Lead, Climate Trade

Why we are recruiting

The World Economic Forum Platform on the Future of Trade & Global Economic Interdependenceworks with a range of stakeholders to inform business and policy debate on critical trade and investment issues.

The platform is launching a multi-year work programme – Climate Trade Zero – on the intersection between trade and climate policy. The Forum is well-positioned to leverage its deep, multistakeholder trade and climate networks to identify targeted actions and advance new thinking to align trade and climate governance systems, decarbonize global trade flows and support companies undertaking ambitious climate action.

Climate Trade Zero will involve research, dialogue, and advocacy. The programme has the following objectives:

• Explore the trade links to climate action

• Analyse the merits of climate-trade policy options

• Assess links to global investment

• Facilitate public-private dialogue and knowledge building

• Advocate for trade policies that accelerate emissions cuts

The Forum’s trade team is looking for a driven Climate Trade Lead to support this effort. The Lead will structure research and drive community engagement – both public and private. The Lead will help deliver overall project management and drive new insights. The contract duration is for two years.

Reporting lines and interactions

This position reports to the Lead for International Trade and Investment and will collaborate closely with other colleagues, including those working on investment, as well as initiatives housed in the Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of Global Public Goods.

Main Responsibilities

• Structure research needs including identification of knowledge gaps in existing climate-trade research and identify synergies with Forum initiatives on industry transition and supply chain decarbonisation

• Undertake and commission qualitative and quantitative research on trade climate policy, including indicative calculations of emissions reductions from trade barrier cuts for key sectors

• Support the establishment of a project steering committee and expert group network; maintain project engagement of private sector champions

• Organise project steering committee and experts group meeting calls

• Develop linkages with the Forum’s investment facilitation programme and community

• Support policymaker engagement; represent the project in policy forums

• Enable community engagement on climate-trade issues at high-level Forum events as well as driving community thought leadership across Forum and external channels

• Support an effective social media strategy on project insights and recommend approaches to bridge between trade and climate forums

The successful candidate will be assessed on

• Demonstrate solid writing and analytical skills; experience in project management

• Understanding of the issues at play, such as environmental goods and services, supply chain decarbonisation, green finance, carbon accounting, carbon pricing and emissions trading

• Knowledge of intergovernmental processes such as the WTO, UNFCC, APEC, OECD, among others, helpful

• Ability to scope and map complex issues and build a research programme

• Organizational skills and experience in convening multi-stakeholder dialogues, interfacing with senior executives across the private sector and government

• Team player, able to work with colleagues across the organization, motivated to drive an innovative, value-added programme

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

Profile requirements

• 5+ years’ experience working on international trade, sustainable trade and/or global climate issues

• Master’s degree related to environmental economics, international relations, trade or related fields; familiarity with issues at the nexus of trade and climate change, working understanding of supply chain dynamics a plus

• Comfortable working with senior business, civil society, and academic stakeholders; successful experience in animating and managing communities as demonstrated through professional activities

• Exceptional research and analytical skills; capacity to think creatively and drive frontier ideas together with external thought leaders

• Team player and self-starter who enjoys working in a collaborative, fast-paced environment

• Excellent written, digital and verbal communication skills with fluency in English

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!