JOB DESCRIPTION

Please Note: This role requires the ability to work onsite 3 days per week per company policy. This role is funded through May 2026 with the possibility of extension.

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

About the World Economic Forum

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.

About the Centre for Urban Transformation

The World Economic Forum’s Centre for Urban Transformation advances public-private collaboration in cities to enable more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient communities and local economies. The Centre’s initiatives and year-round activities provide a diverse range of opportunities for partners to learn from urban development trends, share insights, forge new relationships, and collaborate to drive local impact across the globe.

About UpLink

UpLink is a World Economic Forum initiative, founded in collaboration with Deloitte and Salesforce, designed to unlock the power of entrepreneurship to tackle the world’s most urgent challenges. UpLink builds ecosystems that enable purpose-driven, early-stage entrepreneurs to scale their businesses for the markets, economies, and urban centers that are essential to a net-zero, nature-positive and equitable future.

Motivation for the Role
The Yes/Cities initiative accelerates the deployment of innovative solutions and fosters sustainable, inclusive urban transformation in cities worldwide. As the program expands and Yes San Francisco transitions to new local governance under the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, we are seeking a collaborative and proactive Specialist to support this transition. This short-term role will also provide critical support to the Global Ecosystem Lead, ensuring knowledge-sharing and scaling of best practices from San Francisco across the global network and supporting the Centre for Urban Transformation in its global activities.

About the Team
The Yes/Cities team brings together city leaders, innovators, businesses, and civil society to co-create solutions for urban challenges. The team works across regions to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban innovation ecosystems, leveraging the Forum’s multi-stakeholder approach and global reach.

Responsibilities

• Transition Support for Yes San Francisco
  • Manage the administrative and operational aspects of transitioning Yes San Francisco’s governance from the World Economic Forum to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
  • Support knowledge transfer, documentation, and compilation of insights to share with global network and empower local innovation ecosystem.
  • Prepare presentations, materials, and records of stakeholder engagement, as well as content for local events and sessions with innovators.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Ecosystem Building
  • Coordinate outreach and relationship-building with local government, private sector, academia, incubators, and civic organization; ensure contact databases and meeting schedules to foster collaboration.
  • Develop key materials to support local ecosystem engagement, including one-pagers, presentations, and overviews.
  • Assist in identifying and onboarding support partners (mentors, investors, accelerators) to aid innovators.
  • Support the development and regular updating of an ecosystem map of each city’s urban innovation landscape.
• Local & Global Events
  • Support the organization and management of event programmes and sessions, including participant coding, role assignment, and session capacity monitoring.
  • Facilitate bilateral meetings, manage access to lounges and meeting rooms, and ensure diversity and inclusion in session participation.
  • Support the design, development, and logistics of onsite and offsite experiences-based programmes for Forum events.
• Cross-Team & Global Collaboration
  • Work with colleagues across Urban Transformation, UpLink, and other Forum offices to align activities and share knowledge.
  • Ensure visibility of local efforts within broader Forum programming and stakeholder networks.
  • Support the onboarding of new cities into the Yes/Cities program, including stakeholder mapping, needs assessment, and integration into the global network.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in urban planning, sustainability, public policy, business, or a related field.

• 2+ years of relevant work experience in project coordination, urban development, innovation ecosystem building, or entrepreneurship support.

• Familiarity with local innovation, startup, or urban ecosystems; experience in the assigned city is a plus.

• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills, with an ability to manage multiple workstreams and stakeholders across different cities and time zones.

• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, both verbal and written.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and digital collaboration tools; familiarity with Salesforce is a plus.

• Experience supporting knowledge management, capacity-building, or knowledge-sharing initiatives.

• Fluency in English required; additional languages are 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!

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements