Head of Community Engagement, Centre for the New Economy and Society

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, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Why we are recruiting

The Centre for the New Economy and Society provides a trusted platform to build prosperous, innovative and resilient economies that create opportunities for all. It enables leaders to understand, shape and navigate a new social and economic context through insights, action and dialogue for:

• Fostering economic growth and risk preparedness
• Investing in talent and human capital
• Promoting equity and inclusion

The Centre has over 40 staff in a mix of permanent, grant-funded and fellow roles working across these themes. Its work and methods are enabled by functional practices that encompass Impact Design and Coordination as well as Community Engagement activities. The Centre also hosts the institutional team responsible for embedding experts, universities, think tanks and Global Future Councils across the Forum’s work.

Within this structure, the Head of Community Engagement will direct the Centre’s engagement of all stakeholder groups, to expand their active participation and involvement into the Centre’s activities. Opportunities include engagement in the Centre’s public-private Consortia, Alliances, CXO communities and Country Accelerators. The Centre currently engages over 180 business partners at the Centre level and over 30 governments across its work, among other stakeholders.

Reporting lines and interactions

The role will report to the Deputy Head of the Centre responsible for Engagement and Operations and will manage two team members. Internally, they will collaborate closely with other staff across the Centre as well as stakeholder management units across the organization. Externally, they will actively engage with current and potential partners of the Centre from business, government, civil society, philanthropic organizations and IOs to support and strengthen engagement with the Centre’s ambitions.

Main responsibilities

• Shape the strategic direction, value proposition and ongoing operations of the Centre’s constituent engagement approach with business, government, civil society, philanthropic organizations and IOs.
• Oversee the onboarding, ongoing management and deepening integration of new and existing business Partners with the Centre’s work, across all partnership types and all relevant industries.
• Curate and expand or deepen the engagement of relevant governments into the Centre’s communities as well as its unique Accelerator model.
• Curate and expand or deepen the engagement of philanthropic organization into the Centre’s work, attracting and mobilizing external funding for selected projects tied to Centre’s mission.
• Curate and expand or deepen the engagement of relevant civil society, academics and international organizations into the Centre’s communities.
• Manage the curation and quarterly touchpoints of the Centre’s Advisory Board.
• Develop and share meaningful metrics and reporting on the breadthe and depth of engagement across the Centre’s communities.
• Lead the curation and ongoing updates of compelling marketing materials.
• Manage the Community Engagement team’s resources in an efficient, transparent and collaborative manner; coach and manage two direct reports.
• Represent the Centre internally and externally as well as broker relationships and engagement of other senior team leaders in the Cente with external stakeholders.

The successful candidate will be assessed on

• Measurable growth in depth and breadth of constituent engagement with the Centre’s communities.
• Ability to successfully pitch to and engage senior stakeholders
• Successful management of the business partners experience, including on-boarding, updates, communications and customization where relevant.
• Scouting and assessing external partnerships’ potential for relevance and impact; ability to mobilize external financial and other resources for relevant parts of Centre’s portfolio.
• Refining and regularly updating the Centre’s value proposition and engagement methods, together with other senior team leaders, for all constituent types, iterating as relevant based on external signals and internal developments.
• Ability to navigate a matrix organization to successfully deliver on the Centre’s community engagement strategy, working closely within the Centre and across the Forum.
• Developing and role-modelling a strong understanding of the Centre’s objectives and maintaining an institutional focus in the activities and behaviours within the team.
• Strong and transparent people and financial management skills.

Requirements and preferred experience

• Advanced degree in business, public policy, economics, or other fields relevant for understanding and promoting the Centre’s thematic work.
• 12+ years of relevant professional experience, ideally across private and public sectors. Experience in matrix organizations and knowledge of Forum context are an advantage.
• Proven track record in results-driven stakeholder engagement and value proposition development tailored to various types of stakeholders. Interest in the themes and impact ambitions of the Centre.
• Strong project management, communication, coordination, financial management and leadership skills; high attention to detail.
• Proven relationship development and management skills; applied internally and externally
• Capacity to apply critical thinking, consult broadly and synthesize various viewpoints.
• Excellent team management and collaboration in multicultural settings; ability to manage both long- and short-term objectives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Excellent communication skills, with fluency in English, and sophisticated written, digital and verbal communication skills; knowledge of other languages is an asset.

Why work at the Forum

The World Economic 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.