Regional Lead, Urban Transformation

Overview

Lead urban transformation efforts for the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance in Japan.

You have:

• Masters (or higher) degree in Public Policy, Business Administration, International Business, Law, or similar fields, preferred
• 7+ years professional experience in public or private sector; ideally as a city official, advisor to government or in a private sector role working on issues of urban development
• Deep knowledge of the relevant stakeholder ecosystem, including leading organizations, experts and decision makers in business, government, and civil society
• Experience organizing events and meetings with high-level leaders from idea to implementation and session delivery
• Understanding of policy making processes in Japan and have experience in crafting or shaping public policy
• Proven track record of relevant thought leadership, including published articles, presentations in international forums, and conference participations
• Excellent organizational skills: able to juggle multiple tasks and assignments simultaneously
• Excellent verbal and written language skills in Japanese (native level) and English (professional level TOEIC800+)
• Proven experience of thriving in multicultural, highly collaborative work environments
• Results driven, proactive, self-starter, and team player
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills
• Strong degree of proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
• Salesforce/CRM experience strongly preferred

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.

Why we are Recruiting

Cities are home to a growing majority of the world’s population and generate more than 80% of global GDP. They serve as essential incubators and testbeds for new solutions and the businesses of tomorrow. Amid rising geopolitical tensions, cities have also become a vital testing ground for public-private collaboration and an essential means for scaling up impact.

With approximately 92% of its population living in cities, Japan is among the world's most urbanized countries and plays a key role in shaping the global agenda on urban development. In 2019, as part of Japan’s G20 Presidency, the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance was established with the World Economic Forum serving as its secretariat. We are recruiting for a Regional Lead to support the Alliance’s continued work in Japan, while also deepening engagement across other areas of urban transformation, including climate adaption and the development of local innovation ecosystems.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

The Lead will be based in Tokyo, Japan, and report to the Head of Business Engagement, Japan, as well as, in a dotted line, to the Head of the Centre for Urban Transformation, based in San Francisco. The Lead will operate across multiple teams and geographies in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced environment and engage actively in building and maintaining productive relationships with World Economic Forum partners, independent C4IR Centres and other key stakeholders.

Breakdown of main responsibilities:

Strategy and communications: Developing and articulating a regional value proposition and impact strategy for the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance and other World Economic Forum flagship initiatives on urban transformation, aligning with the global strategic vision while defining a clear vision for Japan. Working collaboratively with our key private sector partners, developing a clear roadmap of regional activities for Japan that meets this strategic vision.

Community building and events: Building on our existing network, continuing to build a strong community of government leaders, private sector partners and academic institutions across Japan committed to building more resilient and future-ready cities, and facilitating a strong sense of community as part of the G20 Alliance and other initiatives. This includes organizing in-person and virtual events at least once per quarter to deepen existing engagements and broaden our geographical reach.

Facilitating new partnerships: Identifying opportunities to bring our private and public sector stakeholders together to facilitate new partnerships, strengthen governance, build public sector capability, and incentivise action. Identifying and cultivating new cities/businesses/sectors that could add value to the G20 Alliance and other urban transformation initiatives.

Policy creation and adoption: Identifying new global model policies to be developed based on demand (and existing best practice) from Japanese cities. Supporting the continued adoption of existing global model policies, including benchmarking existing city governance and incentivising policy/behaviour changes.

Connecting to global activities: Integrating regional activities into the wider global work, ensuring Japanese public sector officials and businesses are represented in existing global Taskforces, at global events and summits, and in shaping the future strategy of the Centre for Urban Transformation.

Preferred requirements and experience

• Masters (or higher) degree in Public Policy, Business Administration, International Business, Law, or similar fields, preferred
• 7+ years professional experience in public or private sector; ideally as a city official, advisor to government or in a private sector role working on issues of urban development
• Deep knowledge of the relevant stakeholder ecosystem, including leading organizations, experts and decision makers in business, government, and civil society
• Experience organizing events and meetings with high-level leaders from idea to implementation and session delivery
• Understanding of policy making processes in Japan and have experience in crafting or shaping public policy (such as regulations, standards, guidelines, or other policy tools), inside or with businesses, governments or international organizations
• Proven track record of relevant thought leadership, including published articles, presentations in international forums, and conference participations; ability to quickly develop a clear perspective on internal and external issues that have organisational impact
• Experience in successfully driving medium to large-scale projects from design to delivery, building and motivating high-performing teams, working on and through international multistakeholder coalitions and alliances, and effectively pursuing opportunities for impact
• Excellent organizational skills: able to juggle multiple tasks and assignments simultaneously and derive energy from high-pressure work settings
• Excellent verbal and written language skills in Japanese (native level) and English (professional level TOEIC800+); verbal proficiency in other languages would be an asset
• Proven experience of thriving in multicultural, highly collaborative work environments
• Results driven, proactive, self-starter, and team player
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills
• Strong degree of proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel). Salesforce/CRM experience strongly preferred

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!

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: weforum.org