Lead, FMC Chemicals & Chemical Pollution

Why we are recruiting:

The Forum’s Centre for Climate and Nature (CNC) acts as a system leader for the environment and natural resource security, food security, development finance and sustainable development activities at the Forum.

The First Movers Coalition is a global initiative harnessing the purchasing power of companies to decarbonize the “hard to abate” industrial sectors that currently account for 25-30% of global emissions. With Aluminium, Aviation, Concrete, Shipping, Steel, and Trucking already successfully set up in recent years, the Forum will kick-start FMC Chemicals, and seek for advance purchase commitments from downstream companies for defined chemical products to send a powerful market signal to further invest and commercialize zero-carbon technologies. 

The Sector Lead, Chemicals ensures delivering the First Movers Coalition ’s overall objectives for the Chemical and Advanced Materials Industry. This role will report to the Programme Head, First Movers Coalition, but has a responsibility to work with fellow Sector Leads, other FMC colleagues and the head of the industry.

The Lead, Chemical Pollution and Environmental Protection, is responsible for all activities leading to establishing a multistakeholder initiative in the space of chemical pollution, including scoping, resourcing, identifying champions across all stakeholder groups, validating hypotheses and preparing for successful deployment. This role will initially report to the Head, Resource Systems and Resilience Program in the Center for Nature and Climate.

Breakdown of main responsibilities

FMC Chemicals (50%)

• Guide FMC Chemicals sectoral commitment development, in alignment with FMC approach, aiming to officially launch the FMC Chemicals sector in Q4 2025, preferably at COP30

• Establish inaugural membership of the Chemicals sector, working specifically with Chemicals and Advanced Materials companies, leveraging the Industry community of the World Economic Forum

• Manage the community of FMC members that will make a commitment under the Chemicals sector

• Represent FMC, and the work carried out on chemicals in particular, at meetings and conferences, including through presentations and panel discussions.

• Work with other relevant actors in the industry decarbonization ecosystem, relevant to the FMC chemicals sector, such as Global Impact Coalition, industry associations and other players working on green market acceleration, IEA, RMI, MPP, ITA, etc.

• Work with FMC government partners on enabling policies and public-private collaboration; IDDI and other public procurement focused initiatives to leverage the role of public procurement for decarbonization of the chemicals sectors.

• Work with other FMC Leads to make sure learnings across sectors are shared and, when appropriate. explore areas of collaboration.

Chemical Pollution (50%)

• Research and summarize key regulatory processes applicable to the use of pollutants and hazardous chemicals across critical value chains

• Scope opportunities for the World Economic Forum to support its partners and communities in addressing the key challenges in managing chemical pollution

• Develop initiative proposals and validate them with stakeholders form various stakeholder groups

• Mobilize communities of purpose behind initiatives to address chemical pollution

• Act as Forum representative to various existing intergovernmental bodies and multistakeholder initiatives (SAICM, GFC, etc).

• Design and implement a resourcing plan (financial and human capital) for Forum initiatives in the space of chemical pollution.

• Mobilize leadership into collaborative alliances and coalitions to address chemical pollution

• Contribute to the development of a comprehensive agenda on pollution and environmental protection at the Forum, connecting their work with existing and upcoming initiatives in textiles, plastic, and air pollution.

The successful candidate will be assessed on 

• Excellent strategic and organizational skills incl. event management and convening multi-stakeholder meetings;

• Excellent cross-cultural verbal and written communication skills; native English speaking proficiency.

• Strong in relationship management; visible appetite for sales and marketing of the initiative to key stakeholders

• Demonstrated knowledge of project management practices and methodologies

• Successfully juggling competing priorities, with shifting parameters, to deliver to the highest standards and to agreed deadlines;

• Hands-on attitude to take responsibility for own area of responsibility and to manage execution ; strong ability to self-organise

• Being a team player and willing to support and collaborate to advance programme delivery.

• Experience in building and driving multi-stakeholder and industry communities for impact

Education and professional background

• 5-7 years of experience in a relevant industry/field

• Knowledge and interest in the climate change and/or value chains of the chemical industry

• General understanding of chemicals regulation: key stakeholders, main processes and conventions, and critical issues

• Broad understanding of key chemical industry priorities and challenges

• Experiences in downstream industries (e.g. FMCG, Apparel, Construction) of benefit