Climate Alliance is looking for a Project Officer - Climate and Energy

The Climate Alliance European Secretariat (Brussels Office) is seeking a Project Officer - Climate and Energy (m/f/d) to support the activities of the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy 

Climate Alliance is a European network of local authorities committed to climate action. Founded in 1990, we now have over 2,000 member municipalities from more than 25 countries. We work towards the promotion of renewable energy, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the protection of biodiversity.

Climate Alliance is involved in a number of EU-funded projects and initiatives, one of which is the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy - an initiative supported by the European Commission bringing together tens of thousands of local authorities that voluntarily commit to implementing EU climate and energy objectives. Climate Alliance co-leads the EU Covenant of Mayors office and is responsible for the coordination of the Covenant monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) framework that covers the three Covenant pillars: climate mitigation, climate adaptation, energy poverty. The MRV framework exists to support signatories in the development and implementation of their SECAPs.

Our ideal candidate

We are looking for a dynamic and motivated individual who is passionate about working with local authorities and contributing to the work of a city network. Our ideal candidate should have a proven record of supporting development of effective MRV frameworks, good understanding of emission inventories and risk and vulnerability assessments. They should possess an ability to translate more complex technical issues into understandable guidance and capacity development tools. They should be able to work independently and proactively drive the activities they are responsible for. They should have excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to engage, motivate and work collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders. 

Your tasks

You will mainly be involved in Climate Alliance’s activities contributing to the operation of the Covenant of Mayors initiative. Under the overall supervision of the Project Coordinator, you will lead the following activities on behalf of Climate Alliance:

• Coordinate the work related to the ongoing development of the Covenant monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) framework 

• Develop and/or update relevant MRV related guidance materials for Covenant signatories (e.g. guidelines, thematic leaflets, online capacitysharing corner)

• Liaise with national partners in the context of nationalisation of the Covenant MRV framework 

• Liaise with the Joint Research Center, the Global Covenant of Mayors technical working groups on topics related to reporting, regional Covenant Offices, etc. 

• Organise and facilitate periodic consultations with city practitioners on diverse and emerging topics 

• Support the ongoing development of the Covenant extranet (e.g. concept development, liaison with IT developers, platform testing)

• Integrate MRV aspects within relevant activities across all Covenant tasks, contribute to capacity-building activities

• Represent the Covenant of Mayors in conferences and technical meetings

• Support activities of Climate Alliance, beyond the above listed project activities, including contribute to deliverables of other projects, as relevant. 

Selection criteria

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• At least 5 years of relevant postgraduate professional experience, preferably in the field of energy/climate change 

• A Master’s Degree in a relevant field (e.g. energy, climate change, urban planning, environmental engineering, monitoring and evaluation) 

• Technical knowledge of MRV frameworks, energy, mitigation and/or climate adaptation planning and practices, greenhouse gas measurement and/or climate risk and vulnerability assessment

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders

• Experience in designing and delivering technical meetings, consultation exercises and capacity building activities

• Fluency in spoken and written English

• Excellent organisational skills, ability to multitask

• Dynamic, pro-active and out-of-the-box thinker.

ADVANTAGEOUS

• Experience working with/for local authorities

• Experience working in an international environment, particularly working across different cultures and languages, and able to work with a high level of initiative and autonomy 

• Experience in data reporting and management

• Experience in or knowledge of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) processes

• Good knowledge of EU policy in the field of climate and energy

• Fluency in other European languages

Terms

• Place of work: Climate Alliance office in Brussels, Belgium (contract under Belgian law). Please note that only candidates with the right to work in the EU/Belgium will be considered

• Full-time position

• Initial 24 months contract with possibility of extension

• 30 days of annual leave

• Salary will be commensurate with profile and experience

• Working language is English

• Part-time teleworking possible

• Occasional travel within Europe possible

• Benefits include: meal vouchers, health insurance, teleworking allowance, additional paid leave

• A positive and culturally diverse working environment.  

Application

Applicants are requested to send:

• Letter of motivation, explicitly describing their relevant experience and linking it to the requirements for the position, in one page maximum, and

• CV with two referees (one of which should be your current or last employer, to be contacted only if you are the preferred candidate). Applications are to be sent by e-mail to career(at)climatealliance.org.

Closing Date for Application is 12 May 2024.

Please note, the position will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is found. Interviews will be carried out on a rolling basis and we encourage interested candidates to submit their application as soon as possible.

Contact

Natalie Spohn

HR unit, Climate Alliance  n.spohn@klimabuendnis.org 

THE CLIMATE ALLIANCE

Climate Alliance is a European network of local authorities committed to climate action. Founded in 1990, we now have over 2,000 member municipalities from 25 European countries. We work towards the promotion of renewable energy, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the protection of biodiversity in a joint effort between European municipalities and the indigenous people of the Amazon. Our mission is to work together to build a sustainable future for all.  Additional work goes into management of the EU initiatives such as the Covenant of Mayors,

Energy Poverty Advisory Hub, EU Climate Pact, in close collaboration with the European Commission as well as communication and policy work. climatealliance.org