Initiative Lead, Health Equity and Access

Fixed term contract unit 31 May 2026 (with possible renewal)

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation, engaging the foremost leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Within the Forum, the Centre for Health and Healthcare works to identify and scale up solutions for more resilient, efficient, and equitable healthcare systems to deliver the best possible care. Within this remit, the Centre for Health and Healthcare aims to drive and champion issues that mobilize global action and resources needed to address major areas of unmet need.

Why we are recruiting

All individuals deserve the opportunity to fulfil their human potential in all aspects of health and well-being. Unfortunately, many around the world are not afforded this right. Social identities such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and economic status underlie disparities in quality of life and lives lost. They impact access to and quality of care, and they have significant economic costs for both the public and private sectors. At the Forum, we believe every organization has a role to play in generating equitable health and wellbeing.

We are recruiting an Initiative Lead Health Equity & Access to lead and drive the Global Health Equity Network (GHEN), as well as access to medical countermeasures which aims to shape a healthier and more inclusive world through mobilizing executive leadership and commitment across sectors and geographies to prioritize health equity and access in organizational strategy and purpose.

Reporting lines and interactions

This position will report to the Head of Access & Outcomes, Centre for Health and Healthcare and will work closely with colleagues with a broad range of stakeholders including private companies in healthcare and other industries, governments, international organizations, civil society, academia, and expert communities.

Main responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction, framework, and scope for the Global Health Equity Network and its workstreams as well as access to medical countermeasure.
• Develop and lead an integrated strategy on key healthcare access barriers.
• Oversee 2-3 Project Fellows, ensuring the delivery of agreed targets within respective workstreams.

Content curation

• Serve as the Forum’s spokesperson and subject matter expert for the initiative, integrating initiative outputs into broader Health platform events, strategic direction, and public engagement assets.
• Strengthen the Forum’s physical and digital platforms to promote a continuous exchange on the topic, integrating project activities and progress, lessons learned, and opportunities for collaboration with Forum members and constituents.

Community management

• Design and lead community engagement for the initiative to ensure that members derive value from the work and the Initiative delivers global impact.
• Plan and facilitate leadership opportunities for the initiative community.

Partner engagement

• Support the Forum’s business development efforts by identifying curating and pitching partnership opportunities within the health portfolio of work to increase the range of organizations engaged across sectors, industries, and geographies.
• Work with teams across the Forum’s global Centres to enable the successful engagement of Partners and Members in Forum activities and events.

Preferred requirements and experience

• Advanced university degree in a relevant field (public health, health economics, international development, public policy, business or social sciences).
• At least 8 years work experience in a relevant field (global health, strategy. consulting, academia, international organizations) with a demonstrated interest and experience in the social determinants of health.
• Executive level presence and presentation skills with the ability to interact efficiently and confidently with global leaders.
• Proven project management and coordination skills; attention to detail; capacity to apply critical thinking, synthesize various viewpoints, effectively communicate critical messages, and consult broadly across diverse stakeholders.
• A flexible, agile, and politically astute mindset necessary for working with fast-paced teams in dynamic environments.
• Outstanding command of English, with excellent written, digital, and verbal communication skills; knowledge of other languages would be an asset.

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!