Lead, Urban Innovation, Business Development

Please Note: This role requires the ability to work on site 3 days per week per company policy.
This position can be based in San Francisco or Geneva. The annual salary range for this role is $120,000-140,000 in San Francisco.
This role is funded through 29 May 2026, with the possibility of extension.
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
Amid rising geopolitical tensions, cities and local communities have become a vital testing ground for public-private collaboration and an essential means for scaling up impact. Cities are home to a growing majority of the world's population and generate more than 80% of global GDP. As such, they serve as essential incubators and testbeds for new solutions and the businesses of tomorrow.
In 2023, the World Economic Forum's Centre for Urban Transformation established the Alliance for Urban Innovation to stimulate urban regeneration, drive innovation, and bolster the resiliency of local economies. Developed in partnership with cities and leading businesses, the Alliance is a global network where economic development, entrepreneurship, creativity, placemaking, and investment come together to advance global ambitions, foster new solutions, and drive local impact.
San Francisco is providing a first test case for how the Alliance can drive investment into local innovation ecosystems and catalyse new forms of public-private collaboration. In collaboration with Deloitte, Salesforce, Citi and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce the World Economic Forum launched the Yes San Francisco (Yes SF) Urban Sustainability Challenge in June 2023 and work is now underway to help a select group of top innovators - from the Bay Area and across the globe - to scale their businesses in San Francisco while providing a model for more sustainable cities.
Based on the early success of Yes SF, the World Economic Forum has initiated talks with more than two dozen cities across the globe who are interested in replicating this model of place-based innovation.
Reporting Lines & Interactions
The Lead will report to the World Economic Forum's Head of Urban Transformation, based in San Francisco, as part of a diverse, high-profile global team. The Lead will work in close collaboration with staff from the World Economic Forum's UpLink and Urban Transformation teams, while liaising with city and regional government leaders, as well as World Economic Forum business partners, community organizations and other relevant internal and external stakeholders.
Main Responsibilities
This role will place you on the front line of engaging with both global and local leaders, community organizations, investors, innovators and subject matter experts working at the intersection of urban development, innovation and climate action. The Lead will source and grow a pipeline of "pioneer cities" with the aim of launching new place-based innovation challenges across the globe, based on the model of Yes SF.
As part of this work, the Lead will help forge connections between local innovation ecosystems and the Forum's global communities of business executives, subject matter experts, government officials, start-ups, media, civil society organizations, and social entrepreneurs.
Key areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Partner and funder development
* Lead the development and implementation of a global outreach strategy that clearly articulates the vision and value proposition of hosting a "Yes Cities" innovation challenge.
* Collaborate with interested cities to develop local coalitions capable of supporting the launch and implementation of a multi-year place-based innovation challenge that advance social, environmental, and economic goals.
* Collaborate with the World Economic Forum's business engagement and regional teams to identify partners who are interested in place-based innovation challenges and connect them to relevant cities to forge new collaborations.
* Secure agreements with partners and potential partners to fund new place-based innovation challenges.
* Partner with the World Economic Forum's UpLink team to establish and implement an onboarding programme that is specifically designed for place-based innovation challenges.
2. Community engagement and support
* Develop and implement a year-round programme of activities, including sessions as part of the World Economic Forum's Urban Transformation Summit, to cultivate and grow a community of pioneer cities, enabling shared learning and collaboration across diverse urban innovation ecosystems.
* Organize workshops to help pioneer cities as they develop and refine the focus of potential place-based innovation challenges, bringing in subject matter experts and World Economic Forum partners as relevant.
* Lead Steering Committee meetings to provide updates to key stakeholders on progress of pioneer cities, including tracking of key success metrics.
* Organize meetings and site visits for pioneer cities to learn from the experience of Yes SF and other world-leading innovation ecosystems.
3. Strategic planning and communications
* Lead the development and roll-out of a five-year strategic plan for the launch and growth of a Yes Cities global network, gathering and integrating feedback from key stakeholders, and tracking progress towards key milestones and goals.
* Collaborate closely with the Urban Transformation and UpLink teams to develop a set of marketing materials and documentation on place-based innovation challenges to ease the recruitment, onboarding and support of pioneer cities.
* Work with the Forum's communications, media, and video teams to develop and deliver outcome-oriented communications strategies that translate this work into compelling narratives and help mobilize broad, collective action through a combination of op-eds, media briefings, press releases, social media posts, videos, and other tools.
Requirements and Experience
* Master's degree in urban development, urban planning, sustainable development, public policy, public administration, business or related field preferred.
* 7+ years of professional experience working on urban issues and/or the development of innovation ecosystems. Global experience a plus.
* Track record of successful business development and experience leading initiatives with local governments and/or working on public-private collaborations.
* Hands-on experience developing and managing complex projects and communities, including interacting with executive leaders and helping to turn ideas into tangible action and impact.
* Experience or familiarity with accelerator, incubator or investor ecosystems preferred.
* Comfort driving entrepreneurial projects and working with a high level of independence.
* Excellent writing and communications skills, including creation of visually compelling presentations and outreach materials.
* Domestic and international travel up to 20-30% required.
* Strong abilities with MS Office Suite and project management tools. Familiarity with Salesforce 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!