Specialist, International Organizations and Humanitarian Agenda

(3-month contract, start asap, Geneva based).

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the International Organisation for Public-Private Cooperation.

The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Why we are recruiting

As part of the Centre for Regional and Geopolitical Affairs, the Forum’s International Organisations team manages strategic relations with a broad group of multilateral institutions, engaging their leadership and experts on to the Forum’s platforms to disseminate their message and accelerate impact, and help build effective multistakeholder coalitions in support of their mandates. The team also leads the Forum`s thematic work on the transformation of the aid and development system and oversees work exploring where public-private collaboration can add value to how the humanitarian and crises sector operates. This includes the Global Future Council on Reimaging Aid, and the Advisory Meetings on Humanitarian Affairs and Crises.

Within this remit, the team spearheads the Humanitarian and Resilience Investing (HRI) Initiative , launched in 2019 as an approach to unlock impact investing in frontier markets with the goal to measurably benefit and increase the resilience of at-risk and crisis-hit communities. Since inception, it has brought together over 100 partners across sectors to scale market-driven solutions by mobilizing commercial and catalytic capital, and strengthen the ecosystem for impact investment in frontier markets.

The Specialist will be on the front line of an area of work that is rapidly gaining traction and importance, particularly in the current global development and aid context.

Reporting lines and interactions

The position will report to the Deputy Head and support across portfolios in collaboration with other team members.

Internally, this person will work closely with colleagues that manage relations with specialised International Organisations and lead initiatives, as well as from Global Programming and Communication teams to ensure smooth and successful collaborations.

Externally, the successful candidate will engage with stakeholders across the humanitarian, development, investment, development finance, and philanthropic communities.

Breakdown of main responsibilities

This successful candidate will support the team’s overall engagement efforts and collaborate with team members across workstreams. Key areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following:

HRI Initiative

• Support the initiative’s delivery of, and participation in, virtual and in-person events, including event planning and logistics. This includes contributing to the successful delivery of the Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters.

• Support the launch of the HRI Roadmap for Africa and incubation of national alliances in Sub-Saharan Africa in collaboration with partners.

• Collaborate with colleagues in the identification and ongoing engagement of initiative partners. 

Future of aid and development

• Support the work of the Global Future Council on Reimagining Aid, helping to coordinate meetings, monitor the delivery of Council outputs and communications.

• Research and share information on the future of aid and development insights within the team and the wider Forum.

• Perform a secretariat function for the World Economic Forum`s Advisory Meetings on Humanitarian Affairs and Crises.

Communication

• Manage and streamline team communication efforts across workstreams and communities, digital presence, and other promotion and visibility opportunities in coordination with the Forum’s global communication team.

The successful candidate will be assessed on

• Communication excellence in interacting with internal and external stakeholders, including quality of written communication products

• Contribution to the planning and operational efficiency of the team, including level of support in making the best use of digital tools and effectiveness in following Forum processes

• Autonomy and capacity to support the delivery of excellent events and event processes

Preferred Requirements and Experience

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. communications, business, international relations, development economics)

• 5 to 7 years’ relevant professional work experience, such as in the field of event management, project management, or community management.

• Experience coordinating complex projects and working with a high level of independence, including hands-on experience in world-class event design and delivery. Comfort engaging with executive leaders.

• Excellent writing and communications skills in English, including the ability to effectively communicate complex messages for a broad audience and create visually compelling presentations and outreach materials with a proven attention to detail.

• Strong familiarity with MS Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator), Zoom, and project management tools and a familiarity with Salesforce are a plus.

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!