Head of Programme and Event

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 shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Why we are recruiting

The World Economic Forum provides its stakeholders with a platform to engage with the Forum, each other, and the public through in-person and virtual events. The Programme and Event Team is responsible for stewarding the Forum’s China-related content and events. This team provides consistent events architecture and services that support the Forum’s value proposition and impact agenda.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

The Head of Programme and Event will report to the Chair of the Greater China and work closely with all the teams in the Beijing office and other relevant colleagues across the broader institution. Externally, the successful candidate will engage with top-tier universities and think tanks in the Greater China region to bring relevant professors and thought leaders to the Forum events.

Main Responsibilities include

• Lead the development and implementation of a coherent content and event strategy in the Greater China region, aligned with the Forum’s mission, values and objectives.
• Oversees programme and events related functions, including events programme design, China office content and narrative development, China faculty and thought leaders engagement, Forum’s events management and operation, participants communication and digital platforms/tools management.
• Identify trends and catch the breakthrough ideas related to China – domestically and globally – understand their business, economic and social relevance, and translate them into cutting-edge events and sessions.
• Be responsible for strategy design and operation of Forum events hosted in China and ensure that every event meets a standard of excellence
• Manage senior relationship with China’s universities and think tanks and lead the identification, engagement and preparation of experts for our global and local meetings, including effective communication in the run-up to the meeting as well as all support during an event.
• Maintain a close relationship with the senior counterparts from the Dalian and Tianjin governments for the preparation of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions and mediate the different demands from the Forum and the host cities, if there is any.
• Design and deliver all the China-related sessions and activities at the Forum’s Annual Meetings.
• Act as a member of the China Leadership team and provide strategic advice on content and events related matters to the Forum’s senior leadership.
• Team management and foster collaboration with the rest of the Forum and maintain to be an insightful and influential programme and event go-to-unit.

The Successful Candidate will be assessed on

• Thought leadership with wide range knowledge base and understanding of China’s business, economic and social landscape and overseas perception of the country. Have the ability to craft narratives that resonate to both domestic and global audience
• Successful development and implementation of a coherent programme and event strategy in the greater China region
• Successful engagement of China Leadership team and broader organization into the strategy, and effective application of this strategy across all Forum activities
• Effective team management and motivation, including fostering a proactive culture of collaboration, accountability, and ownership.
• Effective interpersonal skills, including verbal and written communications with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to drive deadlines and milestones on event design and delivery

Preferred Requirements and Experience

• A master’s degree on international relations, communication and journalism, economics and/or business management
• 10-15 years’ relevant work experience
• Demonstrated ability to identify, evaluate, synthesize and communicate issues related to China’s economic, business and social landscape
• Excellent English and Chinese communication skills, both in written and verbal.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experienced leader with a demonstrated ability to lead, inspire and grow teams.
• Strong analytical skills and experience using data to drive decisions.
• Ability to work under pressure and handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proven experience thriving in a multicultural work setting that is highly collaborative and fast-paced; Flexibility and the ability to embrace ambiguity is a must.
• Problem-solving, proactive, and service-oriented mindset, with excellent communication, project management, coordination, and organizational skills, and the ability to work independently and in teams. No task is ever too big or too small.

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!