Specialist, Urban Innovation

This role is not eligible for relocation or work authorization support.

Please Note: This role requires the ability to work on site 3 days per week per company policy.

The annual salary range for this role is $80,000-85,000 in San Francisco.

This role is funded through 29 May 2026, with the possibility of extension.

The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change. In this spirit, the Forum engages the foremost political, business, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas and solve shared global challenges.

Why we are Recruiting

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

In 2023, the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation established the Alliance for Urban Innovation to stimulate urban regeneration, drive innovation, and bolster the resiliency of local economies. Developed in partnership with cities and leading businesses, the Alliance is a global network where economic development, entrepreneurship, creativity, placemaking, and investment come together to advance global ambitions, foster new solutions and drive local impact.

San Francisco is providing a first test case for how the Alliance can drive investment into local innovation ecosystems and catalyse new forms of public-private collaboration. In collaboration with Deloitte, Salesforce, Citi and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce the World Economic Forum launched the Yes San Francisco (Yes SF) Urban Sustainability Challenge in June 2023 and work is now underway to help a select group of top innovators – from the Bay Area and across the globe – to scale their businesses in San Francisco while providing a model for more sustainable cities.

Based on the early success of Yes SF, the World Economic Forum has initiated talks with more than two dozen cities across the globe who are interested in replicating this model of place-based innovation.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

The Specialist will report to the World Economic Head of Urban Transformation, based in San Francisco, as part of a diverse, high-profile global team. The Specialist will work in close collaboration with staff from the World Economic Forum’s UpLink and Urban Transformation teams, while liaising with city and regional government leaders, as well as World Economic Forum business partners, community organizations and other relevant internal and external stakeholders.

Main Responsibilities

This role will place you on the front line of engaging with both global and local leaders, community organizations, investors, innovators and subject matter experts working at the intersection of urban development, innovation and climate action. The Specialist will support both the development of Yes SF and also support sourcing and growing a pipeline of “pioneer cities” with the aim of launching new place-based innovation challenges across the globe.

Key areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Community coordination

• Assist in cultivating and growing the Yes SF community and Alliance for Urban Innovation by researching and conducting outreach to complementary organizations, platforms, businesses, NGOs, incubators, accelerators, impact investors, VCs, and subject-matter experts.
• Support the planning and execution of monthly Steering Committee meetings, including gathering and aggregating updates from innovators and coalition members.
• Help organize and participate in meetings and working groups to advance the goals and objectives of Yes SF and the broader Yes Cities initiative.
• Aid in facilitating introductions and collaboration opportunities between Top Innovators, coalition members, and the World Economic Forum’s global network.
• Assist in developing and implementing a year-round program of activities, including sessions at the World Economic Forum’s Urban Transformation Summit, to foster a community of pioneer cities and shared learning across diverse urban innovation ecosystems.

2. Support for innovation challenges

• Collaborate with the Forum’s Geneva-based UpLink team to support the development, launch and implementation of future place-based innovation challenges, maximizing applicant quality and stakeholder engagement.
• Track the progress of Top Innovators in setting up or expanding their operations in San Francisco, providing support and/or helping to mobilize additional resources where possible.
• Support the development of workshops to help pioneer cities develop and refine the focus of potential place-based innovation challenges, bringing in subject matter experts and World Economic Forum partners as relevant.
• Help organize meetings and site visits for pioneer cities to learn from the experience of Yes SF and other world-leading innovation ecosystems.

3. Communications and record-keeping

• Collaborate with the Urban Transformation and UpLink teams to customize marketing materials and documentation on place-based innovation challenges to ease the recruitment, onboarding and support of pioneer cities.
• Lead the development of Yes Cities playbook, documenting processes and strategies implemented in San Francisco that can be adopted by other cities.
• Collaborate with the Urban Transformation and UpLink team to document best practices, key milestones, outcomes and impact stories related to our work to be shared with our network of partners as well as with a broader global audience.
• Support the development and capturing of a set of standardized impact metrics related to place-based innovation.
• Provide administrative support to ensure that activities related to Yes SF and the Alliance for Urban Transformation, including participants and outcomes from events, are well-documented, including regularly updating and maintaining databases.

Requirements and Experience

• University degree (Bachelor’s or higher) in urban development, urban planning, sustainable development, public policy, public administration, business or related field preferred.
• 3+ years of professional experience working on urban issues and/or the development of innovation ecosystems.
• Experience and comfort working on administrative and coordination support
• Excellent writing and communications skills, including creation of visually compelling presentations and outreach materials
• Comfort interacting with executive leaders, driving entrepreneurial projects and working with a high level of independence
• Strong familiarity with MS Office Suite and project management tools is highly preferred, familiarity with Salesforce a plus.

Vaccination requirement:

The Forum LLC requires that employees be fully vaccinated with at least one booster against COVID-19 by their first day of employment. The Forum will evaluate all requests for accommodation/exemption from this policy in keeping with federal, state, and local law.

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!