Technical Adviser, Climate Action Planning - West Africa at C40 Cities

Department: Measurement & Planning
Reporting To: Head of Climate Action Planning, Africa
Term: Fixed Term Contract until December 2020

Background
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, now in its 13th 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.

Measurement & Planning

• C40’s Measurement and Planning Initiative (M&P) focuses on building technical capacity within C40 cities to facilitate them adopt an evidence-based approach to tackling climate change.
• To support the implementation of the Paris Agreement, each C40 city will be expected to develop and begin implementing a climate action plan (or series of plans) before the end of 2020 that will deliver action consistent with the ambitions of the Paris Agreement; addresses both the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change; and outlines the wider social, environmental and economic benefits derived from implementing the plan and how the city will approach implementation of the plan using available powers, resources and partners.

Position Description

• The C40 Technical Adviser will provide expert technical support to all C40 member cities in West Africa in undertaking robust, evidence-based long-term climate action planning that aligns with the ambitions of the Paris Climate Agreement and country commitments. This role will include the provision of:
  
  • Ongoing climate action planning process support and advice;
  • Direct expert technical assistance in the development of each city’s climate action evidence-base and content of city climate action plans;
  • Expert development of resources and materials that support effective city climate action planning processes and outputs;
  • Expert development of training materials and delivering training/workshops for city and C40 staff within each city.
  • The Technical Adviser will be expected to support the cities in developing climate action plans that align with the requirements of C40’s Climate Action Planning Framework (https://resourcecentre.c40.org/), which has been prepared to ensure alignment of such plans with the Paris Agreement.
  • The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background and significant experience in greenhouse gas inventory development (using the Global Protocol for Community Scale GHG-Emissions), emissions trajectory modelling, climate change hazard, risk and impact assessment, climate actions identification (adaptation and mitigation), climate action benefits assessments, climate action prioritisation, stakeholder engagement processes, and in the preparation of city-level climate action plans.
  • The individual will also be expected to have international working experience, good communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work independently and without supervision.
  • The ability to communicate and write effectively in both French and English will be a mandatory requirement.
    

Responsibilities
Working closely with C40’s Head of Climate Action Planning Africa, C40’s Regional Director for Africa, and C40’s City Advisers embedded within each city, the Technical Adviser will provide expertise and support for the following:

• Updating or preparing city-level GHG inventories using the GPC protocol;
• Setting evidence-based emissions reductions targets in each city, and modelling the BAU emissions trajectory and several emissions reductions scenarios in each city;
• Preparing terms of reference for, assisting with, or preparing city climate hazard, risk and impact assessments;
• Providing expert assistance in: the identification and development of climate change response actions
• that are appropriate to each city’s context; and evaluating and documenting the benefits of identified climate actions in each city;
• Supporting the process of prioritising climate actions for implementation in each city;
• Assisting in the preparation of city climate action plans in accordance with the requirements of C40’s
• Climate Action Planning Framework;
• Developing generic and / or city-specific resources and materials to support the climate action planning process;
• Developing climate action planning related training materials and delivering technical training to city staff and other stakeholders as and when required;
• Assisting with the planning / design of city climate action planning processes, including stakeholder engagement, in each city.
  

Person Specification

• A relevant post-graduate degree;
• Substantial experience in climate action planning covering both climate change mitigation and adaptation;
• Substantial experience in government, business or NGO sectors with a focus on sustainability and/or climate change, and substantial experience working with or within municipal governments; Demonstrated technical expertise in completing city-wide greenhouse gas emission inventories, undertaking scenario planning, and climate change risk, hazard and impact assessments;
• Demonstrated experience in designing and managing policy/plan development processes;
• Excellent project-management, strategic thinking and analytical capabilities, with MS Excel experience and data management skills;
• Excellent ability to write technical materials and documents;
• Demonstrated experience in working as part of a team, and in multi-cultural settings;
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple parallel tasks;
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills, combined with excellent English and French fluency;
• Stakeholder engagement experience, as well as experience in developing or facilitating webinars and workshops, or other training engagements;
• International experience, working across different cultures, languages and time zones.

Other Requirements:

• Applicants must already have the right to work and live in Lagos. Frequent travel to C40 member cities within the specified region will be required, as part of the role.

Salary and Allowances

• The post is paid in accordance with C40 Cities level 3 scale and new starters are placed on the minimum of the scale.
• NGN 9,842,170 per annum