Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) is developing a coordinated work programme around SAGES (Shared AI Governance for Energy Systems), artificial intelligence, energy-system modelling, stakeholder engagement and delivery towards COP31. This opportunity covers all of these areas.
COP31 Support, SAGES AI Coordination and Stakeholder Discovery
We are looking for an external consultant to coordinate stakeholder discovery, working groups, COP31 engagement, events, training review, partnership development, SAGES (Shared AI Governance for Energy Systems) artificial-intelligence work and priority web-content updates. You will work through structured engagement with research, international and policy partners, converting evidence into a dynamically prioritised delivery plan agreed with the Programme Director. The assignment is expected to run from mid August 2026 to 31 March 2027 for 130-140 working days, subject to confirmation. Outputs will be assessed monthly and must follow U4RIA guidelines. Applicants will be evaluated against the published mandatory and desirable criteria and must disclose any prior involvement or conflict of interest.
Project background
CCG is developing a coordinated work programme around SAGES, artificial intelligence, energy-system modelling, stakeholder engagement and delivery towards COP31. This assignment will support the practical organisation of this work, drawing on the organisations that contributed to its development and using continuous discovery to identify and rank the most valuable next steps. You role will include converting stakeholder input into structured workplans, working groups, events, training recommendations, web updates and, where agreed, implementation tasks.
COP31 is scheduled for 9-20 November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye. The assignment therefore includes time-sensitive support to coordinate CCG feedback to the COP31 Presidency, contribute to Action Agenda development, and establish relevant SAGES, CLEWS and OSeMOSYS events to be presented leading up to and/or at COP31. Activities will include stakeholder coordination, programme development, event planning and delivery. Your assignment includes engagement with CCG’s country representatives and coordinating internal stakeholders for the country programme/INFINITE/Data-to-Deal showcase at COP31.
The INFINITE/Data-to-Deal material describes a stakeholder-driven pathway connecting politics, capacity, vision, modelling, engagement, policy and finance. It positions CCG support as a means to translate climate targets into investment-ready portfolios, strengthen cross-institutional coordination, build modelling and finance capability, and support engagement with the COP31 Presidency and climate-finance organisations. You will provide coordination capacity across these connected activities.
Objectives
Execute selected follow-on tasks identified through continuous discovery where they are within the consultant’s demonstrated competence and agreed monthly priorities.
Operate a structured continuous-discovery process with SAGES, CCG, COP31 and other priority stakeholders, converting evidence from meetings, correspondence and desk research into a dynamically ranked delivery backlog.
Establish and support effective SAGES Secretariat and Working Task Group arrangements, including agreed mandates, chairs/leads, authorship roles, constitutions or terms of reference, action logs and follow-up responsibilities, aligned with the SAGES framework’s proposed areas of vendor engagement, demonstration tools, sovereignty and IP safeguards, capacity building and model literacy.
Coordinate monthly SAGES calls and up to two additional priority stakeholder coordination meetings per month, each supported by an agreed agenda, record of decisions, action log and named follow-up actions.
Assess accessible AI training and model-literacy options, initially focusing on free or low-cost courses relevant to Google’s AI suite, and recommend proportionate pathways that strengthen public-sector capability, informed use, independent challenge and traceable decision-making within SAGES.
Coordinate CCG technical and strategic inputs to the COP31 Presidency and support planning of COP31-facing events, including SAGES.ai and an event on the use of CLEWS and OSeMOSYS for NDC targets.
Coordinate biweekly call with COP31 Presidency, and biweekly CCG internal event planning calls for COP31, documenting key discussion points, action items, and support timely progress.
Explore and document relationship-building opportunities with the NDC Partnership and other relevant international partners, without representing that accreditation, partnership or funding is guaranteed.
Maintain priority CCG web content, including SAGES.ai, MOSOX and MOSAIC-Modelling.ai pages, in accordance with approved content, access permissions and U4RIA requirements.
Scope of work and activities
| Workstream | Activities and boundaries |
| Continuous discovery and prioritisation | Stakeholder mapping; targeted email engagement; regular check-ins; online searches; needs capture; synthesis; maintenance of a ranked backlog agreed with the Programme Director. Priorities may change as evidence emerges. |
| SAGES coordination | Support the proposed SAGES Secretariat function; run monthly coordination calls; organise up to two additional stakeholder meetings per month where needed; prepare agendas and briefing notes; maintain decision, risk and action logs; and track named follow-ups while preserving clear human and institutional accountability. |
| Working-group setup and day-to-day coordination | Support formation and operation of SAGES Working Task Groups with partners such as IRENA, IAEA and other contributors. Develop proposed mandates, chairs, leads, authors, constitutions/terms of reference and workplans. Initial thematic coverage should reflect the SAGES report: vendor engagement, demonstration tools, sovereignty and IP safeguards, capacity building and model literacy. Final appointments and policy decisions remain with authorised leadership. |
| AI training review | Review accessible AI and model-literacy training, initially focusing on free Google courses and Google’s AI suite; assess relevance, accessibility, prerequisites, costs, traceability, appropriate human oversight and likely SAGES use cases; recommend an uptake pathway and proportionate pilot options. |
| COP31 Presidency engagement | Coordinate CCG feedback, suggestions and engagement on the Türkiye COP31 Action Agenda; consolidate inputs; maintain a controlled comment log; support agreed follow-ups between CCG and the Presidency. |
| COP and technical events | Develop event concepts, stakeholder lists, agendas, roles, logistics trackers and briefing materials for a SAGES.ai COP event and a CLEWs/OSeMOSYS-for-NDC-targets event. Event delivery is subject to venue, accreditation, budget and partner approval. |
| NDC Partnership relationship exploration | Map engagement routes and relevant contacts; prepare an options note; support approved outreach. No outcome or accreditation is guaranteed. |
| Website updates | Prepare, coordinate approval of and publish or hand over approved updates for SAGES.ai, MOSOX and MOSAIC-Modelling.ai websites, subject to access permissions and technical support. |
| Adaptive implementation | Undertake selected implementation tasks emerging from continuous discovery, provided they fit the agreed objectives, available days, consultant competence and monthly evidence requirements, and remain consistent with SAGES principles: AI should complement rather than replace physics-based models, institutional judgement or public accountability. |
Qualifications, Skills and Experience
Mandatory criteria:
- A relevant postgraduate degree, or equivalent demonstrated professional experience, in sustainable development, environmental policy, energy systems, climate change, engineering, economics or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated experience engaging with international, governmental, research or development partners in a professional setting, including organising and producing high-profile stakeholder events at major climate or policy forums. You should provide evidence of your role in event design, partner coordination, speaker or participant engagement, logistics, briefing materials and follow-up; relevant examples may include convenings comparable to CCG’s “From Data-to-Deal: Vision to Action” event during London Climate Action Week.
- Demonstrated experience in energy, climate or resource-system analysis, with practical familiarity with CLEWs, OSeMOSYS or a comparable open-source modelling framework.
- Demonstrated ability to undertake structured research, synthesise findings and convert stakeholder input into prioritised workplans, recommendations or delivery actions.
- Demonstrated ability to produce clear written outputs for technical and non-technical audiences, including reports, briefs, guidance, event materials or web content.
- Ability to comply with U4RIA, open-publication, data-protection, safeguarding, conflict-of-interest and contracting requirements.
- Experience supporting NDC Partnership membership, support requests or relationship development.
Desirable criteria
- Experience reviewing AI learning resources or using Google AI tools in a research, policy or programme-delivery context.
- Experience maintaining approved content on websites or content-management systems.
- Knowledge of CCG, Data-to-Deal, INFINITE, MOSOX, MOSAIC-Modelling.ai or related open-source modelling initiatives.
- Ability to work independently under adaptive priorities, while maintaining transparent records, meeting agreed deadlines and escalating decisions requiring senior authority.
Expression of interest
Interested candidates are invited to submit the following:
A CV clearly outlining your suitability for this position and previous relevant experience
A support statement outlining your suitability for this position
Confirmation that you have or are able to obtain a professional insurance cover
Please submit your expression of interest to Sara Wilson-Gallaher on s.wilson-gallaher@lboro.ac.uk by 12.00 (mid-day) on 31 July 2026.