Lead, Economic Development, Urban Transformation
Full Time
New York, NY
Posted
Job description
Please Note: This role requires the ability to work onsite 3 days per week per institution policy.
The annual salary range for this role is $120,000 - $140,000 in New York.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change. In this spirit, the Forum engages the foremost political, business, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas and solve shared global challenges.
Why we are Recruiting
Cities and local governments across the globe face extraordinary challenges as they look to recover from compounding global crises and continued economic instability. To establish a foundation for more future-ready and resilient cities, the Forum is developing a global platform for private and public sector leaders to commit expertise and resources to support cities in their path to recovery and for years to come.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change. In this spirit, the Forum engages the foremost political, business, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas and solve shared global challenges.
Why we are Recruiting
Cities and local governments across the globe face extraordinary challenges as they look to recover from compounding global crises and continued economic instability. To establish a foundation for more future-ready and resilient cities, the Forum is developing a global platform for private and public sector leaders to commit expertise and resources to support cities in their path to recovery and for years to come.
The Lead for Local Economic Development will be a critical part of this work, taking strategies and insights from the Forum’s CEO and industry communities and making those accessible and usable for economic development teams in cities. These efforts aim to provide strategic guidance, practical tools and new resources to cities as they seek to better support their local businesses, rethink economic growth strategies, expand urban services in underserved communities, and enable more resilient, inclusive and sustainable urban development. The Lead for Local Economic Development will also oversee efforts to develop a global network of innovation hubs and urban testbeds, anchored in the City of Detroit.
Reporting Lines & Interactions
The Lead for Local Economic Development will report to the World Economic Forum’s Head of Urban Transformation, as part of a diverse, high-profile, and rapidly growing international team of staff and fellows distributed across more than a dozen countries on five continents. This position will be based at the Forum’s offices in New York or San Francisco with regular travel to the City of Detroit.
Internally, the Lead for Local Economic Development will coordinate and collaborate closely with business and government engagement teams, as well as staff working on a broad range of industry teams including but not limited to manufacturing, energy, health, technology, retail and hospitality, finance, engineering, construction and real estate. Externally, this role will involve close engagement with global business leaders, government officials, and subject matter experts.
Responsibilities
This role will place you on the front line of engaging with local economic development officers, global business leaders and subject matter experts. Key areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following:
This role will place you on the front line of engaging with local economic development officers, global business leaders and subject matter experts. Key areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Organize briefings and industry dialogues for local economic development officers, associations and regional development groups to share insights from the Forum’s CEO and industry communities and facilitate relationships and open doors for future business partnerships;
- Design and deliver workshops where executive leaders from business and the public sector can co-design strategies to advance local economic development, infrastructure investments and/or city services;
- Recruit, cultivate and manage a global community of city economic development officers, liaising and coordinating with the World Economic Forum’s government affairs teams, industry teams and platforms to explore and present mutually beneficial opportunities for engagement and collaboration;
- Develop and lead a strategy to build out a global network of innovation hubs, leveraging learnings from the World Economic Forum’s Global Network of Advanced Manufacturing Hubs;
- Curate and help develop an urban testbed in Detroit to explore, advance and showcase new models for public-private collaboration that can improve quality of life for residents and mitigate local social and environmental challenges;
- Contribute to the planning and execution of the World Economic Forum’s Urban Transformation Summit, liaising with partners and event production teams in Detroit, organizing site visits and/or unique local experiences for participants, and leading the development and execution of sessions related to local economic development;
- Liaise with the City of Detroit and other local stakeholders to identify and scope unique fellowship opportunities by which private sector leaders from the World Economic Forum’s global network can contribute expertise to support, advance and scale high-impact local urban transformation initiatives;
- Provide local support to fellows to ensure a mutually beneficial experience and ensure that fellowship activities are aligned with and contribute to the broader work of the World Economic Forum;
- Support impact measurement and reporting efforts related to the Forum’s work in Detroit and broader work to support more resilient local economies;
- Contribute to thought leadership activities throughout the year, including co-authoring op-eds and showcasing innovative examples of urban transformation;
- Work closely with the Head of Urban Transformation to identify areas for future focus to strengthening the platform’s impact.
Preferred Requirements and Experience
- Master’s degree or equivalent in urban planning, economic development, legal studies, public administration, or related degree.
- 6+ years of professional experience working with city, county, and/or state entities, including direct experience managing economic development activities, programs, and partnerships.
- Local knowledge and experience working on public-private collaborations, ideally including work in the Detroit metro region.
- Deep understanding of how local governments work, including prior experience leading initiatives with city officials and/or departments.
- Hands-on experience developing and managing complex projects, including interacting with executive leaders, and helping to turn ideas into tangible action and impact.
- Proven excellent project management and coordination skills; attention to detail; capacity to apply critical thinking, synthesize various viewpoints, consult broadly, work collaboratively in a multicultural team, and manage both long- and short-term objectives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Strong interest in driving impact and systems change in the areas covered by the Forum's work on urban transformation.
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!
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