Vacancy: Senior Governance Expert, NetZeroCities
Location: Europe (with strong preferences on Brussels, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and Stockholm)
Contract: 24 months, with a view to extend - full time preferred
Salary: 5 500 - 6 000€ monthly on an employment contract basis
About the Role
Democratic Society (Demsoc) is a leading organisation in Europe's democratic transformation, supporting cities and citizens to ensure that radical climate transformation is a democratic not just a technocratic process. Through democratic design, organisational development and practical participation exercises, we are building greater participation and dialogue in democracy.
Demsoc works to develop new forms of democracy, support citizens to participate, activate impact-oriented networks and create democratic responses to challenges that cities and urban areas are facing. It works as a networked organisation, fostering practical participation and active learning in democracy at local, national and European level.
We are a partner of the NetZeroCities (NZC) Programme in support of the EU Mission for 100 Climate-neutral and Smart Cities by 2030. At NetZeroCities we are working as pioneers on the intersection between sustainable transition, urban planning and democratic design. A big part of this role focuses on supporting governments to engage citizens and stakeholders, connecting local action to systemic change, and to collectively advancing real-world solutions to accelerate the climate-neutrality transition. NetZeroCities is designed to enable European cities and citizens to show the way forward towards an inclusive, thriving, climate resilient and sustainable future.
We are seeking someone who is mission-oriented, who thrives in connecting diverse perspectives and actors, who is experienced in activating other forms of governance or have on the ground understanding on how governance systems can support a fair and net-zero transition, and lastly who is passionate about people-powered democratic interventions and contributing to facilitating transformative action to achieve a just and (joyful) transition towards Climate-Neutrality in Cities where no one is left behind.
Responsibilities
As a senior governance practice expert
- Lead Demsoc strategic engagement in embedding new participatory forms of governance to raise ambition, commitments, and impact in the cities climate transition journeys.
- Support diverse cities in the design and implementation of different governance arrangements based on the locality and context to activate an inclusive ecosystem for change to support Cities’s Climate Neutral ambitions.
- Support different cities to ensure high-quality governance practices are enabled in their transition towards Climate Neutrality, supporting the rest of the team to ensure the success of the project alongside a wider team of city advisers and specialists.
- Work proactively and collaboratively across relevant teams at NetZeroCities to orchestrate and deliver the multi-level policy dialogues and mutual learning activities to engage relevant stakeholders and policy-makers with the mission.
- Develop relevant domain knowledge and serve as an internal champion to convey and expand our impact on this domain and contribute to growing our portfolio
- Identify, build, and manage strategic relationships with key partners from government, academia, business, and other relevant partners and programmes that support the EU Cities Mission.
As part of the wider Demsoc team
- Supporting the strategic development of Demsoc
- Work more widely with other colleagues on strengthening and re-imagining democracy
- Share NZC learnings with the wider Demsoc team and wider audiences
- Work more widely in our teams on democratic climate governance
- Ensure our work with cities uphold the highest standards of democratic practice
Democratic Society is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes all suitably skilled persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, faith, sexual orientation, education or age. We are a multi-lingual and multi-cultural organisation, working internationally and actively working to ensure our team reflects the communities and places we serve. As a mission driven organisation, we seek people who are aligned with our core values of openness, democracy, and internationalism.
How to apply
Applications for this role are now closed.