Senior Manager, Climate and Migration (London Or Johannesburg)

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, now in its 16th year, connects 97 of the world’s greatest cities which have committed to tackling climate change. We bring mayors from around the world together to learn from each other in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating resilient, sustainable and low carbon cities. C40 cities represent more than 700 million urban citizens and their economies account for 25% of the global GDP. C40’s ‘Deadline 2020’ report sets out the critical role that the world’s major cities have to play in delivering the historic Paris Agreement to prevent catastrophic climate change.

C40’s team of 200+ staff is headquartered in New York, with offices in London, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, Beijing and Paris, and individual staff based across 25+ different locations, with the Office of the Chair based in Los Angeles.

The strategic direction of the organization is determined by an elected Steering Committee of C40 mayors which is chaired by the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti. 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. An eight-person 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.

Diversity Statement

At C40, we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment, where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity. We therefore welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Inclusive Climate Action Programme

The Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Programme was established at the behest of a group of C40 mayors for C40’ business plan 2017-2020. The programme focuses on supporting mayors and cities to ensure local climate policies and initiatives are designed in an inclusive way and have equitable impacts, as a way to make the case for bold climate action and maximize its benefits across urban populations. The programme aims at delivering leadership and advocacy support, technical and strategic assistance, training and peer-to-peer exchange on assessing and understanding the wider benefits of climate action; increasing capacity to engage inhabitants and stakeholders; designing inclusive and just climate strategies.

Mayors Migration Council

The Mayors Migration Council (MMC) is a mayor-led advisory organization that helps cities shape global policy and practice on migration and displacement. The mission is to ensure that global responses both reflect and address realities on the ground for the benefit of newcomers and the communities that receive them.

To fulfill this vision, the MMC works to institutionalize cities’ formal access to national, regional, and international policy deliberations; build cities’ diplomatic, advocacy, and communications skills so they can effectively influence decisions; unlock and direct resource flows to cities so they can deliver better outcomes on the ground; and help cities implement local solutions efficiently and at scale to accelerate global commitments. The MMC works across diverse policy areas, including climate migration and inclusive pandemic response.

The MMC is led by a Leadership Board composed of the mayors of Amman, Bristol, Freetown, Kampala, Los Angeles, Milan, Montreal, São Paulo, and Zürich, as well as the former mayor of Athens. The MMC operates with the financial support of Open Society Foundations, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and is managed as a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides governance and operational infrastructure.

Climate and Migration International Diplomacy

Climate change, combined with other trends, is increasingly a key driver of human mobility. As the majority of people who move as a result of climate change settle in urban areas, cities are often the first responders. In the coming years, they will face increasing pressures, both from direct climate impacts and from climate-induced movements. Whether at the origin or destination end of the climate migration spectrum, cities know that it is up to them to identify solutions for these major challenges—and harness opportunities—to ensure their responses drive towards resilience, inclusion, and a green and just recovery from Covid-19.

C40 and the MMC understand the intersection between climate and migration (the “climate-migration nexus”) as relevant to cities in two primary ways:

• Climate-induced migration flows impact – and will impact – cities, their infrastructures/services and their socio-economic health. If not acknowledged, managed and understood, these flows could affect cities’ capacity to recover from the global Covid-19 pandemic and thrive in a post-pandemic world.
• Local actions to mitigate or adapt to the climate crisis can either facilitate the integration and inclusion of migrants and displaced people in cities or further entrench their vulnerabilities and increase their exposure to inequality and climate risks.

Recognizing this, C40 and the MMC have worked together to: create a body of knowledge on how climate change and migration intersect in cities; showcase and explore mayors’ role as leaders in addressing pressing challenges and opportunities in tackling climate and migration jointly; and identify what cities need from national and multilateral actors in order to take action more effectively.

In the context of its partnership with the MMC, C40 will be establishing a coalition of leading cities to co-develop thought leadership products on the climate-migration nexus in cities, serving as a basis for city-led diplomacy and advocacy action on this topic.

The goal is to unlock appropriate support from national, regional and/or international mechanisms to deliver more effective, efficient, ambitious and informed actions that ensure a green and just recovery from Covid-19, protecting and safeguarding migrants, host communities and our planet from climate breakdown.

Position Description

The Climate and Migration Senior Manager will be responsible for developing and executing the day to day tasks deriving from C40-MMC partnership. The Senior Manager will be C40’s main point of contact for the Mayors Migration Council. They will support the Head of ICA Global Leadership and the ICA Programme Director to serve with the MMC as mutual advisors, contributing to their respective areas of expertise and leveraging their relationships and networks to inform content and make key strategic decisions.

To this end, the Senior Manager will oversee the design, set-up, development and execution of (among others):

• a working group of 5-10 leading cities forming a community of practice supported by senior city officials and a consortium of experts engaged regularly
• thought leadership content developed through working meetings with city leads and experts, informed by commissioned research and policy analyses
• key diplomacy and communication activities in the lead up to COP26.

Responsibilities:

Support with the project set-up and coordination by:

• Coordination with C40 Campaigns, Diplomacy and Communications Teams as well as the MMC’s team
• Be the main POC for the MMC and lead on monitoring the delivery of the key outputs and achievement of the partnership goals
• Oversight of recruitment and line management (of one position and consultants) may be asked

Lead delivery of main project outputs:

• Strategic reach-out, engagement and commitment of senior city officials (and political leaders, when relevant and needed)
• Oversee and support an effective consultation process of senior city officials and subject-matter experts to identify priorities and co-develop and co-deliver tasks/activities
• Ensure regular convening of city leads and – where needed – of international experts and practitioners. This will involve:
  • Organization of approx. 6-8 working meetings over 12 months
  • Some working sessions will include partners and experts on specific topics
  • Ensure that convenings are strategic and carefully designed, goal oriented and results focused and that they respond to cities’ priorities
• Develop the content curriculum and preparatory materials, including commissioning policy analysis and/or expert presentations and presenting materials, to inform the working sessions and creation of an action agenda.
• Lead and support planning and execution of key communication and diplomacy activities and moments. These may include media launches and side events.
• Ensure alignment and coordination with overall C40’s and MMC’s communication strategies and campaigns.
• Liaise with the Mayors Migration Council team in the development and execution of all of the above.

Person Specification:

Essential:

• Undergraduate degree in economics, social, political or environmental science, international relations, geography or relevant discipline
• Significant experience in international high-level decision-making processes such as the Global Compact for Migration, the UNFCCC and other UN processes (2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, New Urban Agenda, etc) – engaging as Party or stakeholder, hosting/ presenting/ moderating sessions; convening high level bilateral and multilateral meetings; supporting VIPs
• Significant experience in or very strong understanding of working in or with city governments
• Working experience in government, non-profit, environmental research and/or consulting
• Proven knowledge and/or solid understanding of equity, climate, migration issues in cities and good understanding/awareness of inclusive climate action in cities, including awareness and comfort moving among and understanding key policy frameworks that influence the climate and migration diplomacy spheres.
• Strong experience in global campaigning design, political and diplomatic advocacy strategy
• Proven track record in working collaboratively and effectively with major global partners, such as NGOs, the corporate sector, multilateral development banks, and/or UN agencies and global coalitions, including acting as point of contact for high level partners
• Proven experience in engaging with high level political leaders at local, regional, national or global level
• Experience and understanding of virtual and in-person stakeholder engagement challenges and opportunities; demonstrated ability to promote active participation and co-learning through creative engagement activities and to promote understanding of concepts that are sometimes difficult to grasp
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including communicating complex information in a clear and compelling way; possessing a great degree of comfort and experience in public speaking, press/VIP relations, negotiation and dialogue
• Strong problem-solving and strategic thinking capabilities coupled with an outcome, delivery-orientated approach
• Strong interpersonal and convening skills and ability to engage professionally with C40 and third-party teams; to work across teams and to engage with different typologies of counterparts (city officials, partners, etc.)
• Strong PowerPoint skills
• Fluency in English
• Genuine passion for cities, urban and natural environments and a personal commitment to protecting our planet and its inhabitants

Desired:

• Postgraduate degree in politics, international relations, climate diplomacy, migration, or relevant discipline
• Strong experience in global campaigning, political and diplomatic advocacy
• Awareness, understanding and ability to analyse the intersectional nature of delivering inclusive climate action with an emphasis on migration, migrants and climate risks, as well as the broader topic of climate migration
• International experience, particularly working across different cultures, languages and time zones
• Awareness and understanding of key global funding mechanisms that have in the past been used to support cities in responding to the challenges of the climate and migration crises
• Awareness and understanding of the climate migration challenges in the context of critical regions such as Africa or Latin America. Proven experience in engaging with high-level discussions and decision-making processes related to climate migration in these key regions is a plus
• Fluency in other languages, in particular French and Spanish.

Other Requirements:

Applicants must already have the right to work in the country of choice. Moderate to significant travel may be required as part of the role.

Location: London or Johannesburg

Salary:
London: GBP 49,922

Johannesburg: R 753,223 

Closing date for receipt of applications is Thursday, 4 March 2021.