WEF Early Career Programme – Business and Government Engagement
WEF Early Career Programme – Business and Government Engagement
Cohort starting September – October 2023, 6 months
WEF Early Career Programme – Business and Government Engagement
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: WEF Early Career Programme – Business and Government Engagement
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 and opportunities for this skill group category:
- Business and Governmental Affairs (MENA, LATAM, EU, Swiss Public Affairs)
- Business Services (Events, Industry, Regions)
- Industry teams (Digital Technologies, Urban Transformation, Cybersecurity, Energy)
- Nature and Climate
- Forum Communities (Schwab Foundations, Global Shapers, Global Collaboration Village)
- Communications and Media
Important application guidance
The positions we offer are best suited to recent graduates of a course of study, preferably at master’s level, and with at least one previous professional experience.
Please review below opportunities and apply online by July 9, 2023
What we expect from applicants:
- A detailed and updated resume;
- Your cover letter with an indication of which role you wish to be considered for and why.
Conditions and benefits of the Early Careers Programme
- Full-time onsite employment contract of 6 months with the World Economic Forum Geneva office
- We will accommodate start dates between September 1st to October 15th 2023
- 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
- Minimal travel support
Role #1
Business Engagement, Latin America
As a partnership organisation, the Forum, through the Business Engagement Group, engages businesses to address industry, regional and systemic issues. Structured geographically, the regions’ Business Engagement (BE) teams are responsible for building, managing, and developing the world’s communities of business partners to advance critical topics facing the emerging world through collaboration with government, industry, academia and civil society leaders.
Reason for hiring:
The ECP – Business Engagement, Latin America, will develop team-related processes and act as a focal point to share knowledge and experience across the team, cluster, and Forum.
- Support senior partnership managers on the effective delivery of value to partners.
- Diligently respond to partner requests and guide them through the Forum’s summits, communities, and initiatives.
- Support and enable the team’s partner acquisition efforts through research, lead generation, qualification, proposal, and contract negotiations.
- Work closely with colleagues on contract, finance, thematic centres, industries and government teams to build a robust engagement.
Preferred qualification and experience:
- Bachelor’s degree.
- Some experience in client-facing functions and the private sector.
- Excellent written and verbal fluency in Portuguese and English (fluency in Spanish is also helpful).
Desired skills: WEF Early Career Programme – Business and Government Engagement
- Customer focus, demonstrate resilience and diligence in managing external and internal demands.
- Sales agility, ability to apply critical thinking; synthesize various viewpoints; consult broadly, work collaboratively with the team.
- Business analysis, shows aptitude for computational thinking and data analytics, familiarity with CRM systems.
Role #2
Centre for Energy and Materials, Policy Engagement and Regional Action
The Forum’s Centre for Energy and Materials (ENMAT) aims to accelerate a sustainable, secure and just energy and materials transition that delivers on future societal needs. The Centre engages leaders from the public and private sectors to deliver new insights and multistakeholder collaborations at the global, regional and national levels. Through 4 interrelated programs the Centre for ENMAT creates impact and value for constituents in business, government and civil society.
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Reason for hiring:
Provide support to the Manager in driving the uptake of the Centres initiatives in targeted International Processes and regions/countries, mobilize policy makers and other stakeholders to drive global and local impact, and help ensure a cohesive and effective implementation of Centre’s strategies, activities and workplans in select priority regions and countries.
- Contribute to designing and communicating the Centre for ENMAT value proposition to policymakers to ensure a high level of engagement in Centre activities:
- Work on key geographies (including Latin America; Middle east and North Africa; India; China; Japan and Australia; Africa) to identify key policymaking targets to be engaged;
- Work with Regional Engagement Teams to outline the Centre value proposition to policymakers and other relevant stakeholders to be engaged in our work;
- Contribute to designing and maintaining up-to-date relevant marketing materials (PowerPoint presentations, initiative two-pagers, websites updates, transformation maps, other documentation as needed)
- Identify lists of stakeholders to invite to events, and oversee the invite process to ensure their timely registration, write-up minutes and notes of the meetings in a timely manner to communicate out to key internal and external stakeholders
Preferred qualification and experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in political science, economics, business administration or other relevant fields.
- Experience with local/national/international policy-making entities
- Strong organization, project and CRM management skills
Desired skills:
- Stakeholder engagement, meaning the ability to convey personal warmth both inside and outside the Forum, maintain relationships with a large number of stakeholders simultaneously.
- Organization, planning and coordination.
- Communication skills, narrative development (English native or perfect fluency).
- Analytical skills, translating an ecosystem of relationships into operational needs.
Role #3
Centre for Regional, Trade and Geopolitics, CEO Action Group for the European Green Deal
The Europe and Eurasia Team leads relations with governments in the region and drives the Forum’s regional agenda. The team is also responsible for leading the Forum’s work with the CEO Action Group for the European Green Deal. This community of over 50 CEOs was established in collaboration with the European Commission and aims to strengthen the role of the private sector in support of the EU’s green transition and the continent’s industrial competitiveness.
Reason for hiring:
The selected candidate will be supporting the activities of the CEO Action Group for the European Green Deal and the Europe and Eurasia Team’s wider agenda.
- Coordinating and contributing analytically to the publication of thought leadership pieces as well as an annual report for the CEO Action Group;
- Engaging with key platforms of the Forum to leverage synergies on topics of relevance to the European Green Deal;
- Supporting the growth of the CEO Action Group’s membership base;
- Supporting the design and delivery of virtual and in-person community meetings, including at the Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos;
- Providing logistical support in the preparation of and during the participation of high-level policymakers in Davos.
Preferred qualifications and experience:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in sustainability, social sciences, economics, or similar field, with academic or professional experience related to the European Green Deal agenda an advantage.
- Experience working in or with government or international institutions would be seen as an asset, as would experience managing relationships, projects and meetings.
Desired skills:
- Excellent analytical skills, including in quantitative analysis.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong organizational skills, including relevant exposure to project and event management.
Role #4
Regional and Government Affairs, Middle East and North Africa
Reason for hiring:
- Spearheading essential administrative tasks crucial for successful community management, program development, and internal reporting, ensuring seamless operations and optimized efficiency.
- Support country leads where needed in providing excellent operational “customer service” to government counterparts during Forum events.
- Maintaining and managing internal databases, including Salesforce, Microsoft Excel, knowledge tools, and team records.
- Ensure the coordination of team activities, including scheduling meetings, preparing meeting agendas, and following up on action items.
- Providing support in organizing and delivering the Leader for Sustainable Middle East (LSM) community meetings, as well as providing operational support in organizing MENA-based Forum events where relevant (such as for instance the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils).
Preferred qualification and experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in political science, economics, business administration or other relevant fields.
- Understanding of the cultural context in the MENA region.
- Strong mastery of English for written and verbal communication. Fluency in French and/or Arabic is a plus.
Desired skills:
- Strong organizational skills: Ability to effectively manage multiple tasks, prioritize responsibilities, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential for managing internal and external correspondence effectively.
- Service-orientation: A mindset focused on delivering value to constituents and to teammates.
Role #5
Swiss Public Affairs and Sustainability
The World Economic Forum’s Swiss Public Affairs Team manages the Forum’s interaction with Switzerland and is responsible for securing a trusted relationship with its host country via government engagement (integrating its projects and activities at federal, cantonal, and communal level) and its public facing event (Open Forum). Furthermore, the team is promoting sustainable organizational practices and driving the Forum’s Net Zero strategy.
Reason for hiring:
The team is now looking for a Swiss public affairs and Sustainability ECP to support its work in the scope of (but not limited to) Swiss government relations and sustainability activities.
Tasks would include (1) Supporting the team with Swiss government engagement and the delivery of the Open Forum (2) Supporting the team with driving the Forum’s Net Zero strategy (3) Managing databases, processes & logistics of the team.
The selected candidate will be responsible for:
- Providing project management and coordination support based on team requirements – including taking minutes, drafting letters and data management.
- Managing event planning and logistics for the team, especially for the Open Forum and a sustainability hub during the Annual Meeting 2024.
- Contributing to implement the strategy of the team on deepening the engagement with the Swiss government and safeguarding of the Spirit of Davos.
- Providing support to drive forward the Forum’s Net Zero strategy by calculating carbon emissions and developing tools and measures to improve sustainable organizational practices.
Preferred qualification and experience:
- University-level education.
- Up to 2 years’ work experience in project management/coordination, event management or administration.
- Able to work with high-level government and business leaders, leading issue experts in academia, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, as well as with representatives from grassroots organizations.
Desired skills:
- Organization, planning and coordination
- Communication skills, narrative development (English native or perfect fluency, fluency in German/Swiss German preferred)
- Analytical and data orientation
Why work at the Forum: WEF Early Career Programme – Business and Government Engagement
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!
MORE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION ON WEF CAREERS SITE