Background
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. 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 two core strategic funders are Bloomberg Philanthropies 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 C40
Department Description - About C40 Inclusive Climate Action Programme
There is no climate justice without social justice, and action at the city level is critical to achieve both. The C40 Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Programme support cities in developing and delivering local climate policies and initiatives that drive mitigation and adaptation, co-designed in an inclusive way, addressing structural inequalities and delivering equitable impacts that support climate justice while advocating for global and national change that allows cities to go further in achieving a just transition.
The ICA programme delivers a number of strategic services to cities:
- Direct assistance - Dedicated support, guidance and policy advice to support planning and implementation of climate action that is inclusive and fair, ensures a just transition and builds resilience for underserved communities.
- Peer to peer learning - Spurring innovation by connecting city officials through tailored learning spaces to share best practices and challenges in delivering multi-stakeholder, inclusive, climate solutions at local level.
- Global leadership - Supporting mayors and city decision makers with diplomacy and leadership guidance to increase city visibility, unlock support and inspire others to act on key climate justice issues through global and national forums.
- Thought leadership - Developing global research and policy/data analysis to support policy-making in cities that address new and emerging challenges.
Position Description
The Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Senior Manager for Africa will serve as the main point of contact for equity and inclusivity within C40’s Resilient Urban Futures programme. This role involves providing policy and technical advice to city officials, specifically identifying key priority adaptation actions for collaboration between cities and local communities, based on Climate Action Plans (CAPs) and local need assessments.
They will be ensuring a thorough mainstreaming of ICA principles and ways of working across the programme and coordinate with each of the programme work stream managers to support coherent set-up and delivery of ICA’s technical and policy assistance, local stakeholder engagement locally relevant for the cities part of the programme.
The ideal candidate will have:
- A strong background in climate adaptation and resilience for local governments
- A thorough understanding of the African climate context and key debates around just transition and equity for climate action
- Proven experience in inclusive and participatory stakeholder engagement for policy design and
- A deep knowledge of the priorities of cities in the region, specifically on key topics for the ICA programme: just transition, gender equity, informality, loss and damages, green jobs, disability and more.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Technical Responsibilities:
- Support cities in the African Region (and potentially cities in South East Asia TBD) in their implementation of key priority adaptation actions from their CAPS, e.g. by helping them to identify and establish critical partnerships for delivery and opportunities to embed equity and inclusivity in policies and city-led programmes.
- Support the design and delivery of tailored technical assistance projects that advance equitable, inclusive, and high-impact adaptation interventions prioritised in city CAPs.
- Collaborate with C40 teams and consultants to mainstream adaptation across financial strategies, private sector, civil-society engagement, and climate governance frameworks in cities.
- Provide technical support to cities in the African Region on climate risk assessments, vulnerability analyses, and adaptation planning, ensuring these outputs are used to inform evidence-based adaptation actions with a strong socio-economic component.
- Contribute to capacity building through workshops, training, and knowledge exchange to strengthen city officials’ skills in climate adaptation, equity integration, and finance mobilisation.
- Elicit learnings and best practice examples from activities and processes and provide input to ensure that this knowledge is exchanged and shared across all cities in the Resilient Urban Futures programme as well as shared across other relevant platforms for cross learning.
- Engage with and support the overall Inclusive Climate Action Programme to help cities address wider climate-related equity challenges, notably by providing specific technical expertise, peer learning, and knowledge sharing to C40 teams and other cities in the region as needed.
- Act as the lead and policy expert, serving as the main point of contact for City Resilient Advisors and programme staff on deliverable strategies and knowledge sources across key climate and inclusion issues (ie. just, transition, gender equity, informality, loss and damages, green jobs, disability and more).
2. Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement:
- As a subject matter expert on ICA, work closely with city officials, C40 staff, and consultants to coordinate C40-supported adaptation activities as well as specific equity and inclusivity consultancies and ensure these are delivered on time and meet quality standards and to ensure alignment with C40 approaches and processes at the global level.
- Lead and support the development, identification and tracking of all ICA-relevant city-based work (ie.work plan, typology of support needed), Develop annual workplans, track progress against KPIs and identified impact goal(s), coalition building/stakeholder engagement efforts and where relevant/possible benefits assessment, and contribute evidence to demonstrate impact to donors and partners.
- Broke strategic partnerships between cities, local governments, civil society, and the private sector to promote collaboration and amplify adaptation efforts.
- Lead in the assessment of mayoral and city government powers related to the collective objective of driving the Just Transition agenda from the city perspectives and to influence integration of adaptation priorities into city governance structures. including budgets, planning regulations and pilot initiatives with a strong equity lens.
- Actively participate in relevant C40 knowledge networks and forums (e.g., ICA Forum) to scale good practices and strengthen regional collaboration on climate adaptation. Additionally, build links with other C40 workstreams and projects to inform programme delivery and disseminate key lessons learned.
- Lead in uplifting lessons on ICA from the Resilient Urban Futures programme to inform C40's wider approach and work on ICA.
- Based on city readiness, identify pilots projects to strengthen city governance for adaptation collaboration with local communities
- Support the ICA Deputy Director and the ICA Programme Director in liaising and reporting to the programme management team and funders and in exploring new partnerships.
- Undertake other related tasks as required to advance C40’s mission on equitable urban climate action, ensuring that the work contributes towards the C40 Business Plan, Leadership Standards and KPIs.
Person Specification
- Proven experience and engagement of working with or for municipal administrations in Africa on programmes or projects, especially relating to climate action plans or climate adaptation policies.
- Demonstrated understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with working with senior city officials and city leaders
- Ability to convene and influence diverse stakeholders, including city leaders, community organisations, and private sector actors.
- Relevant qualifications or equivalent professional experience in climate change adaptation, resilience planning, disaster risk reduction, urban resilience, development, community engagement, gender equity or related fields.
- Demonstrated experience in translating technical climate data into policy or investment decisions, e.g. through risk assessments, vulnerability assessments, infrastructure resilience, nature-based solutions, adaptation finance, and resource mobilisation will be a key consideration in this role.
- Strong project management skills with excellent organisational abilities and proven capacity to meet deadlines.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with major global partners, including NGOs, corporate sectors, funders, and multilateral development banks.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience facilitating workshops, webinars, and virtual or in-person meetings.
- Strong problem-solving, strategic thinking, and analytical skills, exceptional attention to detail.
- Proactive self-starter, able to work independently as well as part of a team.
- Experience or interest in working across diverse cultures, languages, and time zones.
- Fluency in English and the local language required.
Other Requirements:
Applicants must be based in the respective city and have the right to work in Kenya. Occasional travel will be required for this position.
Reporting To: Deputy Director, Inclusive Climate Action
Term: Fixed Term Contract to 30th June 2029
Location: Kenya - Please note that if your right to work in one of the listed locations is not confirmed at the time of applying, C40 will be unable to proceed with your application.
Salary: (Grade 3) KSH 6,302,899 gross per annum - Due to its commitment to maintain equity and fairness, C40 operates on a spot salary model. This means that our employees are paid the same salary according to their grade and location.
Application Process:
To apply, please submit an up-to-date resume and cover letter. All submissions should be made in English. Interviews will also be conducted in English.
The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 26th January 2026 at 2pm GMT .
The C40 reserves the right to close this position before the deadline for submitting applications. Please therefore submit your applications as soon as possible.
To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit
www.c40.org, follow us on Twitter @c40cities and subscribe to our account on Facebook at
http://www. facebook.com/C40Cities.
For any questions regarding the position, please contact us at: careers@C40.org. Kindly note that this email address is for recruitment related queries only. We are unable to accept CVs and cover letters sent to this inbox. We can only accept and process applications that are submitted via our website.
C40 is an equal opportunity employer.