Senior Associate, African Cooperation

As Senior Associate for African Cooperation, you will manage project activities was part of a new initiative in Africa.

The project, which is being carried out in partnership with the German development agency GIZ and is initially limited to two years, aims to establish a network of African think tanks dedicated to decarbonising transport on the continent. Project activities will include advising policy makers in partner countries, building interdisciplinary networks, developing international communication strategies and designing formats for policy exchange. The goal of the project is to strengthen local discourse and build capacities that will enable the pursuit of holistic decarbonisation strategies in the transport sector. In this way, it will enable countries in Africa to raise their climate ambitions and to meet or increase their pledges under the Paris agreement. Special attention will be devoted to developing and coordinating an international exchange program for young experts from the continent.

Your responsibilities:

As Senior Associate, you will steer project activities and manage our contribution to the project consortium. You will coordinate autonomously with GIZ, develop the strategic direction of our contributions to the project, actively build networks with local partners, and integrate expertise from the team into consulting activities. In addition, you will independently conduct research on selected topics in order to assemble a knowledge base for advising work. You will supervise research participants in the preparation of studies on associated topics and also prepare short studies yourself. You will be active in advising political decision-makers, in supporting the work of partner organisations, and in coordinating training for foreign partners in Germany. Furthermore, you will help to present the results of this work in deliberations on the topic, both in the expert community and in international as well as national political contexts.

What we expect from you:

• A completed university degree in engineering, environmental, political or transport sciences, or comparable academic qualifications,
• Relevant professional experience in climate and environmental protection in transport as well as in the field of international climate protection policy,
• Relevant experience in international cooperation or policy advising (preferably including work in foreign countries),
• Relevant experience in managing complex projects and coordinating interdisciplinary partners on the African continent,
• A realistic understanding of local conditions on the African continent and the ability to incorporate this knowledge into project work,
• Initial networking experience with African partners,
• Strong initiative, a high level of motivation, an ability to work under pressure, and willingness to travel internationally,
• Very good communication and interpersonal skills as well as a desire to work in international teams composed of individuals from diverse professional backgrounds,
• Good knowledge of English and at least basic knowledge of German with active interest in improving German language skills; knowledge of other foreign languages is desirable,
• Excellent ability with MS Office products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

What we offer:

• the opportunity to work on a highly professional, committed team on an issue of key importance to our collective future,
• an attractive full-time position in the Berlin district of Mitte, a cooperative working atmosphere and flexible working conditions,
• an employment contract initially limited to 2 years, with the possibility of extension.

Would you like to help shape the global transformation of transport, contribute your perspectives, and gather and disseminate knowledge from abroad to enrich the national climate discussion?

If so, we look forward to receiving your application! Please upload a single, consolidated PDF file (do not include a picture of yourself) using the following link: https://cloud.sefep.eu/s/7294nwXWLWS6LxK

Please name the file “PL_Internationale Verkehrswende_Afrika_X” (while replacing X with your last name). Be sure to indicate your earliest possible start date as well as your salary expectations.

If you have any questions, please contact Clara Bartz at clara.bartz@agora-verkehrswende.de or by phone at +49 (0)151 15 97 94 80.