April – September 2024, Geneva based
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, and other leaders of society to build coalitions, projects and initiatives – digitally and physically – to address industry, regional and systemic issues.
Why we are recruiting
We believe that talents are an essential and vibrant part of our Organization. Through our Early Career Programme, we welcome young professionals with a wide variety of backgrounds, perspectives, skills, and experiences. We will welcome applicants interested to engage with Forum’s Constituents, contribute to building expert knowledge and support organizational strategic operations.
List of teams hiring across Forum locations for this cohort:
- Centre for The Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR)
- Centre for Energy and Materials (CENMAT)
- Centre for Financial and Monetary Systems (CFMS)
- Centre for Health and Healthcare (CHH)
- Centre for Urban Transformation (CUT)
- Centre for Cybersecurity
- Centre for Nature and Climate (CNC)
- Centre for The New Economy and Society
- Centre for Regional, Trade and Geopolitics (CRTG)
- Regional Business Engagement, Latin America (BE)
- Global Programming Group (GPG)
- Forum Foundations, The Forum Young Global Leaders (YGL)
- People and Culture (P&C)
Important application guidance
The positions we offer are best suited to recent graduates of a course of study, preferably at master’s level and up to 2 years of cumulated professional experience.
Please review below opening details and apply online by 16 February, 2024
We expect applicants to provide:
- Their updated resume;
- A cover letter indicating the role they wish to be considered for and why.
Conditions and benefits of the Early Careers Programme
- Full-time onsite employment of 6 months with the World Economic Forum Geneva office.
- We will accommodate start dates between 1 April to 30 April 2024.
- Monthly gross compensation of CHF 4’400.- (salary: CHF 4’050- plus health benefits: CHF 350-).
- All required technological equipment (laptop and mobile phone) and accesses.
- Immigration and minimal relocation support.
Role 1: FIRST MOVERS COALITION FOR FOOD
The Food and Water team at the World Economic Forum aims to shaping food and water systems transitions towards net-zero, nature-positive, that nourishes all. Food Systems transformations are urgently needed to meet the needs of People and Planet in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. The team galvanizes multisectoral leadership in food and water systems through three strategic tracks: technology and innovation ecosystems, regenerative and adaptive food and water, and public and private partnerships to support country pathways.
Reason for hiring:
The First Movers Coalition for Food was announced at COP28. The new initiative aims to accelerate sustainable farming and production methods and technologies by leveraging collective demand for low-carbon agricultural commodities. It will do so through the power of aggregated demand, aiming for a combined procurement value for low-carbon commodities of $10-$20 billion from coalition members. The 25+ partners participating in the coalition account for a combined revenue of $2.1 trillion, with operations globally.
Following WEF Annual Meeting 24, the coalition will initiate a consultative process with participating corporate and knowledge partners. Based on case studies, best practices, and metrics, this consultation will identify and shape the demand commitments and possible pathways to support and mobilize the ecosystem to enable such transformation. The coalition is expected to publish its initial results of the collaborative work in the summer of 2024.
The ECP Specialist will support the operations and programmatic delivery for the initiative’s activities including creating case studies, research, consultation activities, engagement with consultants, and creating outreach materials.
The selected candidate will be responsible for:
- 40% Project coordination and support
- 40% Research and insights
- 20% Events planning and logistics
Preferred qualification and experience:
- University-level education graduate from a relevant course of study in systems engineering, agriculture, food and nutrition, environmental sciences, chemistry, project management, or geography, preferably at a Master’s degree level.
- Up to 2 years of relevant work experience
- Passion for sustainability and environmental issues and curiosity about systems transformation.
Desired skills:
- Strong organizational skills, knowledge of Microsoft Office, and ability to interact with digital platforms for videoconferencing, project management, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
- Rigour and consistency in tracking communications between the project team, technical partners, and the broader environment of partners.
- Ability to provide input and updates to ensure communication content (web and digital) is accurate and up-to-date.
Role 2: GIVING TO AMPLIFY EARTH ACTION (GAEA) INITIATIVE
According to the Climate Works Foundation, out of all global philanthropic giving in 2022, less than 2% goes to climate mitigation. However, with the increasing urgency of the climate crisis, philanthropic institutions are signalling a willingness to step up their ambition and mobilize more funds to the places that need them most. Against this background, the World Economic Forum has launched the Giving to Amplify Earth Action (GAEA) initiative, situated within the Centre for Nature and Climate.
GAEA identifies, convenes and amplifies new and existing public, private and philanthropic partnerships (PPPPs) for climate and nature. Backed by a multistakeholder community of over 100 partners, GAEA is designed to streamline the process of forming partnerships, ultimately saving time and assets that are crucial in the global race against climate change. With the strategic objectives to 1) leverage the catalytic power of philanthropic capital, 2) inspire increased giving into key strategic intervention areas and 3) be a global collaboration muscle for foundations, development finance institutions, private investors, governments, and first-mover companies to aggregate and scale efforts, GAEA is supporting the transition of corporate practices and accelerates market transformation towards more sustainable business models.
Reason for hiring:
Working closely with the Forum’s exclusive partnerships network, this ECP position will allow for a deep dive into GAEA’s workstreams including corporate philanthropy, community engagement and thought leadership. This programme is an exciting opportunity for participants to get a feel for working at the Forum, bringing in fresh ideas from their studies and gaining valuable real-world experience while making an impact. We believe that early talent is an essential and vibrant part of our community.
The selected candidate will be responsible for:
- Project coordination and team support, particularly with GAEA corporate philanthropy challenge.
- Support stakeholder engagement, communications and content creation.
- Events planning, logistics, end-to-end process support organising meetings, workshops.
Preferred qualification and experience:
- Exposure in project management and stakeholder engagement. Experience working with philanthropic actors and foundations is desirable.
- Responsible, independent, and self-driven; excellent organizational skills, good project and time management skills, and high attention to detail. Ability to deliver under demanding environment and attention to details.
- Interest in sustainability and environmental issues, philanthropy, green finance, technology, and innovation.
Desired skills:
- Ability to navigate complex issues and work independently.
- Knowledge and understanding of climate issues and solutions.
- Seasoned interpersonal skills to coordinate with multiple teams, and internal and external stakeholders from different industries and sectors.
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!
