(Maternity Cover, December 2025 to May 2026, Geneva based)
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation, committed to improving the state of the world. We engage the foremost leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.
The Forum's Centre for Energy and Materials (CENMAT) serves as the multi-stakeholder platform that enables building new leadership coalitions and delivering cutting-edge insights required for a sustainable, secure, and equitable energy future. The Centre engages leaders from the public and private sectors to deliver new insights and collaborations at the global, regional, and national levels. Through our programs and activities, CENMAT creates impact and value for constituents in business, government, and civil society.
CENMAT's Energy Program includes several initiatives focused on accelerating the energy transition and delivering value to partners. These include the Future of Power Systems (FPS) initiative, which aims to enable the transition to a more electrified economy, and the Responsible Renewables Infrastructure (RRI) initiative, which promotes responsible approaches to renewable energy deployment that benefit both people and nature.
Why we are Recruiting
To ensure continuity during maternity leave, we are seeking a temporary Lead, Energy Initiatives for a six-month period from 1 December 2025 to 31 May 2026. The role will focus on driving the FPS innovation workstream and supporting the RRI initiative.
* The global power system is undergoing a profound transformation from centralized, one-way systems to distributed, multidirectional networks powered by clean electrons. In the move to an electrified economy, the power system, backed by clean electrons, needs to be not only larger but also designed for the future and thus smarter and more flexible. This transformation requires action across sectors including clean power providers, grid operators, digital technology and storage companies and large energy consumers including data centres, transport and industry as well as financiers. The FPS initiative and its workstreams are designed to address this paradigm, spanning innovation, investment, policy, and market design.
* In parallel, the RRI initiative demonstrates that responsible renewable energy deployment is a strategic enabler of the speed and scale required for the energy transition. By showcasing real-world case studies and frameworks, RRI highlights how renewables can be deployed in ways that deliver rapid growth while also benefiting communities and nature.
The temporary Lead will advance the FPS innovation workstream and support the RRI initiative, manage fellows contributing to FPS and RRI, and engage stakeholders across business, government, and academia to ensure continued impact.
Reporting Lines & Interactions
The Lead will report to the Manager, Energy Initiatives within CENMAT(person in the process of being hired)
Internally, the Lead will collaborate closely with colleagues within CENMAT and across the organization including with relevant industry teams, other Centres and the Business & Government Engagement teams.
Externally, the role will involve interactions with a broad range of stakeholders and partner companies. This will cover a range of sectors, and stakeholders across business, government, non-profit and academia.
Breakdown of main responsibilities
Initiative and team management
* Lead the FPS innovation workstream, including the launch of the FPS Innovation Playbook at the Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos 2026 and regional deep-dives in 2026.
* Manage fellows from partner companies and professional service firms contributing to FPS and RRI
* Drive cross-initiative alignment on flexibility, innovation, and power system transformation
* Support coordination and delivery of the RRI initiative in close collaboration with the Forum's Centre for Nature and Climate (CNC)
* Co-organize workshops and dialogues to foster knowledge exchange, setting compelling agendas and driving the work with both expert and senior level stakeholders.
Stakeholder Engagement
* Curate and convene senior-level stakeholder groups, including CEOs, government leaders, and community members, for dialogues and workshops.
* Maintain strong relationships with existing and prospective partners
* Manage knowledge partners and professional service firms supporting the initiatives.
* Support the organisation of Centre and Forum's global events including at the Annual Meeting.
* Participate as Forum representative at highly relevant external events
Strategy and content development:
* Execute workstream and initiative strategy; contribute to the development and review of related content, papers and social media products.
* Contribute to the border FPS initiative work as needed, in alignment with the Manager, Energy Initiatives
* Contribute to thought leadership outputs including the FPS Innovation Playbook, case studies, and communication products
* Stay abreast of current trends and implications of key global and regional policy changes.
Preferred requirements and experience
* Advanced university degree in a relevant field.
* Solid knowledge of and experience in the energy sector, particularly regarding the power sector and electrification
* At least 6 years of professional experience in industry, consulting, or policy, with exposure to cross-sector collaboration
* Proven record of managing projects and engaging with diverse stakeholders delivering impact.
* Proven people management experience.
* Relevant thought leadership, including published articles or presentations in international forums or conferences, is a plus.
* Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-stakeholder environment.
* Outstanding communication skills in English, both verbal and written; other languages 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