanges via the online platform of the Urban Transitions Mission Centre 
  • supporting the roll-out of a city twinning programme
• Supporting the organisation of the UTM annual Global Innovation Summit 
  • Including development of agenda, engagement with sponsors and partners, logistics arrangements, liaising with speakers and participants
• Assisting the Urban Transitions Mission Director (hosted by GCoM) in managing the governance of the Mission and the relationship with existing and prospective members of the UTM, and with the Mission Innovation secretariat and community

Person Specification:

• Experience of working in urban sustainability, climate change or a related field, preferably in a municipal or governmental context.
• Ability to communicate clearly, in both verbal and written form to a diverse audience, patience and a problem-solving attitude are a key requirement for this posting
• Experience with EU funded projects, and/or city climate networks a bonus.
• 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 is essential; fluency in another language is an advantage.

Other Requirements:

Applicants must already have the right to work in Belgium in place. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role. 

Reporting To: Mission Director Urban Transitions Mission, GCoM

Term: Fixed term until 31st December 2026  

Location: Brussels

Salary: (Grade 6)EUR 46,580 (gross per annum)

Application Process:

Interested applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and a cover letter.  The closing date for applications is Wednesday, 2nd April 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 the GCoM alliance, please visit www.globalcovenantofmayors.org and follow us on Twitter @Mayors4Climate. 

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.

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.