Initiative Specialist, Child and Youth Mental Health

(temporary contact, Geneva based, preferred start date September 2024 to October 2027)

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation, engaging the foremost leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

Why We Are Recruiting 

The Centre for Health and Healthcare works to identify and scale up solutions for more resilient, efficient, and equitable healthcare systems to deliver the best possible care and keep global populations healthy, happy, and thriving. The Centre achieves this by engaging a diverse set of stakeholders from international organizations, academic institutions, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies, healthcare NGOs, hospitals, healthcare providers, consumer industries, investors, innovators, infrastructure, and insurance organizations to positively shape the global health agenda. 

The Forum is expanding its current work on Mental Health and launching a new initiative on Child and Youth Mental Health. Mental ill-health poses a significant threat to the well-being, survival, and future prospects of children and adolescents worldwide. Approximately one in six individuals between the ages of 10 and 19 has a mental health disorder, with half of all mental health issues arising before the age of 14. Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29, while depression is a major contributor to global disability. Alarmingly, the prevalence rates of depression in children and adolescents globally have more than doubled since before the pandemic, rising from 8.5% to 23%, and anxiety rates have increased from 11% to 19%. 

The Forum’s work on child and youth mental health will focus on illuminating leading global insights and shaping concrete strategies on the role of public-private collaboration to strengthen child and youth mental health and promote healthy childhood development. We will also leverage public-private collaboration to identify the most promising and impactful interventions while strengthening social and health systems to support child and youth mental health, including engagement with public sector leaders (e.g., G7, G20, WHO). To pursue these objectives, the Forum is seeking a Mental Health Manager to help build an active community of multisector and cross-industry partners, to shape models of high-impact solutions on topical areas in the nexus of climate and health. 

Reporting Lines 

The Initiative Specialist, Mental Health will report to the Lead, Mental Health, and take day today directions for work from Initiative Manager at Centre for Health and Healthcare. S(he) will also collaborate with other Centres, including but not limited to the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Centre for the New Economy and Society. 

Main Responsibilities

·        Community Building: Support the strategic development of the initiative by defining the mission, vision, and goals, and building a community of external stakeholders.

·        Research and Analysis: Map, monitor, and understand the child and youth mental health ecosystem, including trends, critical business issues, stakeholders, and external influencers.

·        Initiative management and Coordination: - Manage day-to-day relationships with centers, providing logistical support and guidance to help navigate forum platforms, initiatives, and events.

·        Support the organization of events in collaboration with other forum centers.

·        Communication: Help in drafting reports and media material

·        Digital Tools: Improve systems and operational documents and manage online and public spaces (Initiative as a Service, salesforce, TopLink, and Box cloud management).

·        Additional Duties: Perform other duties as assigned within the scope of the position.

Preferred Requirements and Experience

·        Advanced university degree in public health, public policy, or related fields.

·        2-4 years of professional experience in driving global health initiatives, preferably in mental health.

·        Experience in developing and managing initiatives and communities, including interacting with executive leaders and turning ideas into tangible actions and impacts.

·        Ability to work efficiently and results-oriented on knowledge management, administrative, and coordination support tasks.

·        Experience in building and managing stakeholder networks across sectors, including WHO, UN, private sector, civil society, and academia.

·        Proven project management and coordination skills, with attention to detail, critical thinking, and the ability to synthesize various viewpoints and communicate critical messages.

·        Strong communication skills, proficient in cross-sector and multicultural contexts, with excellent verbal and written English proficiency.

·        Strong familiarity with digital tools and processes, including Salesforce, Qualtrics, MS Office, and project management tools; familiarity with Forum suite of applications is a plus.

·        Ability to navigate change, ambiguity, and uncertainty successfully.

Willingness to travel internationally.

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!