Project & Department Description 

• The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Network for African Cities  is a programme being developed to support African city staff who manage city budgets and financial policy to improve channelling of government resources and outside investment to necessary climate actions. The mission of the CFO Network for African Cities is to help increase climate literacy among city CFOs, as well as support evidence-based budgetary decisions and policy making in public financial management. This network will aim to strengthen municipal environments that are favourable to investment, underpinning the development of climate-smart project pipelines at the pace and scale required to meet climate  goals.
• The CFO Network is co-led by the Africa Regional Team and The City Finance Programme. The C40 City Finance Programme is a global programme that supports C40 cities across multiple climate action types on preparing projects for finance from the demand side, increasing the flow of accessible finance from the supply side, and connecting demand and supply side actors in the finance landscape.

Responsibilities

• The Manager, CFO Network for African Cities will be responsible for early stage programme development and the delivery of identified workstreams of the CFO Network for African Cities. They will support the Global Senior Manager, CFO Network for African Cities to scope suitable activities for the Network and assess the best outputs to achieve the Network’s main priorities: capacity building and action-oriented networking; increasing own-source revenues; strengthening financial management practices and policies; identifying viable financing solutions for local infrastructure and services. They will support management of the Network’s members, funders, partners and advisors, and work with the Global Senior Manager, CFO Network for African Cities on developing and implementing the programmatic infrastructure required to fully launch the Network.
• The CFO Network sits between the City Finance Programme and the Africa Regional team. This role will work actively with both teams and have a responsibility for ensuring coordination between both teams is streamlined and impactful.

Responsibilities: 

• Support the delivery of engagement activities with African cities’ CFOs and partners, and the platform to engage national, regional, and global stakeholders.
• Support the development of knowledge-sharing and capacity-building products and services.
• Support the development of a pipeline to access finance, e.g., organising thematic workshops and roundtable discussions.
• Work with colleagues across C40 to integrate the work of the CFO Network with other programmes and projects.
• Support in the development of a benchmarking platform and Municipal Finance workshops.
• Oversee the Network’s communications activities.
• Support cities adhoc requests for support, such as on support to move forward with project ideas and develop concept note.
• Manage the relationship with Chief Financial Officer members and their staff and identify new climate finance gaps and needs that might arise.
• Manage the relationship with consultants and technical experts that will support the Network’s mission.
• Manage relationships with funders, technical experts and partners and lead the development of new funding opportunities.
• Assist on the ground to manage smooth delivery of major events. May involve international travel.
• Support with preparation of fundraising materials, grant reporting, and other monitoring and evaluation tasks.

Person Specification:

• Passionate about the mission of C40 and have a strong interest in helping cities overcome their sustainability challenges, particularly municipal climate finance challenges.
• Language Skills: English (required); preference given to those that speak additional languages (French and Kiswahili are highly desirable)
• Experience in fundraising and project management, including scheduling and budgeting. Managerial experience is highly desirable.
• Experience working in the African region and with local government is essential.
• Experience delivering in-person and virtual events as well as general networking skills.
• Background in finance and sustainable development is highly desirable.
• International experience, particularly working across different cultures, languages, and time zones.
• Excellent analytical problem-solving and strategic thinking capabilities and attention to detail for a delivery-oriented approach.
• Experience working across multiple departments and stakeholders, or on matrix-structured programmes.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to engage professionally with C40 staff and cities.