Specialist, Space Technology

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.

The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) helps leaders anticipate exponential technologies and drive responsible sectoral and industry transformation. It creates and scales initiatives in a global network of government- and not-for-profit hosted centres which give national trailblazers access to a trusted platform of sharing, learning, and problem-solving.

Why we are Recruiting

Realizing the vast economic and societal potential of frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and space, whilst addressing complex questions around safety, security, and benefit-sharing requires trusted insights and collaboration across business, government, and civil society. The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Geneva is recruiting a Specialist on Space Technology.

The Specialist will support and be a critical part of an ambitious and global team driving a portfolio of communities and initiatives focused on building a sustainable, safe and inclusive space ecosystem. The Specialist will be working with internal colleagues across diverse teams as well as external stakeholders such business leaders, experts from the world's top research universities, government officials, start-up entrepreneurs, media and civil society organizations to drive strategic insights and tangible solutions on the use of technologies which facilitate space economy, human exploration, satellite communication, Earth observation, and overall sustainable and inclusive space ecosystem growth.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

The Specialist, Future of Space Technology, will be based in Geneva, Switzerland and report to the Lead, Space Technology, Geneva. The Specialist will work with and support a global team within the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as well as interact with other internal stakeholders. The Specialist will operate in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced environment and engage actively in building and maintaining communities, work with independent C4IR Centres and other stakeholders.

Breakdown of main responsibilities

• Directly support and help drive select initiatives that may range from space economic development, space policy and governance, responsible use of space to satellite applications.
• Help build, manage and mobilize high-level communities of experts and decision makers from across the Forum’s stakeholder ecosystem (industry, government, academia, international organizations and civil society) to champion and lead ambitious, system-level projects and initiatives.
• Support the Forum’s global network of independent national and thematic Fourth Industrial Revolution Centres (C4IR Centres) to build on, benefit from and contribute to the Forum’s projects and initiatives.
• Support internal and external stakeholder engagement through virtual and physical events.
• Be responsible for communication to external expert communities on key upcoming activities and deliverables.
• Be responsible for communication to internal colleagues on key activities and progress of each of the communities.
• Support team leads in keeping communication/marketing materials of the thematic areas up to date.
• Help keep team projects and initiatives on target and on-time through effective management of colleagues, internal and external stakeholders, as well as through effective communication and reporting via relevant digital tools.
• Operate across multiple teams and geographies in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced environment; actively engaged in building and maintaining productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders including C4IR network.

Preferred requirements and experience

• Bachelors or Masters (or higher) degree in Public Policy, Business Administration, International Business, Law, Computer Science, or similar fields
• 3+ years professional experience minimum in public or private sector, with experience in driving community interaction and member engagement (internships or relevant part-time positions accepted). Direct experience within the space ecosystem is a plus, but not a requirement.
• Experience in working in space or technology related fields in producing research based on member driven efforts and inputs is a plus.
• Demonstrated interest, experience or qualification of economic and policy making processes in global technology related fields, inside or with businesses, governments or international organizations.
• Experience in successfully supporting and delivering different types of organizational projects from design to delivery, working in a high-performing team environment, working with international multistakeholder coalitions and alliances.
• 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 English (professional level TOEIC800+); verbal proficiency in other languages is a plus.
• Proven experience of thriving in multicultural, highly collaborative work environments
• Results driven, proactive, self-starter, and team player
• Excellent presentation, organizational and writing skills
• Proficient with recent digital platforms.

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!