Head of Regional Coordination, GCoM

Position title: Head of Regional Coordination, GCoM  

Department: Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM)

Reporting to: Co-Managing Director of GCoM

Location: (Grade 2)Brussels EUR 113,167, London GBP £77,795, Johannesburg ZAR 1,398,275, Rio de Janeiro (IC) USD 97,945 (gross per annum)  - 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 2)Brussels EUR 113,167, London GBP £77,795, Johannesburg ZAR 1,398,275, Rio de Janeiro (IC) USD 97,945 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 from 1st April 2026 to 31st December 2028 (The appointment and the duration of the role are subject to the final approval of funding).

ABOUT THE GLOBAL COVENANT OF MAYORS FOR CLIMATE & ENERGY

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM or Global Covenant), is a global coalition of cities and local governments with a shared long-term vision of promoting and supporting voluntary action to combat climate change and move to a low-carbon, resilient society.

The alliance unites and inspires its stakeholders to strengthen global climate coherence, accelerate the energy transition, and generate locally-tailored solutions for a common purpose: creating an inclusive, just, low-emission, and climate-resilient future for all.

Co-chaired by former New York City Mayor and UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, Michael R. Bloomberg, and European Commission Executive Vice-President, Teresa Ribera and with the support of global and regional city networks, the Global Covenant of Mayors represents the strongest and clearest signal to national governments that cities are not only acting to stop the effects of climate change, they are leading and leading together. 

C40 Cities is the fiscal sponsor of the Bloomberg Philanthropies funded parts of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM). As the host organization, C40 provides financial, administrative, and operational services to GCoM. C40 and GCoM are working closely together on aligned programmes and areas of activity.

GCoM STRATEGIC DIRECTION

No single organization, initiative, sector, or government, however innovative or impactful, can accomplish all the transformational, systemic changes required of the global community. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy enables cities, local governments, and the networks that support them to bridge the gap from climate ambition to action delivery. The alliance unites and inspires its stakeholders to strengthen global climate coherence, accelerate the energy transition, and generate locally-tailored solutions for a common purpose: creating an inclusive, just, low-emission, and climate-resilient future for all.

GCoM's Strategic Plan is focused on deepening support through technical assistance and other means to cities that have already committed to the Global Covenant and to accelerate action delivery across all levels of government and with the private sector, academia and civil society.

Position Description:

The Head of Regional Coordination role plays a key part in the delivery of the GCoM Strategic Plan, aligning and coordinating with the 13 Regional and National Covenants - inclusive of their constituent city networks and supporting partners - as well as the global city networks and other agencies complementing their efforts. The postholder will bring their experience of the dynamic and context specific challenges facing city climate action in different parts of the globe and leverage their connections and networks to build strong partnerships to overcome these barriers, resulting in deeper, more meaningful climate action plan implementation across multiple regions.

They will support facilitation of the GCoM Global-Regional Coherence Technical Working Group they will also ensure regular engagement with Regional Covenants and opportunities for knowledge and experience sharing, and oversee significant annual investment in Regional and National Covenants, as well as global and regional network partner support to ensure stronger regional alignment and impact across GCoM alliance partners. 

In those regions where we are providing direct financial support to the operation of Regional and National Covenants (Tier 1), the postholder will be responsible for the selection, contracting and operational oversight of the work of key regional partners,  including in particular the development and implementation of regional strategies. 

In other regions (Tiers 2 and 3), the postholder will support active engagement and collaboration between the Global Secretariat (and associated initiatives such as Gap Fund, UTM, CHAMP, etc.) and Regional Covenant partners. 

The Head of Regional Coordination will serve as a central node for routine exchange across all Regional and National Covenants, convening Secretariat and funder colleagues where necessary and troubleshooting and addressing issues raised. The role will play a key liaison function on data, reporting and monitoring in particular, linking regional work to global aggregation of efforts through annual reporting and towards GCoM Key Performance Indicators. 

The Head of Regional Coordination will have experience of working in and supporting across multiple cultural and societal contexts, be a strong relationship builder and pro-active partnership manager across an extensive global alliance.

Responsibilities: 

• Prepare and support regular convenings of GCoM's Global Regional Coherence Technical Working Group - working with co-facilitator network leads to prepare agendas, discussion items, action read-outs and minutes, and ensuring two-way information flow with the GCoM Secretariat as well as other relevant Technical Working Groups. 
• Oversee and manage significant regional support funding budget, sub-grants, contracts, and deliverables and outcomes reporting. Manage time/cost-quality of outputs and liaise with regional delivery partners on a regular basis.
• Deliver effective grant management of global city network grants with regional components (including ICLEI, UCLG and CDP) of GCoM activity. Identify activities to be delivered in each region, through the grants, to complement the core work of regional secretariats and helpdesks, and contribute towards regional strategies. Convene grantees on a quarterly basis to report on progress, deliverables and outcomes. Coordinate with global network partners regional teams, to understand engagement and seek to align on delivery in support of GCoM alliance objectives
• Lead monthly bilateral and global coordination calls with all GCoM Regional and National Covenants of mayors. Working with colleagues across the Secretariat team and associated initiatives teams, to identify issues to be raised and routes to resolution.
• Facilitate the liaison between GCoM Board Mayors and Regional Covenant partners, to keep them appraised of activity across their region and actively involved in regional delivery. Prepare briefings and updates as required, in coordination with the Senior Manager for City Diplomacy and Governance.
• Lead in coordinating and running the annual GCoM Open House event, convening GCoM regional partners from across the globe. Plan content, programme and outreach in relation to this event.
• Act as key point of contact and liaison for GCoM Regional Secretariats and Helpdesks - updating or developing FAQs and policies and procedures, together with regional teams and the GRC TWG, to address city queries on reporting, action planning and other GCoM related campaigns and activities.  
• Support the planning and delivery of strategic regional events, ensuring they are tailored and beneficial to regional priorities and stakeholders.
• Perform additional duties as required.

Person Specification:

• Proven track record in engaging across multiple regions in city climate action planning and delivery and city network engagement. Demonstrable ability to work across different cultures/timezones/languages to unite multiple partners behind a common vision.
• Strong relationship builder - ability to spot and address issues and effectively manage complex working relationships. 
• Effective grant and contract management and oversight - able to work with grantees to support delivery of agreed outcomes.  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills essential, including proven ability to facilitate in-person workshops and virtual meetings or webinars and proven ability to communicate complex ideas in a simple way to various audiences.
• Strong problem-solving, interpersonal, strategic thinking and collaboration capabilities coupled with an outcome, delivery-oriented approach required;
• Proven strong understanding of political dynamics in cities and local governments, and of strategic and technical needs of city leaders. 
• Experience working with city networks or partners in GCoM's Latin America, South Asia and South East Asia regions is desirable, given that a component of this role is to provide more targeted support in developing and implementing tailored strategies in these regions.
• Fluency in English essential; proficiency in French, Spanish, and/or Portuguese as well as another language spoken in a C40 city is strongly preferred. 

Other Requirements:

Applicants must already have the right to work in the listed locations. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role. 

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:

Closing date for applications Thursday 19th February at 5pm  UK Time. C40 reserves the right to close this job opening before the closing date for applications so please do submit applications early.

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. For how C40 handles your personal information, please review our Privacy Notice – Recruitment.

To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit , follow us on Twitter @c40cities and like us on Facebook at 

For any queries about the role, please contact  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 opportunities employer.

Location

Brussels, London, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro

Department

Global Covenant of Mayors

Employment Type

Fixed Term

Minimum Experience

Executive

Compensation

(Grade 2) Brussels EUR 113,167, London GBP £77,795, Johannesburg ZAR 1,398,275, Rio de Janeiro (IC) USD 97,945 (gross per annum)