C40 connects more than 90 of the world’s greatest cities. It is focused on tackling climate change and driving urban action that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, while increasing the health, wellbeing and economic opportunities of urban citizens.
The Business & Innovation team has been created to act as a service to member cities in overcoming a number of existing barriers to city climate action and especially, effective engagement with the private sector which is critical. Cities have indeed influence over a wide range of assets and functions across key areas such as energy, transport, buildings and waste, but such sectors are also shaped and financed by business. Cities therefore cannot achieve the required emissions reductions without the active engagement of private sector partners.
To support the next phase of its Business Plan, C40 is committed to enhancing collaboration between city governments and the private sector. The Business & Innovation team includes projects and programmes to help present the economic case for climate action, to drive innovation and to accelerate climate action plan implementation through more strategic relationships.
Within Business & Innovation, the Zero Carbon Development team is leading programs that will foster collaboration between Cities & the built environment stakeholders / real estate and industry in order to accelerate the development of decarbonized, sustainable and resilient urban development and buildings.
The Role
The successful intern will support the Zero Carbon development team to run the team’s activities specifically the Reinventing Cities programme. Reinventing Cities is an innovative call for projects that C40 is running since 2018 to stimulate carbon-neutral and resilient urban regeneration projects on underutilized urban spaces proposed by cities. The competition calls for creative multidisciplinary teams to compete for the opportunity to transform these sites into new models for decarbonized development, buildings, and services.
The rationale for this project is to deliver and showcase projects that combine many solutions that can be quickly scaled up, serving as models for what sustainable buildings and urban development look like. This approach helps bring to life pioneering models of public-private collaboration for carbon-neutral development. Mobilizing built environments actors to invest in the “green” urban development. The initiative also had a direct impact on the policies and the procurement’s methods of cities.
After the successful first edition that has led to the participation of more than 1,200 companies and the ongoing implementation of 20 pioneer projects in 10 cities, C40 is now running the second round of this competition and intends to develop the program further expanding to new cities and different kind of sites. Recently, C40 has launched Students Reinventing Cities in 18 global cities. This is an innovative competition dedicated to students to reimagine urban areas to become greener and thriving. The selected candidate will support the development of the students’ competition too.
The Reinventing Cities intern would be involved in both programs alongside general support to the activities of the Zero Carbon development team. The intern must combine strong organisational, communication and technical skills with an interest in working on and learning about climate change and innovative forms of urban development. The ideal candidate will be a motivated self-starter who can handle multiple tasks and projects simultaneously, such as analysis of urban projects, stakeholder engagement, program coordination and report writing.
If selected, working a 40-hour week, s/he will have the opportunity to develop skills and understanding in a range of subject areas, gaining valuable experience working with international colleagues in a fast-paced and exciting global organization. S/he will have the opportunity to develop their skills and deepen their understanding of zero carbon urban development, as well as support the growth of the program and the development of resources and tools for cities.
Recruitment has opened for a 6-month paid Internship role with C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. The successful intern is expected to start in late April/ early May and will be based in our Johannesburg Office
Salary: ZAR 10,000 per month
Due to the current outbreak, working remotely is allowed (until further notice).
The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday, 19 April 2021-Please note C40 reserve the right to close the advert before the deadline if necessary, and will review applications as received.
Diversity Statement
At C40, we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment, where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity. We therefore welcome applications from all sections of the community and would particularly welcome applications from candidates in the Global South as we are currently underrepresented at this level.
We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.