Innovation Ecosystem Lead – Carbon Capture and Utilization

Innovation Ecosystem Lead – Carbon Capture and Utilization, Center for Nature and Climate

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.

The Forum’s Centre for Nature and Climate (CNC) is a multistakeholder platform that seeks to safeguard our global commons, and drive systems transformation for a sustainable future.

UpLink is a platform hosted by the World Economic Forum that enables the next generation of environmentally, socially, and ethically minded innovators and start-ups to solve society’s most pressing challenges.

Why we are recruiting

The Center for Nature and Climate and UpLink will work to surface innovators that are creating new solutions for at scale Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) in the aim of establishing a Circular Carbon Economy.

To achieve these goals we will:

1. Run an innovation challenge aiming at finding the most impactful CCU innovators.

2. Create and manage an innovation ecosystem to help design our challenges and support the scaling of innovators.

3. Provide selected innovators with visibility and access to the ecosystem to accelerate their scaling.

The Innovation Ecosystem lead will lead point 2) and drive point 1) and 3) in partnership with the UpLink team.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

The role will be based in Geneva within the Centre for Nature and Climate (CNC), reporting to the Lead, Circular Economy Innovation and Business Engagement, who is also based in Geneva.

Internally, this person will mainly work with colleagues in the Center for Nature and Climate and with Uplink.

Externally, this person will engage Forum partner companies, the investor community, and a broad range of stakeholders influential on Circular Carbon solutions including governments, multilateral development organizations, civil society, and academia.

Main Responsibilities:

SUPPORTING PARTNER AND INVESTOR ENGAGEMENT

· Lead the strategy and value proposition articulation to engage key stakeholders from the public and private sector and build a multi-stakeholder community (complementary organisations, other similar platforms, NGOs, accelerators, impact investors, VCs and experts) in support of innovation in decarbonization, ecopreneurs and decarbonization-focused funds.

· Facilitate introductions and meaningful collaboration opportunities for the selected innovators- focused funds with Impact Partners, Investors and Forum platforms, communities, and networks.

INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM BUILDING

· Support the innovation ecosystem mapping, pipeline building and active outreach and formalizing collaborations with the identified stakeholders in the CCU innovation space

· Develop a pipeline and network of mission-aligned external organizations, with resources to support ecopreneurs either financially or otherwise, committed to supporting UpLink CCU Challenges

· Support the design and programming of key activities by nominating experts, investors, incubators, or organizations to get involved with the programming for (i.e. investor and expert roundtables, virtual sessions, etc.). And ensure links to broader Forum and decarbonization and circular economy specific events and sessions.

CROSS-TEAM COLLABORATION

· Collaborate closely with the UpLink team, in the development of a strategy and pathway to mainstream, accelerate, and scale innovation within the Forum’s Circular Economy and other platforms

· Collaborate closely with several team across the Forum around the identification and support of partners to help accelerate and scale the impact of the UpLink CCU Innovation Ecosystem.

· Work with the World Economic Forum media and video team to produce videos and communication material in support of the CCU innovation ecosystem.

Preferred Requirements and Experience

· 7-10 years of professional experience in the public sector, private sector or civil society, international working experience

· Subject-matter expertise: work experience in Carbon Capture and Utilization.

· Expertise in broader industry decarbonization and Circular Economy as well as familiarity with the international climate, decarbonization sphere and sustainable development agenda is a must.

· Bachelor’s, political science, environmental science, engineering, MPA, MBA or equivalent degree in business.

· Familiarity with handling public-private partnerships and multi-stakeholder platforms

· Experience/familiarity with the accelerator, incubator or investor eco-system a nice-to-have

· Excellent knowledge of the CCU political and stakeholder landscape

· Excellent international network among key individuals and organizations in the CCU and hard to abate industrial sectors is 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!