(maternity cover, 6 months, Geneva based, preferred start October 2024)

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the international organization for public-private cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Why we are recruiting:

The World Economic Forum’s Centre for the New Economy and Society (CNES) is the global platform for shaping prosperous, inclusive and equitable economies and societies that create opportunity for all. The Centre accelerates impact on multiple interconnected thematics: 1) Economic Growth and Transformation; 2) Work, Wages and Job Creation; 3) Education, Skills and Learning; 4) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and 5) Global Risks.

The Forum’s Equitable Transition Initiative aims to identify long-term, sustainable pathways to enable a just and equitable green transition, working closely with partners from the private and the public sector. It aims to put people at the centre of a low-carbon future. The initiative is supported by the Laudes Foundation.

We are recruiting a Lead role to contribute to insights and action initiatives, including new and existing initiatives and workstreams related to the Forum’s Equitable Transition work.

Reporting lines and interactions:

The Lead role will report into the Head of Equitable Transition, Centre for the New Economy and Society, and collaborate closely with other staff across the Centre and across the organization. Within this structure, this  role will work closely with team members from the Centre’s missions as as well as functional practices.  

Main responsibilities:

• Support the development of new insights products and case studies, working with internal teams and partners from the private and the public sector.

• Sustain and grow the “Equitable Transition Alliance”, steering the mobilisation of leaders around this agenda and their commitments .

• Lead the synthesis of learnings from the community as well as the insights into the production of toolkits for the private sector as well as public-private collaboration playbooks for an equitable transition

• Support a commitment framework and/or the development of the Centre’s accelerator model to support national/industry equitable transition efforts

• Support the development of workplans, presentations materials, briefing documents, proposals and pitches aimed at internal and external audiences

• Lead the engagement of the private and the public sector, as well as civil society and academia, to ensure meaningful involvement in the Forum’s Equitable Transition work. 

• Keep a consistent focus on outcomes, tracking and reporting internal and external KPIs, including to leadership, communities and funders.

The successful candidate will be assessed on:

• Ability to contribute to the development of insights and communities under this global initiative, involving a complex topic and multiple stakeholders

• Knowledge of the key elements the equitable transition agenda(s) and the ability to structure activity through the Forum platform to advance progress

• Strong editorial and communication skills needed to contribute to insight reports, proposals, pitches and marketing materials for the Equitable Transition workstream.

• Develop strong relationships with senior stakeholders from government and business against a clear engagement agenda, serving the Forum’s partners and constituents as well as the wider public-private cooperation agenda.

• Report on relevant KPIs and impact metrics.

• Ability to work in a matrix organization to successfully deliver on the initiative’s objectives and the Centre’s overall strategy, collaborating across the Centre’s functional and thematic units and developing partnerships with other internal teams.

• Staying at the cutting-edge of relevant issues, developments, initiatives and stakeholders pertinent to the equitable transition and the Centre’s wider set of work.

• Developing and role-modelling a strong understanding of the Centre’s mission and culture within the broader Forum context.

Requirements and preferred experience:

• Advanced university degree in public policy, economics, business, social sciences, or other relevant fields. Candidates who have completed digital accreditations or taken different routes to upskilling are welcome to apply.

• 7+ years of relevant professional experience, ideally covering business, international organization or think tanks and a good understanding of the public sector. Experience in working in matrix organizations, multiple geographies and sectors and familiarity with quantitative/qualitative research are a plus.

• Demonstrated knowledge and expertise, through prior experiences or educational qualifications, of just and equitable transition issue landscape, frameworks, policies, challenges, and relevant private sector implications, including understanding of regional progress and priorities.

• Advanced presentation and writing skills, demonstrated through prior publications as lead author.

• Familiarity with socioeconomic development / climate metrics and databases, and equitable transition pathways is an advantage.

• Experience in creating global, public-private partnerships would be an added advantage.

• Proven project management and coordination skills; attention to detail.

• Strong relationship development skills; excellent collaboration skills in a multicultural team.

• Coordination across multiple agendas; capacity to apply critical thinking, consult broadly and synthesize various viewpoints.

• Excellent communication skills, with fluency in English, and well-rounded written, digital and verbal communication skills.

Why work at the Forum:

The Forum believes that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to improve the state of the world by building awareness and cooperation, shaping mindsets and agendas, and driving collective action. Join us and become a driver for positive change!