Specialist, AI and Innovation

Please Note: This role requires the ability to work on site 3 days per week per company policy.

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

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

The Centre for AI Excellence advances the responsible use of AI, data, and digital technologies to serve society, drive industry transformation, and prepare countries and regions for the intelligent era. Our mission is to serve as a future-oriented, global platform to accelerate the responsible application of AI, data, and intelligence for the secure, equitable, and collaborative transformation of industries, economies, and societies, ensuring a net-positive impact for people and the planet.

Why we are recruiting

We are seeking a Frontier AI and Innovation Specialist in our San Francisco office to help build and advance the most technical initiatives for our Centre.

This role requires knowledge of recent developments in AI, particularly in domains such as AI agents, large language and world models. The Specialist will focus on building, managing, and activating a platform that convenes two core communities of AI executive leaders and innovators across startups, industry, government, and academia, with the goal of deepening collaboration across the ecosystem through insights, high-impact convenings, and outcome-driven programs.

The Specialist will have a strong sense of how AI-native solutions can be developed to support high-impact deliverables that showcase recent advancements and real-world applications of AI. They will bring solid technical acumen with experience in frontier models, agentic systems, AI-native business, and/or operating models, as well as technical community engagement. The ideal candidate will demonstrate an innovative mindset and a proactive approach to driving impact in a fast-moving environment with highly engaged stakeholders.

Reporting lines and interactions

The Specialist will collaborate closely with technology practice Leads across the Centre for AI Excellence and the AI Global Alliance in particular. Community building, stakeholder management and delivery of reports and frameworks are considered key aspects of the role. The role will place the right candidate on the front line of engaging with global leaders driving meaningful change associated with frontier innovation in AI technology.


Duties and Responsibilities

Technology and Innovation

• Help build, manage and maintain an initiative platform that demonstrates leading advancements in AI from frontier model development to applied AI innovation in enterprises. The platform will target senior executives along with policymakers and the public, conveying knowledge about topics such as AI agents, frontier models, and AI native practices.
• Help translate emerging AI capabilities into practical strategic frameworks, insights and implications for enterprises and policymakers.
• Analyze technical challenges and help synthesize findings into actionable strategies and deliverables that rethink community engagement.
• Collaborate with the Forum's start-up community to help build impactful innovation programs.
• Help drive thought leadership by assisting in producing reports and other outputs that highlight key developments of advanced AI systems.
• Help make complex technical and business findings accessible by structuring insights into research roadmaps and frameworks supporting thought leadership.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Support the oversight of community management, fostering meaningful engagement, and promoting diversity of perspectives in discussions and initiatives.
• Connect regularly with community members to ensure the initiative drives relevant impact to all stakeholders engaged, as well as the broader audience.
• Support the cultivation and maintenance of strategic partnerships with key organizations, governments, and industry leaders to advance the goals of the Centre for AI Excellence.
• Help the Initiatives Lead manage and build multistakeholder communities by communicating updates regularly and onboarding the right stakeholders, while supporting working group meetings and leader workshops.

Team and Organization

• Collaborate across working groups and teams to align objectives and enhance synergies between initiatives.
• Coordinate meetings, managing logistical, content-related, and communication aspects to ensure alignment and delivery against milestones.
• Prepare and organize key materials, including pre-reads, meeting summaries, and technical recommendations.
• Develop and maintain initiative plans and timelines, tracking progress and ensuring key milestones are met.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, software development, data science, management science or a related discipline required. A master's degree in artificial intelligence or a similar field is a plus.
• Exposure to building software or other emerging technologies is a plus.
• Two years' experience in work related to AI.
• Experience working with Salesforce, interactive dashboards and solutions for engagement preferred.
• Hands on experience applying AI in everyday work for solving problems or augmenting capacities. Continuous curiosity of what is next and how it works.
• Ability to identify emerging patterns across startups, enterprises, and research to develop novel perspectives on AI innovation and AI R&D.
• Ability to analyze complex technical and applied AI challenges and help translate findings into actionable thought leadership, plans, and deliverables.
• Strong research, writing, and presentation skills.
• Experience in community management and engaging with stakeholders across industries, cultures, and seniority levels preferred.
• Experience in project management, including developing timelines, tracking milestones, and/or coordinating cross-functional teams.
• Strong communicator who can translate between technical and executive audiences.
• Experience in multicultural, highly collaborative work environments.
• Results driven, proactive, self-starter, and team player.
• Excellent organizational skills: able to juggle multiple tasks and assignments simultaneously and derive energy from high-pressure and agile work settings.
• Excellent command of spoken and written English. Proficiency in other languages is 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!