Project Manager - Earth Observation and Climate Services

Job Title:  Project Manager Earth Observation and Climate Services  

Team:  Climate Services and Earth Observation 

Contract: Fixed term contract for 12 months, with possibility to extend/convert into permanent over time 

Level: Intermediate 

Please refer to our Capability Framework  

Salary:  Competitive for Not-for-profit organisation  

Start Date: As soon as possible 

Location: EU and UK

ABOUT US      

At Climate KIC, we are wholeheartedly committed to building a diverse and representative team and an inclusive workplace that values different life experiences and perspectives, and we encourage personal development, learning and growth.   

When recruiting, we look to achieve diversity in the candidate pool. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are happy to consider reasonable adjustments that will foster success in potential colleagues from diverse backgrounds and life situations. And because our team has differing needs and personal circumstances, we offer a high degree of flexibility to accommodate working patterns. We’re happy to discuss your situation during the interview and see how best we can support you. Don’t let Imposter Syndrome stop you from applying!   

Climate KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative. We understand that global temperature rise is exceeding 1.5C and this demands unprecedented change. It requires new social dynamics, ways of doing business, capital flows, policymaking, economic models, and new ways of living. That is why our mission is to leverage the power of systems innovation to transform whole places, industries and value chains by 2030, working across sectors to develop and scale ambitious programmes. Climate KIC’s strategy 2024-2030, Transformation, with Urgency, is available here.    

Climate KIC operates as a not-for-profit foundation working through public-private partnership, wielding both public and private funding. Established in 2010 and headquartered in Amsterdam, we orchestrate a community of more than 150 organisations including large corporations and SMEs, municipal and regional governments, universities and research institutes, as well as non-governmental organisations and civil society actors.     

Climate KIC leads the implementation of the European Union’s Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and the launch pilot of the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, both with the objective of catalysing rapid and deep transformation on a large scale, creating the precedent and economic transition conditions for demonstration, learning, capacity building, fast followership and investment. Achieving the EU Cities Mission will mean avoided scope 1 and 2 emissions alone of an estimated 0.7GT CO2e between now and 2040.    

Climate KIC has a Remote-First approach, where colleagues work remotely from home based in one of the countries where we have a branch or employing entity (and can work out of local offices or co-working seats, where they exist). We meet at our local offices to exchange and connect and use online collaboration tools to work with each other and with our community. On occasion, we meet in person as teams, and once per year as an organisation.    

As a mission-driven organisation dedicated to climate transformation, we consider the climate impact of our own actions, for example travel, catering, or IT equipment.    

About the Resilient and Climate Neutral Regions Cluster  
The Resilient and Climate Neutral Regions (RCNR) cluster was founded in 2023 and has since then grown to a size of 40+ persons spread over Europe. The cluster supports regions to become resilient and climate neutral by applying place-based systems transformation and providing a platform for collaboration.  Our goal is to empower local stakeholders to proactively embrace transformational change towards climate resilience, foster shared learning and encourage partnerships, and develop customized strategies. This commitment unfolds through a strategic roadmap designed to further strengthen our European-level role, develop interventions in engaged regions, deepen efforts in selected regions. The cluster focusses on 4 thematical areas: 1) Climate Smart Food Systems, 2) Earth Observation for climate services, 3) Climate Smart Forestry & Bio economy and 4) Climate Resilient Regions.   

Nested in the RCNR cluster, the Earth Observation and Climate Services team, part of the RCNR cluster, is focused on supporting the uptake of Copernicus and other relevant data, while promoting their use in climate mitigation and adaptation actions. Our team collaborates with a range of stakeholders, including public authorities, to demonstrate the value of Earth Observation and other data in enhancing their climate readiness. We provide tools that enable evidence-based decision making and monitoring. This work supports CKIC’s efforts to implement a systemic approach to tackling climate change and advocating for this approach within the wider community.  

Our portfolio of ongoing projects includes: VALORADA, Climateurope2, PCP WISE, and service contracts with ECMWF and EU agencies, and will soon expand further.  

Currently we are working on: 

• Capacity building around identifying and addressing data and climate needs. 

• Integration of EO data into policymaking and policy monitoring. 

• Integration of EO data into AI, digital twins and similar decision-supporting tools. 

• Supporting the broad uptake of project results (making sure that what is developed in the projects will be used by external stakeholders and be built on for future applications and/or will reach the market). 

• Expanding our portfolio of services beyond Europe, especially relevant for this position, to the Philippines. 

ABOUT THE ROLE  

You will be managing the Climate KIC contribution to complex, multi-stakeholder, multi-region projects. The role will involve working with partner organisations, challenge-owners (city/regional government) and with our design partners (as appropriate), as well as internal stakeholders (your direct programme team, enabling services, and more broadly across out organisation) and funders. 

Key Responsibilities  

• Lead active operational and administrative management and coordination of a Horizon Europe Project or/and service contracts, including managing milestones, funder requirements, progress tracking and management. Managing the budget, administrative process, be the central point for reporting; data gathering, analysis & synthesis.    

• Vast majority of the work will be supporting the project management of a service contract taking place in the Philippines and the rest will be project management (as above) of Horizon projects. 

• Work closely with the Earth Observation and Climate Services Team to manage systems and processes required to deliver the programme, ensuring information is organised and easy to access and aligned with organisational practice 

• Hold the operational aspects of partner relationships. 

• Events planning and managing logistics.  

• Implement operational processes and coherence with external, internal and cross-cutting stakeholders. 

• Actively participate in setting and achieving team accountabilities, as well as team objectives and key results (OKRs), in accordance with Climate KIC guidelines. 

Key Working Relationships  

You will be managing complex, multi-stakeholder, multi-country projects, the role will involve working with challenge-owners (city/regional government) and with our design partners (as appropriate), as well as internal stakeholders (your direct programme team, enabling services, and more broadly across out organisation) and funders.   

ABOUT YOU  

You’re a motivated and collaborative professional with minimal 3 years’ experience in international project management — ideally across Horizon Europe or other EU-funded programmes. You take pride in keeping things organised and moving forward, but you’re also flexible and comfortable navigating the complexity of climate innovation work. 

You’ll bring: 

• At least 3 years’ experience managing Horizon Europe or similar multi-country projects, ideally involving EU institutional clients (e.g. DG INTPA, EU Delegations, or Missions). 

• Experience working in multinational and cross-cultural contexts, preferably with partners in the Philippines or Southeast Asia. 

• Strong programme management skills — ideally with relevant certification or equivalent experience. 

• Excellent communication and coordination abilities, both written and verbal. 

• Confidence using collaboration tools (Office365, Teams, Miro, Zoom, Mentimeter, etc.). 

• Fluency in English (knowledge of another European language or Filipino is an advantage). 

Your Style and Approach 

You’re highly organised, detail-oriented, and thrive in a fast-moving, international environment. You balance structure with flexibility — and see change not as a disruption, but as part of innovation. You bring: 

• A curious, learning mindset and a drive for problem-solving. 

• Accountability and initiative — you take ownership and deliver. 

• Resilience in times of uncertainty and openness to continuous learning. 

• A spirit of inclusive leadership, helping others feel supported and valued. 

• An ability to build trust and foster collaboration across teams and time zones. 

Location  

Candidates must have the right to work in the location they’re applying for (I.e. not require visa sponsorship) prior to applying for the position. Ideally, the successful candidate will be based close to a Climate KIC office, but we support fully remote or hybrid forms of working and offer a high degree of flexibility.  

Occasional travels abroad, up to 4-5 times a year. 

To ensure that we can respond to every single applicant, we will close the role once we receive a reasonable pool of candidates to assess - (often within a week).