Knowledge Sharing Manager, Renewable Energy

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 three core strategic funders are Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation 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 Climate Solutions and Networks

C40’s Climate Solutions and Networks (CSN) team oversees six program areas focused on priority climate action sectors and interventions: Energy and Buildings; Transportation; Urban Planning; Food and Waste; Air Quality; and Climate Resilience. Under these program areas, CSN operates 16 different networks that facilitate city-to-city best practice sharing on specific climate action areas, such as clean energy or zero emission vehicles. The networks help cities replicate, improve and accelerate climate action to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. These city-only working groups provide for honest knowledge and experience exchange, enabling cities to tap into the global expertise of their peers as well as connect with technical partners. Through networks, cities find opportunities to undertake joint projects in areas of mutual interest and benefit. C40 networks also amplify individual city solutions by providing a global platform for showcasing city success. The result is that cities' climate actions to reduce GHGs, air pollutants and climate risks are bolder, fairer, and more impactful than if they were to go it alone.

A number of these programs and networks also offer direct support to cities through technical assistance projects, training, tools, and resources, often in conjunction with other C40 teams and programs. The CSN team also supports cities to deliver on the mayoral commitments made through C40’s accelerators including, but not limited to the Renewable Energy Accelerator, the Green & Healthy Streets Accelerator, the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Accelerator, and the Pathway Towards Zero Waste, and Towards Zero Waste Accelerators. The C40 accelerators are statements of political leadership giving cities an opportunity to show leadership globally and locally.

The Energy and Buildings Programme supports cities to overcome barriers to the implementation of policies and programmes to deliver ultra-efficient buildings powered by renewables. The team delivers support to cities through a variety of methods: providing short periods of consultancy guidance to overcome specific barriers, developing city-led research projects, and hosting action-oriented workshops, all while leveraging the experience of and sharing lessons with city peers through C40’s four building and energy networks, as well as the Clean Construction Forum. The topics include energy efficiency in existing buildings and new buildings, including privately owned and city-owned buildings, as well as clean energy and embodied carbon of built infrastructure.

Regional Approach

Core to C40’s value and effectiveness is an ability to be responsive to the needs of all C40 cities and focus services and support on the areas of greatest opportunity for city action and climate impact – both at the individual city level and across our regional and global networks. Our regional management structure better enables C40 to leverage relationships between peer cities and technical and financial partners regionally and globally and to be more responsive to local needs and conditions. 

To manage these efforts, C40 Regional Directors are positioned in seven regions: Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Southeast Asia and Oceania, East Asia and South & West Asia. The Regional Directors act as the ambassador for their regions, to ensure that the organisation can deliver effectively at a regional level considering specific geographic, cultural, language and other differences.

In Africa, the Regional Director in Africa is supported technically by the The Head of Implementation for Africa. The Head works very closely with all CSN teams to support the African region C40 cities in accelerating the implementation of the most impactful climate actions, and in facilitating learning from their peers across other C40 cities. A Deputy Regional Director for Africa, supports the Regional Director with managing the city engagement and relationship building in the region.

The successful candidate will need to be a quick learner who thrives in dynamic environments, a matrix management system and is skilled in building relationships across teams and coordinating across diverse groups of stakeholders. They will need to have a collaborative mindset and be adept at connecting people and organisations around a shared purpose and common goals.

They will need to be methodical in driving timely delivery and able to work independently with strong strategic thinking. 

Position Description:

The South African Clean Energy Project is entering its second phase with the focus now on accelerating the South African Just Energy Transition through enabling implementation, delivering actions, building City leadership and supporting scaling through strategic energy sector South-South collaborations.

This two- year project, supporting the five C40 Cities South African cities (City of Cape Town, City of Ekurhuleni, eThekwini Municipality, City of Johannesburg and City of Tshwane), will advance South African C40 Cities’ capabilities to lead the transition to clean and reliable energy systems by increasing the uptake of renewable energy. This project will help capacitate cities to drive the just energy transition by leveraging transformational regulatory and market reforms and accelerate decarbonisation through expanding implementation of onsite and offsite clean energy sources. Through South-South collaboration, the project supports scaling of city-level climate action by sharing lessons and technical expertise on energy efficiency, demand management, and renewable energy deployment.

The primary objectives are:

• Improve climate governance in cities: Reduce regulatory complexity, increase technical capacity, and unlock financing constraints to enable implementation of effective and inclusive energy actions.

• Accelerate renewable energy adoption: By enabling planning, procurement, and with technical assistance to support the transition to clean energy sources, municipalities can accelerate decarbonisation, advance implementation efforts, and achieve Just Energy Investment Plan (JET-IP) goals, ensuring equitable outcomes for all. Cities will actively shape energy markets through harnessing and influencing regulatory reforms and participating in electricity markets.

• Build inclusive energy systems and strengthen municipal leadership: Through inclusive planning, community engagement, and public participation, the programme will promote public support and stakeholder collaboration. Integrated approaches to grid infrastructure and affordability will help ensure fair access to clean energy, while managing grid defection risks, maintaining cross-subsidisation, and expanding service to informal settlements. Enhanced governance and capacity building efforts will support municipal leadership in delivering equitable, climate resilient energy solutions.

• Support scaling through strategic sector collaborations: Through South-South collaboration, the program supports scaling of city-level climate action by sharing lessons and technical expertise on energy efficiency, demand management, and renewable energy deployment.

Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Head of Energy Strategy & Implementation, the Knowledge Sharing Manager will be responsible for day-to-day implementation of this next phase of the project. They will be supported by the Renewable Energy Technical Adviser and will also work closely with the Head of South-South Collaboration, Africa to bring in expertise from global cities and maximise the impact of the project across other cities in Africa.

The Knowledge Sharing Manager will need to be an experienced and proactive individual, able to manage their work independently and make the most of a complex portfolio in a high-profile area of C40’s work. They will join a team of dynamic C40 staff and will be connected to leading cities around the world. They need to be passionate about working with a diverse range of cities to find practical solutions to climate change, particularly around renewable energy and building energy efficiency.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Support the Renewable Energy Technical Advisor in the delivery of the South African Renewable Energy project. This will include working with the South African cities and external consultants to implement the project activities. This will require budget management and reporting. 

• Convene as and when required in-person and virtual meetings for the South African cities, including developing agenda content and managing logistics, for capacity building activities, exchange of information during the project implementation but also to learn about best practices, experiences and lessons learnt on topics related to renewable energy. 
• Contribute to funder reporting about the grant activities, progress and outcomes achieved.
• Contribute to briefings to C40 senior management and funders on the grant budget, key performance indicators, milestones and deliverables, ensuring they are on schedule. 
• Lead the communications and stakeholder management activities. Liaise with the global networks of the energy & buildings team to collect global knowledge on renewable energy sourcing and share the examples with South African cities, and manage relationships with South-African stakeholders.
• Co-lead the development of the knowledge strategy: Identify opportunities for the development of knowledge sharing materials and peer-to-peer learning opportunities on topics related with renewable energy and its links with green job creation, air quality improvement and increased resilience. 
• Contribute to fundraising activities to expand support to more cities and for the provision of additional technical assistance. 
• Pro-actively collaborate with colleagues in the Energy & Buildings team, Air Quality in Climate Solutions and Networks team and the Africa Regional team and in C40, including Climate Action Implementation, Research and Knowledge Management, Regions, City Diplomacy, Business Engagement, Finance and Communications and Events teams.
• Other duties as assigned.

Person Specification:

• Experience of developing and/or implementing renewable energy policies, programs or projects, especially in South Africa e.g. related to municipal procurement of renewable energy, preferably across multiple cities.
• Knowledge of global best practices and different approaches to support cities in decarbonising their energy systems and promoting renewable energy generation and procurement and influence the energy supply at local and national scales, required.
• Experience in developing knowledge sharing products addressed to technical and non-technical audiences in topics of renewable energy and its links with green job creation, air quality improvement and increased resilience.
• Experience in developing, delivering and reporting on programme plans, including contract and budget management.
• Experience in managing contracts and ensuring the timely submission of project deliverables by project teams.
• Experience of developing and implementing policy and strategy required, preferably through working in or with city governments.
• Fluency in English essential; fluency in another language spoken in a C40 city preferred.
• Basic skills in qualitative and quantitative data management (Basic excel skills).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills essential, including proven ability to deliver compelling messages, develop briefings for senior leaders, and facilitate in-person workshops as well as virtual meetings or webinars;
• Strong problem-solving, interpersonal and strategic thinking capabilities coupled with an outcome, delivery-oriented approach required;
• International experience particularly working across different cultures, languages and time zones.
• Proven strong understanding of political dynamics in cities and local governments, and of strategic and technical needs of city leaders.

Other Requirements:

Applicants must already have the right to work in South Africa. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role. This position has to be based in South Africa.  

Reporting To: Head of Energy Strategy and Implementation

Term: Fixed term until the 28th February 2027 (The appointment and the duration of the role are subject to the final approval of funding)

Location: South Africa - 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 4) South Africa -  ZAR 715,392 (gross per annum) 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:

The closing date for applications is  Monday 29th September 2025 at 5.00pm UK time. 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.