Project Manager | "No Plans, No Future" EU-funded Project

ABOUT ÚLTIMO RECURSO

Último Recurso is a climate justice organisation using the power of Law to hold governments and corporations accountable. We work through climate litigation, strategic advocacy, and community legal support to protect people and the planet. Our mission is to put legal tools at the service of climate and social justice: demanding the transformation of current legal systems to enable the structural change needed to face the climate crisis.

THE PROJECT

The "No Plans, No Future" Project focuses on the Portuguese Municipalities Climate Action Plans (PMACs), which outline measures for climate mitigation and adaptation at the local level.

The Portuguese Climate Framework Law mandates that municipalities should have approved a PMAC by February 1st, 2024. However, two years after the legal deadline, many municipalities still lack a published plan. These areas are also among the most vulnerable to climate change, facing extreme heat, prolonged droughts, wildfires, and rural depopulation.

This project aims to gather accurate, up-to-date information to identify which municipalities have published PMACs and which have not. Additionally, it seeks to engage youth and local communities, creating pressure on municipalities to develop and publish their plans, ensuring that these areas are better equipped to tackle the challenges posed by climate change.

THE ROLE

The Project Manager plays a central role in coordinating one of Último Recurso's strategic climate legal initiatives. This position ensures that the project advances with clarity, structure, and alignment across legal, research, advocacy, communications, and external partners. Because strategic litigation involves complex timelines, evolving information, and high public relevance, the Project Manager is responsible for bringing coherence, discipline, and proactive planning to every stage of the process.

Working closely with litigators, policy specialists, communications teams, and external stakeholders, the Project Manager facilitates cross-functional coordination, maintains project documentation, monitors deadlines, and ensures that key decisions and risks are clearly communicated to leadership. The role requires strong organisational skills, excellent judgment, and the ability to translate complex legal and technical work into accessible updates for internal teams, donors, and partners.

This is not an administrative role. It is a strategic coordination position that supports high-impact, mission-driven litigation aimed at shaping climate governance and protecting human rights. The Project Manager must be able to anticipate challenges, synthesise information, and ensure that multiple workstreams move forward smoothly in a fast-paced, evolving context.

This role is well-suited for someone who thrives in complex, mission-driven environments, is comfortable managing uncertainty, and can bring structure and clarity to ambitious climate and human rights litigation efforts.

• Location: Remote
• Type: Task-Based Contract
• Compensation:16.33€/hour

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the coordination of all project phases, including inception, delivery, monitoring and closure, ensuring outputs are delivered on time, on scope and on budget.
• Facilitate the workflow across legal, comms, operations and policy teams involved in the project, and ensure efficient cross-functional collaboration.
• Serve as the main contact person for funders (CAN Europe) and institutional partners, including municipalities and civil society organisations, in coordination with the External Relations and Development teams where applicable.
• Lead the tracking of outputs, documentation and reporting, including monitoring indicators, risk registers and donor reporting (narrative and financial).
• Represent Último Recurso at public events, stakeholder meetings and planning forums, when required.
• Propose and implement adaptive measures if project risks, delays or contextual changes arise.
• Oversee development of a public database and interactive website.
• Ensure delivery of 10 rural community meetings and 10 open letters.
• Collaborate with local partners, schools, associations, and technical contributors.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Flexible, remote engagement with direct access to Último Recurso's leadership.
• A central strategic role in one of Portugal's most significant climate litigation campaigns.
• Formal profile recognition in Último Recurso's external communications and impact documentation.

APPLY BY LINK: https://forms.gle/mn7xs3gkX1jCWPWH7