Lead, Urban Transformation

Please Note: This role requires the ability to work onsite 3 days per week per institution policy._

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change. In this spirit, the Forum engages the foremost political, business, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas and solve shared global challenges.

Why we are Recruiting

Cities and local governments across the globe face extraordinary challenges as they look to recover from compounding global crises and continued economic instability. To establish a foundation for more future-ready and resilient cities, the Forum has developed a global platform for private and public sector leaders to commit expertise and resources to support cities in their path to recovery and for years to come.

The Lead for Urban Transformation is a critical part of this work, ensuring a coordinated and strategic approach to how the Forum and its partners engage with cities and activities related to urban transformation. This individual will also shape the internal and external narrative regarding our work and harness the Forum’s global network and communications platforms to mobilize action and scale our impact.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

The Lead for Urban Transformation will report to the World Economic Forum’s Head of Urban Transformation, as part of a diverse, high-profile, and rapidly growing international team of staff and fellows distributed across more than a dozen countries on five continents. This position will be based at the Forum’s headquarters in Cologny/Geneva, Switzerland.

**Responsibilities**:

- Drive local-level implementation of global agendas and initiatives (50%)_- Collaborate with industry, platform and regional teams across the Forum to define and advance specific opportunities for translating global agendas, priorities and initiatives (e.g. efforts related to climate action and decarbonization) into local-level activities and implementation.-
- Support the development and implementation of a coordinated model and approach for how the Forum and its partners engage with cities and local governments (e.g. city strategy dialogues, policy development taskforces, benchmarking tools, etc.).-
- Contribute to thought leadership activities throughout the year, including co-authoring op-eds and showcasing local-level implementation of global agendas and initiatives.- Deepen and grow city engagement across regions and topics (25%)_- Ensure a comprehensive narrative regarding the Forum's work on urban transformation, aggregating content across teams.-
- Oversee the creation of dashboards and tools to track and manage city engagement activities across teams and regions.-
- Deepen partnerships with existing networks of cities and international organizations working on issues of urban transformation to maximize the Forum's impact and reach while also avoiding overlap or duplication.-
- Contribute to the planning and execution of the World Economic Forum’s Urban Transformation Summit, liaising with government leaders and partners to maximize the value and impact of this annual convening.- Mobilize private sector commitments to support urban transformation goals (25%)_- Shape the development and implementation of partner engagement plans to accelerate and advance public-private collaboration in cities.-
- Contribute to the recruitment of new partner companies to bolster current urban transformation efforts and jumpstart new work.-
- Oversee the work of fellows from partners companies to help advance key initiatives.Preferred Requirements and Experience- Master’s degree or equivalent in urban planning, economic development, legal studies, public administration, or related degree.-
- 6+ years of professional experience working with city, county, and/or state entities, including direct experience managing urban development activities, programs, and partnerships.-
- Deep understanding of how local governments work, including prior experience leading initiatives with city officials and/or departments.-
- Hands-on experience developing and managing complex projects, including interacting with executive leaders, and helping to turn ideas into tangible action and impact.-
- and short-term objectives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.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