Specialist, Strategic Impact

The annual salary range for this role is $80,000-85,000 in San Francisco.

Please note: This role is not eligible for relocation or work authorization support. This role requires the ability to work onsite in the San Francisco Forum office 3 days per week.

The World Economic Forum is growing and deepening its engagement with public and private institutions that are actively promoting the anticipation and accelerated inclusive and responsible adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies in human-centred and society-serving ways.

Why we are recruiting

The C4IR is the foremost platform for leaders to anticipate emerging technologies and promote responsible sectoral and industry transformation. It drives progress by linking national ownership and action with global network-based collaboration, learning and scaling via mainly government-hosted and -funded independent centres.

The C4IR is organized in (1) thematic teams and sub-teams leading communities and initiatives in areas ranging from "AI and Machine Learning" to "Bioeconomy" to "Space Technology", and (2) "Network and Partner Engagement" (NPE) which is responsible for engaging stakeholders across all thematics. Concretely, the objective of this team is (a) to engage stakeholders in mission-driven, multi-year, system-level initiatives, and (b) to enable national/thematic C4IR centres leverage such initiatives as well as the Forum's communities, convening power, digital infrastructure, visibility and brand.

As a premier global technology hub, San Francisco is an important strategic location for C4IR to grow and engage its communities and advance its impact agendas. Forum offices in the Presidio acts as a host for C4IR events including the annual Global Technology Retreat, communities such as the Technology Diplomacy Network, and national delegations from around the world visiting the Bay Area. This position will support the Strategic Impact Lead, C4IR San Francisco to deliver value both to the Bay Area ecosystem, and to the Forum's global communities and agendas.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

The Strategic Impact Specialist reports to the Strategic Impact Lead, C4IR San Francisco and will operate across multiple teams and geographies in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced environment. They will interact with and support all C4IR teams advancing thematic initiatives, 4IR centres in countries and communities such as Innovators.

They will also engage in building and maintaining productive relationships across Forum Centres beyond C4IR especially on institutional events such as the Global Technology Retreat. Establishing productive relationships across the institution and across teams in San Francisco and Geneva will be of utmost importance for succeeding in this role.

Breakdown of main responsibilities:

Team and Institution

• Support C4IR Leadership and Strategic Impact Lead, C4IR San Francisco in development and execution of C4IR San Francisco strategy and positioning as strategic community, event and foresight location for C4IR, and the C4IR Network (e.g., event calendar, communication materials, tracking of relevant Bay Area constituents, develop and co-develop foresight events, etc.)

Event Management

• Lead event coordination actions for Global Technology Retreat and other major in-person C4IR events SF (2-3 per year)
• Support C4IR delegation visits in SF (4-5 per year)

Knowledge and Insights

• Support Centre-level efforts to strengthen strategic foresight on emerging technologies and related experts; support 10 Emerging Technologies report and other frontier technology publications and communication efforts.

• Support C4IR expert outreach and engagement in Bay Area for relevant councils, steering groups, etc.

Community Management

• Coordinate Chief Digital Officers community (onboarding members, setting up virtual meetings, developing materials, etc.)
• Coordinate engagement of Centre-level Global Future Council(s), as well as institutional processes related to the selection, engagement and evaluation of C4IR portfolio of Future Councils (currently eight councils)
• Coordinate engagement with Tech Diplomacy Network

Requirements and experience

• Broad intellectual background, with a university degree (Bachelor or higher), preferably in business administration, international relations, public policy, public administration, technology, or similar fields

• 3 + years of experience in research, consulting, community or event management in a relevant business or not-for-profit organization

• Experience in technology domains preferred

• Project management experience preferred

• Exceptional organizational skills, time management skills, and high attention to detail

• Highly collaborative team player with excellent collaboration and interpersonal skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Words, PowerPoint, Excel); familiarity with Salesforce is an advantage

• Demonstrated abilities to thrive in a demanding environment, handle multiple tasks simultaneously, and deliver under pressure

• Responsible, independent and self-driven

• Excellent verbal and written language skills in English.

Vaccination requirement

The Forum LLC requires that employees be fully vaccinated with at least one booster against COVID-19 by their first day of employment. The Forum LLC will evaluate all requests for accommodation/exemption from this policy in keeping with federal, state, and local law.

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!