Lead, Global Risks, Centre for The New Economy and Society

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the international organization for public-private cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Why we are recruiting
 

The Global Risks Initiative is part of the Centre for the New Economy and Society, which provides a trusted platform to build prosperous, innovative and resilient economies that create opportunities for all. It enables leaders to understand, shape and navigate a new social and economic context through insights, action and dialogue for:
•    Fostering economic growth and risk preparedness.
•    Investing in talent and human capital.
•    Promoting equity and inclusion.

The Global Risks Initiative has a longstanding history of shaping the global risks agenda. This is achieved through annual publications including the Global Risks Report, the 20th edition of which was published in January 2025, as well as through ongoing engagement with global risks communities – the CEO-level Global Risks Consortium, the Chief Risk Officers Community, and the Global Risks Report Advisory Board. 
We are hiring for the position of Lead, Global Risks. This role will contribute significantly to the drafting of the Global Risks Report and will play a pivotal role in advancing and expanding the work of the Initiative in response to rising interest among stakeholders for deeper insights into global risks, including societal, technological, economic, environmental and geopolitical risks. 

Main Responsibilities
 

•    Play a leading role in writing the Global Risks Report. This will involve helping to develop ideas; contributing to forward-thinking discussions; conducting extensive research on global risks, their interconnections and current assessment methodologies; and engaging with the Forum’s internal issue experts and external network of risk professionals to detect emerging risks. 
•    Develop fresh methods to analyse risks, generating future-oriented risk management and policy recommendations, and producing insightful and original content with impeccable narrative. 
•    Support the Head, Global Risks Initiative in maintaining a compelling calendar of activities and impact initiatives for members of the global risks communities. These include the Global Risks Consortium, a community of leaders from the public and private sectors, international organizations, civil society and academia. 
•    Support the Head, Global Risks Initiative in ensuring that the Global Risks Initiative’s insights and engagement activities are operationally and conceptually aligned with those of the Centre for the New Economy and Society, and with other teams across the Forum that produce insights on relevant topics—such as the Centre for Cybersecurity, the Financial and Monetary Systems team, or the Forum’s Industry teams. 

Breakdown of Main Responsibilities 

•    50% Research, analysis and writing
•    30% Project management
•    20% Internal and external stakeholder management

Reporting Lines and Interactions

The Lead will report to the Head, Global Risks Initiative and will work in close collaboration with the Global Risks Initiative’s Insights Specialist, the Forum’s internal thematic experts, and with risk experts from the Communities managed by the Global Risks Initiative.  

Assessment Criteria
 

•    Expert knowledge of systemic risk analysis and foresight, and a broad interest in societal, technological, economic, environmental, and geopolitical issues. 
•    Ample experience with primary and secondary research, analysis and writing. This includes research in academic journals, public information sources using the latest data collection and analysis tools, and expert consultations; conducting data and survey analysis; extrapolating trends across different geographies and time horizons; and drawing credible hypotheses from limited information. 
•    Initiative to propose, develop and successfully deliver original projects.
•    Ability to work independently while being committed to team and institutional outputs.
•    Future-oriented and cross-cutting thinking. 

Requirements and Preferred Experience

•    Advanced university degree in data science, economics, finance, international relations, international development, public policy, or other relevant fields, including substantive knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.
•    8+ years of relevant professional experience across business, government, non-profits, international organizations and/or think tanks. Experience in risk analysis, foresight and/or management is preferable. 
•    Proven track record in the drafting and production of high-stakes institutional insight products and thought leadership pieces, leveraging an interdisciplinary approach and with a view to readability and application.
•    Proven excellent project management and coordination skills; attention to detail; capacity to apply critical thinking, synthesize various viewpoints, consult broadly, and work collaboratively in a multicultural team; and skill to manage both short- and long-term objectives in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
•    Fluency in English, with excellent written, digital, and verbal communication skills. Knowledge of other languages is preferable. 
•    Excellent data analysis and research skills and a high degree of familiarity with new AI-based tools.
 

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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!