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 200+ staff is headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Johannesburg, Singapore, Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, Beijing and Paris, and individual staff based across 25+ different locations, with the Office of the Chair based in London. 

The strategic direction of the organisation is determined by an elected Steering Committee of C40 mayors which is chaired by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the C40 Board of Directors, which is responsible for operational oversight. A nine-person 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 (CIFF) 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.

Position Description

In October 2019, C40 launched the Knowledge Hub platform to gather evidence and experience from leading climate-action cities, and to make this available to all cities. Our content team writes exclusive, actionable articles and curates content from other sources, with the goal of building and maintaining a one-stop-shop for cities on climate solutions. With this platform, we are aiming to accelerate the pace of effective climate action by cities in every corner of the globe, with the ultimate goal of helping to keep global temperature rise within safe limits.

Examples of our articles include those on climate risk disclosure, deconstruction, 15-minute cities, municipal solar, consumption-based emissions, extreme heat, green bonds, single-use plastics, nature-based solutions, solid waste incineration and much more. This article provides an introduction.

We are looking for an individual with a proven track record of researching and writing about climate policy to join the Knowledge Hub content team. The individual will work closely with the Senior Editorial Manager to build and maintain the growing body of content on the C40 Knowledge Hub, ultimately helping C40 member cities and non-member cities to plan and deliver climate action. The individual will develop, edit and update new and existing articles, based on input from in-house and external experts, and self-directed desk research. They will also: summarise third-party resources that we host on the Knowledge Hub platform; help identify gaps in our library; scope opportunities for new articles; and enhance the connections across our content library (metadata, taxonomy tabs, sidebar links, etc.) to ensure readers can find content easily.

Responsibilities: 

• Serve as primary author on a range of Knowledge Hub articles for our audience of city decision makers and practitioners. Articles will explain what cities need to do, why and how, based on existing evidence and experience from leading cities. Articles must be accurate, comprehensive and appropriate for our audience. This involves working with other C40 teams and/or the Senior Editorial Manager to define the scope, researching and writing the article, addressing review comments, and defining metadata (topic tags etc). The research aspect is predominantly secondary (drawing on existing research), supplemented by conversations with C40 staff, city staff and external experts.
• Shape and edit articles written by other C40 teams, and opinion pieces by city staff and other experts, in line with Knowledge Hub requirements on format, style, tone, and clarity of message.
• Update existing articles as new examples emerge from cities and new evidence is published, to ensure our core library remains relevant and reflective of policy and technological advances.
• Help to manage our curated collection of third-party materials, which supplement and complement proprietary Knowledge Hub articles. This involves writing or editing text for the summary pages for a range of resources produced by other teams at C40, by cities and by third party organisations to be hosted on the Knowledge Hub, monitoring new releases and seeking new material that we should host.
• Identify needs and opportunities for new Knowledge Hub content, responding to emerging trends, innovations, milestones and more in the evolving field of urban climate policy. 
• Work with data analytics staff to identify and realise opportunities for interactive graphics to be embedded within select Knowledge Hub products.
• Use the Knowledge Hub’s database system to manage content metadata, update notifications, article connections and more.
• Manage delivery to meet deadlines, including a pipeline of concurrent writing projects, both Knowledge Hub articles and summary pages, to ensure a steady stream of outputs.
• Provide support to Senior Editorial Manager for meetings and reporting requirements as needed.

Person Specification:

• Demonstrable experience in a policy research- and writing-focussed role, ideally in the climate policy field, with a proven track record of quality outputs for professional/policy audiences.
• A clear and concise writing style, with an ability to pair narrative with evidence and intuition for the needs of a city government audience.
• Able to repurpose technical information from a range of sources and present in an easy-to-understand and user-friendly way.
• A passion for urban climate action, with relevant expertise - whether a climate generalist or sectoral expertise.
• Able to perform self-directed desk research and engagement, with colleagues and experts, to build a solid evidence base for each article.
• Fluency (spoken and written) in English is essential. Fluency in languages other than English, particularly Spanish, would be beneficial.
• Experience with any multimedia format would be beneficial (examples include production of video content, infographics, other imagery).
• Highly proficient in the use of Microsoft Office, specifically MS Word.
• Ability to work remotely, and with international teams, effectively.
• Committed to the mission, purpose and values of C40 and its programmes, with a desire to be part of a team that impacts the organisation’s future.

Additional Requirements:

The Senior Editorial Manager is based in London, and the Knowledge Hub team is split between London and New York. Individuals willing and able to work in a time zone with adequate overlap with the London and New York workday are preferred. The post holder must have the required right to work in the country of choice.

Reporting To: Senior Editorial Manager

Term: Indefinite

Location: UK, South Africa, Kenya, East Coast of the United States, Colombia and Mexico

Salary: (Grade 4) UK £43,368, South Africa R560,632, East Coast of the United States: New York min.$65,000 - max $85,704 / Georgia $56,627 / Massachusetts $59,892 / New Jersey $55,857 / Rhode Island $51,830, Colombia COP 93,045,689, Mexico MXN 619,106

Application Process:

To apply, please submit an updated curriculum vitae and cover letter.

Closing date for applications is Monday 4th July 9am BST. C40 reserves the right to close this job opening before the closing date for applications so please do submit applications early.

Candidates chosen for interview will be notified. Successful first round candidates will be asked to complete a written assignment and attend a second interview. 

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 [email protected]

C40 is an equal opportunities employer.