Knowledge Officer, C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF)

Position title: Knowledge Officer, C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF)

Department: Climate Finance, Knowledge and Partnerships

Reporting to: Head of Knowledge & Partnerships

Location: Colombia, Denmark, Kenya, South Africa, & UK - 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 5)Colombia COP 91,000,000, Denmark DKK 482,352, Kenya KSH 2,956,981, South Africa ZAR 508,182 , & UK GBP £46,256 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.

Term: Fixed Term Contract – until 31 December 2026, with possibility to extend conditional on funding

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. 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 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 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.

C40 Cities Finance Facility

C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) is an award-winning programme which was launched during COP21 in Paris in December 2015. Now in its 10th year of implementation, CFF works with cities to develop infrastructure projects that have a tangible impact on the lives of their residents. CFF is jointly implemented by C40 and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and it is currently funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). CFF was selected as a winner of the 2020 United Nations Global Action Award in the category “Financing for Climate Friendly Investment”.

The C40 Cities Finance Facility supports cities in preparing and implementing sustainable infrastructure projects. By linking infrastructure projects to finance and providing cities with the ongoing support and expertise they need, CFF turns resilient and inclusive climate action plans into real projects that make a real difference to people’s lives. From Mumbai to Medellín, Durban to Dakar, CFF has partnered with 30 cities across 4 regions, supporting 38 transformative projects in key climate action areas: nature-based solutions, renewable energy and buildings, sustainable mobility, water and waste management.

By 2030, CFF aims to reduce over 2.5 million tons of CO₂ emissions, enhance the climate resilience of 2 million people, and leverage $1 billion in climate finance.

More information on the CFF’s work can be found at www.c40cff.org.

Position Description

The Knowledge Officer will be an organised and proactive individual who will join and support the team to help coordinate and facilitate the effective delivery of the CFF programme to 7+ cities in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia. The Knowledge Officer will support the overall delivery of the CFF programme at global and regional levels, especially in relation to knowledge activities.

As part of the Knowledge & Partnerships team, the Knowledge Officer will support the development and implementation of capacity development activities to empower city officials with useful concepts and approaches to plan and finance sustainable and equitable infrastructure projects, at a global, regional and/or sectoral level (e.g., City Academy on Finance and Equity). The Knowledge Officer also supports the development and delivery of other knowledge activities, such as peer-to-peer exchanges for CFF partner cities and knowledge products, with the wider CFF team. The Knowledge Officer also supports the Knowledge and Partnerships team in the wider coordination of inclusive climate action technical support and scoping / development of partnerships with external organisations.

The Knowledge Manager will be part of a dynamic and global team of 8+ CFF staff at C40 and within a wider team of 20+ CFF staff including GIZ. They will report directly to the Head of Knowledge and Partnerships, but they are expected to work across the whole programme with frequent interaction with colleagues and experts across C40 and CFF.

Responsibilities:

Knowledge creation and dissemination (70%)

• Support the organisation of workshops and webinars for city officials on how to plan and finance sustainable and equitable infrastructure projects, including logistics, agenda development, internal coordination and stakeholder engagement.
• Support the facilitation of in-person and virtual events.
• Lead data collection, M&E and the development of follow up documentation for events (e.g., workshop reports and certifications).
• Support the development of knowledge products related to CFF partner cities’ work in specific sectors (e.g., transport, energy, buildings, waste, adaptation)
• Support the development and delivery of knowledge activities within CFF’s partner cities’ Learning and Training plans, such as knowledge products, workshops, webinars and other engagements/activities.
• Support the maintenance of CFF’s knowledge management system with up-to-date information on CFF’s work with its partner cities, to use as a basis for engagements, reporting and communications.

Operations and wider team support (30%)

• Support the Senior Manager, Partnerships, in the scoping and development of relevant knowledge and project preparation collaborations with external partners.
• Support the Knowledge Manager and the Regional Engagement Managers in the coordination of inclusive climate action technical support.
• Setting up and managing a series of external consultancy framework contracts, including for the design, translation and copy-editing of CFF knowledge outputs.
• Supporting internal procurement and financial tracking processes (e.g., audits).
• Supporting other internal CFF and C40 processes.
• Additional duties as requested.

Person Specification:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex data and information into simple messages for communication to non-technical audiences (e.g., for knowledge products and workshop resources).
• Experience in supporting the delivery of multi-stakeholder engagements (e.g., workshops, events, webinars). Experience of workshop content preparation and facilitation is desirable.
• Experience in contributing to and developing high-quality written reports.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with different partners and stakeholders.
• A natural communicator and collaborator, able to effectively manage their time, prioritise activities and accomplish tasks with minimal oversight.
• Good problem-solving, strategic thinking and analytical capabilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or Google Workspace. Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Asana) is desirable.
• International experience, particularly working across different cultures, languages and time zones.
• Passionate about the mission of C40 and the CFF and with a strong interest in tackling climate change and addressing urban sustainability challenges.
• Experience in one or preferably more of the following fields: infrastructure finance, project preparation, cities and urban development, climate finance and/or climate change or related fields is desirable.
• Experience in working on inclusive climate action and awareness of the key challenges to develop equitable and inclusive policies and infrastructure in cities, is desirable.
• Excellent written and spoken English is a requirement. Additional language skills are desirable, in particular Spanish, French and Brazilian Portuguese.
• Comfortable working in a primarily virtual environment.

We seek to recruit individuals who not only have the appropriate skills and experience for the role, but are committed to carrying out their roles in line with our organisational values.

Other Requirements:

Applicants must already have the right to work in the location they are applying for. Some international travel will be required as part of the role, to events and to CFF’s offices in London, Bonn and Berlin.

We seek to recruit individuals who not only have the appropriate skills and experience for the role, but are committed to carrying out their roles in line with our organisational values.

C40 offers a comprehensive benefits package to support employee well-being and work-life balance:

• Paid Time Off: Full-time employees receive 35 days of paid time off annually, which includes all national holidays.
• Company Shutdowns: In addition to the standard paid time off, C40 provides two non-contractual, non-statutory shutdown weeks each year (mid-year and end-of-year) for a full break.
• Parental Leave: All employees are eligible for up to 52 weeks of parenting leave. The first 16 weeks are paid at 100% of the employee's current salary. Weeks 17 through 52 are unpaid by C40, unless payment is required by national law.
• Flexible Working: C40 supports flexible working arrangements to enhance work-life balance, provided they align with business requirements.
• Time off in Lieu (TOIL): Employees can take TOIL to recover following periods of excessive hours or travel.
• Sick Leave: Entitlement to sick leave increases upon the successful completion of the employee's probation period.
• Employee Training: Training and development opportunities are available to all staff (excluding temporary staff and interns) after they have completed and passed their probation period.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Confidential services, such as counselling, are accessible for short-term support.
• Pension scheme: C40 offers a pension scheme to employees in eligible locations. Availability is determined by the country of employment.
• Private Health Insurance: This is provided in countries where publicly funded healthcare is not available.

Application Process:

To apply, please submit an updated curriculum vitae and cover letter.
The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday, 16th February 2026 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 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.