Adaptation Finance Manager, Financing Sustainable

Job Description



Position Title:

Adaptation Finance Manager, Financing Sustainable Cities Initiative

Department:

Governance and Partnerships

Reporting To:

Senior Manager, Financing Sustainable Cities Initiative

Location:

London

Salary:

£40,190 per annum



Term:





Fixed Term Contract until 15 May 2020, with possibility to extend if further funding is available

Background The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, now in its 12th year, connects more than 90 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 650 million urban citizens and their economies account for 25% of global GDP. Our recent ‘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 growing team of 150+ staff is headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, Beijing and Paris, and individual staff based across 25+ different locations. C40 has an operating budget of c.$25m per year and is primarily funded through the generous support of philanthropic foundations. The strategic direction of the organization is determined by an elected Steering Committee of C40 mayors, which is chaired by the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. Three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the Board of Directors, which is responsible for operational oversight. A seven person management team, led by Executive Director, Mark Watts, leads the day-to-day management of C40. Financing Sustainable Cities Initiative (FSCI) Financing Sustainable Cities is an initiative of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and C40 Cities, funded by the Citi Foundation. The Initiative focuses on helping cities develop business models that can accelerate the implementation of sustainable urban solutions. It consists of three key components: the development of a learning community, the provision of technical assistance, and the delivery of a web-based engagement platform. Through these activities, the partners hope to accelerate the financing and implementation of sustainable urban projects that will improve the quality of life for residents in cities across the world. During the previous phases of this Initiative, the C40 team focused on transportation and energy finance challenges. C40’s main deliverables were events and workshops for city officials, technical experts, and relevant investor/private sector stakeholders: • C40 has organised three large, public-facing Financing Sustainable Cities Forums to create a highprofile dialogue about critical investments in sustainable urban projects. • The C40 team has hosted three focused “Finance Academies” for city officials, assisted by technical experts. These three-day workshops convene two senior representatives from each city to focus on one specific project type (e.g. electric bus deployment) and all cities develop a “Finance Action Plan” to map out clear steps to making viable business models for specific projects in their contexts. The C40.SOP/HR/001 F2

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2017 Clean Bus Finance Academy took place in London, the inaugural Clean Energy Finance Academy took place in Vancouver in 2018, and a follow-up 2018 Clean Bus Finance Academy will take place in Quito in 2018. C40 has also delivered a series of smaller workshops, webinars, and peer to peer interactions, as well as provided technical assistance to develop business models for sustainable energy and transport projects.

The C40 FSCI team has secured additional funding for Phase 3 of the initiative (2018-2020). This will allow us to expand our work and commence a new focus on adaptation finance for cities. This work is the primary responsibility of the Adaptation Finance Manager.



Position Description The Adaptation Finance Manager will be responsible for climate change adaptation-related engagement within the FSCI. The position offers the opportunity to develop an entirely new work-stream within the FSCI, requiring strategic thinking about program development and maximizing city engagement and outcomes. The Adaptation Finance Manager’s primary deliverables will be as follows: • Creation of an outcome-focused adaptation finance programme delivering on the needs of C40 members and helping create tangible on-the-ground impacts in cities across the world. • The development and delivery of a programme of city-city interactions including an annual Adaptation Finance Academy, convening 10-12 global cities to discuss business models and financing options for a specific adaptation infrastructure solution. • The development and management of technical assistance provision delivering external support to help cities with adaptation finance challenges. • Liaising closely with C40’s Adaptation Initiative team to provide finance input and support, including with Adaptation Initiative events. This will include connecting with cities to determine their adaptation finance challenges and working with the cities to create strategies to address these, coordinating sessions at events, knowledge dissemination and report writing. As part of this role, the Adaptation Finance Manger will also contribute content development and logistics support for adaptation-related FSCI city engagement, events, communications, and team administration. The position involves independently managing key deliverables and developing new processes and strategies to support C40 cities. The Adaptation Finance Manager will work with the FSCI Senior Manager, the Clean Energy Finance Manager, the Clean Transportation Finance Manager, the Project Officer, and the C40 Communications, Events, and Global Initiatives Teams to successfully achieve the Initiative’s objectives and ensure cities receive the support, guidance and knowledge they require to progress their priority adaptation actions. Responsibilities: • •

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Support C40 member cities to take tangible action to overcome the financing challenges they face in delivering the infrastructure necessary to become more resilient to the effects of climate change. Work with FSCI Senior Manager and Project Officer to plan and deliver the 2018 and 2019 Adaptation Finance Academies. This will include agenda development, engagement and procurement of experts to participate in the Academy, facilitation of the event, facilitating cities to develop Adaptation Finance Action Plans, and the creation of related communications deliverables to disseminate key successes and best practices to a broader audience. This will also include managing event logistics and providing onthe-ground support. Collaborate with the Clean Energy Finance Manager, Clean Transportation Finance Manager, and Project Officer to develop and operate the FSCI technical assistance panel. Contract external consultants and experts on adaptation and finance to provide advice to C40 cities on financing city resilience. Coordinate communications activities related to adaptation finance for the FSCI and prepare communications materials, including fact sheets, website and social media content. Develop specific communications outputs related to adaptation achievements in C40 cities to encourage replication. Work closely with the C40 FSCI Senior Manager, other C40 staff, WRI Ross Center, the Citi Foundation and C40 cities to ensure C40’s FSCI deliverables are met and the project adds value for cities. This

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includes supporting WRI’s development of the online FSC Platform, delivering C40’s city engagement events and supporting C40 networks on adaptation finance topics. • Support city achievement of strong finance-related outcomes, particularly by bringing cities together in webinars and conference calls to share experiences and learn from each other to discover new solutions and liaising with city officials to identify their challenges and creating strategies to help these cities overcome these challenges. • Conduct research as required on C40 cities and their projects, as well as compiling progress reports. • Additional duties as requested. Person Specification: •

Passionate about the mission of C40 and with a strong interest in helping cities overcome their sustainability challenges, particularly municipal climate finance challenges. • Effective communicator and collaborator who is able to manage time, prioritize activities and accomplish tasks with minimal oversight. • Task-driven and detail-oriented project manager, with track record of successfully planning and managing multiple tasks to deliver quality results within tight timeframes. • Demonstrated experience in climate change adaptation, city resilience policy and municipal finance, with a solid grasp of business models for sustainable infrastructure. Experience working with insurance companies, ratings agencies, infrastructure investors, and/or relevant NGOs a plus. • Relevant experience in government, business, research and/or NGO sectors. Experience hiring and working with external consultants is desirable. • Proven track record in working collaboratively and effectively with partners, such as city governments, financial institutions, NGOs, international organizations and the private sector. • Strong problem-solving and interpersonal capabilities coupled with an outcome-oriented approach. • Educated to at least bachelor degree level, with preference for candidates holding a master’s degree in subjects such as international finance, business, public administration, environmental policy, sustainability policy, or a related field. • International experience, particularly working across different cultures, languages and time zones. • Highly skilled in written and oral communication in English. Other languages spoken in C40 cities are also desirable. • Demonstrated ability to work independently and as a team, with an ability and willingness to work cooperatively with others. • Highly competent with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Skype and conference calling/webinar systems. • Utmost discretion when dealing with confidential and sensitive information. Other Requirements: Applicants must already have the right to work in the United Kingdom. Some international travel will be required. Application Process: Interested applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and cover letter to [email protected]. Closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday, 10 June 2018. 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. C40 is an equal opportunities employer.

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