Regional Sector Programme Manager for Transportation UCAP CAI Programme, (Latin America)

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.

Department Description

Supported by UK government funding through the Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP), C40’s UCAP Climate Action Implementation (CAI) Programme expands support for 15 C40 cities in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia in implementing ambitious climate action plans.

Between January 2022 to December 2025, C40 is providing tailored technical assistance and capacity building to support city-led efforts and projects to develop low-emission public transport systems, sustainable urban mobility planning, renewable waste management, energy efficiency in buildings, climate-smart buildings codes, and incorporate climate action into city governance, planning and decision-making structures.

From 2018 to 2021, C40 provided technical assistance and resources to 35 cities to develop climate action plans that effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance climate resilience. Accra, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Tshwane, Bogotá, Guadalajara, Medellín, Mexico City, Lima, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Quezon City were selected to receive the UCAP funding by the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), based on input and expertise provided by C40.

Through UCAP CAI, we support cities in prioritising fairness and inclusivity in climate policies and urban decisions. C40 helps cities integrate equity and inclusion by involving marginalised groups in decision-making and ensuring benefits are distributed equitably.

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, Latin America, East, Southeast Asia and Oceania, Central East Asia, and South & West Asia. The Regional Directors, guided by the C40 Regional Business Plans, act as the ambassadors for their regions, to ensure that the organisation can deliver effectively at a regional level considering specific geographic, cultural, language and other differences.This post sits within the Latin America Regions & Mayoral Engagement department, which is responsible for managing the delivery of climate action for the 12 C40 cities in the region.

The position will be part of a team managing and coordinating the day-to-day delivery of this and other projects in Latin America. They will work closely with the rest of the regional team in Latin America, the communications team and other C40 colleagues working on transport, finance, inclusive climate action, air quality, business engagement, etc., to provide input, insights and support on the adoption of inclusive, fair and just approaches to transport and climate action implementation. C40 aims to provide cities with the adequate tailored resources they need so the implementation of climate actions have a transformative impact in urban systems, governance and socio-economic structure.

Position Description

The Regional Sector Programme Manager for Transportation – Latin America (Manager) will manage, under the guidelines of the Head of Implementation and the Director of Implementation regional team, the delivery of all aspects of the regional projects on transportation, engaging the five cities and relevant C40 teams to achieve programme outcomes and ensure that knowledge generated is well documented and effectively communicated to the region and globally.

The Manager will be expected to liaise with C40 City Advisers in respective cities, global sectoral teams within C40 and external consultants contributing towards programmatic goals and KPIs.

The Manager will support the Latin America Regional Head of Implementation in effectively delivering the programme, tracking progress and supporting delivery of the overall Latin American programme in the transport sector. The postholder will have a pragmatic focus on ensuring cities achieve quick wins as well as paving the way for longer term transformational action through enabling changes today.

The postholder will have an excellent understanding of the transportation sector, especially as it relates to cities’ role and powers, as well as of climate change and sustainability. The candidate will have a good understanding of programme management, budgeting, and donor reporting. They will require an excellent understanding of how cities work (e.g., developing policies and implementing projects) and will be familiar with the economic and political context of priority cities in the region.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of the sectoral knowledge products of the programme and its dissemination in accordance with the Knowledge strategy of the programme and the compliance of the KPIs.
• Carry out programme management requirements related to the transportation programme such as oversight of budgets, monitoring progress against work plans, supporting teams to adapt and implement work plans, monitoring and mitigating risks, and working with relevant teams on mid and long-term programme strategy.
• Report to the Regional Head of Implementation for Latin America and support the planning and implementation of the regional UCAP CAI programme under the guidance of the C40 Director of Implementation for Latin America.
• Engage when needed with the regional Climate Action Implementation (CAI) team to provide regular internal updates to the global CAI team, always in coordination with the rest of the regional team.
• Work with City Advisers and the Head of Implementation to engage cities and refine the programme plans based on their input and expected outcomes.
• Collaborate with the Regional UCAP CAI team and the C40 global Transportation team to refine programme outcomes, KPIs, identify barriers for programme implementation, propose solutions and contribute to the development of implementation roadmaps for priority sector actions to guide programme delivery.
• Maintain engagement with C40’s Regional and global staff (e.g., in benefits, modelling, finance, inclusive climate action) to ensure the successful delivery of the programme.
• Ensure the delivery of the programme within agreed scope and budget.
• Scope sector-specific technical assistance and consultant support requirements in collaboration with colleagues and city officials.
• Lead production of Terms of Reference or Job Descriptions for external consultants to support selected transportation actions and the proposal review process and selection.
• Coordinate the review of consultant outputs and adherence to terms of reference, timelines and budget and ensure quality assurance checks to meet C40 and cities’ standards of work.
• Support compliance with all documentation requirements for C40 to tender proposals and contract consultants.
• Participate, support, and organise workshops, events and meetings with programme cities and partner organisations.
• Represent C40 and the UCAP CAI Programme in selected external events upon direction and guidance of the Latin America Head of Implementation, in coordination with the Regional and other C40 teams.
• Work with City Advisers, Technical Advisers, consultants, and the regional team to support mapping and identifying key stakeholders for implementation and establishing relevant partnerships.
• Identify opportunities to share resources and best practice to C40 cities and partners, including facilitating vertical integration (alignment with other tiers of government) and lead the process of documenting learnings and outcomes across the programme.
• Strictly follow all C40 policies.
• Other duties as assigned by your Line Manager

Person Specification:

• Degree in a discipline and/or professional qualifications or experience related to engineering, transportation, urban/city planning, sustainability, environmental management and climate change or transport management. A master’s degree in a related field is highly desirable.
• Demonstrable experience of working with or for one of the programme city governments in projects related to the transportation sector, especially aligned with climate policies and plans.
• Experience working in policy design and/or project preparation, preferably with subnational governments.
• Proven ability in developing, delivering and reporting on programme plans, including contract, funder and budget management.
• Proven ability in developing and delivering knowledge sectorial products.
• Strong problem-solving, interpersonal and strategic thinking capabilities coupled with an outcome, delivery-oriented approach required.
• Demonstrated experience in working as part of a team, and in multicultural settings, and ability to manage multiple parallel tasks.
• Knowledge regarding the development, implementation and/or evaluation of transportation strategies and actions in the region, including social and economic considerations.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills combined with fluency and ability to write technical materials and documents in English and Spanish.

Other Requirements:

The position will be a remote position, and the candidate should be based in Colombia. Applicants must already have the right to work in Colombia. Moderate travel will be required as part of the role. 

Reporting To: Head of Implementation (LATAM)

Term: Fixed Term Contract until 31 October 2025

Location: Colombia

Salary: (Grade 3) COP 146,046,102 gross per annum

Application Process:

Closing date for applications is Friday, 15th November 2024 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. 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.

Compensation(Grade 3) COP 146,046,102 gross per annum