Head of Growth and Impact, Urban Transformation

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 $220,000-$240,000 in New York.

The World Economic Forum is an international organization that brings together leaders from business, government, academia and civil society to shape global, regional and industry agendas and improve the state of the world.

Why we are recruiting

The Centre for Urban Transformation brings together leaders across business, government and civil society to unlock growth, strengthen resilience and shape the future of communities and local economies worldwide.

In a fragmented and polarized global environment, competitive advantage is increasingly shaped locally - by infrastructure, talent, supply chains, regulatory systems, innovation ecosystems and social trust. Through year-round communities, coalitions and strategic initiatives, the Centre aligns decision-makers, advances practical and investable solutions, and scales proven approaches across markets and regions.

As expectations of business rise and public scrutiny intensifies, companies must earn their license to operate every day through credible local impact, inclusive engagement and transparent accountability.

To accelerate the Centre's next phase of growth and influence, we are seeking a Head of Growth and Impact. This senior leadership role will strengthen the Centre's global business community, deepen executive engagement, and support the continued evolution of senior executive engagement focused on trust, license to operate and place-based impact - helping shape vibrant local economies that drive global prosperity and shared progress.

This role is designed to complement and elevate the Centre's existing team by bringing significant real-world experience to help teams sharpen strategy, deepen executive relationships and strengthen measurable impact.

Reporting lines and interactions

The Head of Growth and Impact will report to the Head of the Centre for Urban Transformation and serve as a member of the Centre's senior leadership team.

Internally, this role will work closely with initiative leads across the Centre's focus areas on Infrastructure and the Built Environment; Innovation Ecosystems and Growth Markets; and Travel, Tourism and Experience Economy; partner with Forum business development, regional and industry teams to drive growth and retention; and collaborate with other Forum Centres to ensure alignment and cross-cutting impact.

This role will directly manage the Lead, Growth and Engagement and oversee associated communications and knowledge staff. The Head of Growth and Impact will focus on the development, well-being and performance of team members in line with the Forum Leadership Model - driving change, building collaboration, inspiring and delivering results.

Externally, this role will cultivate relationships with CEOs, Chief Purpose Officers, Chief Corporate Affairs Officers, Strategy leaders and other senior executives across industries, as well as leaders in government and civil society.

Breakdown of main responsibilities

Strategic Leadership for Growth and Engagement

• Set the strategic direction for the Centre's global growth, engagement and retention efforts, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities
• Oversee and enable a globally distributed team responsible for engagement, communications and knowledge delivery, strengthening performance and clarity of execution
• Refine and articulate a differentiated value proposition that delivers measurable strategic value to participating organizations
• Cultivate and steward senior executive relationships, serving as a trusted advisor on growth, trust and place-based impact
• Partner with Forum business development and regional teams to achieve retention and growth targets, supported by clear performance metrics

Executive Engagement on Trust and Place-Based Impact

• Lead the continued evolution and positioning of a senior executive platform focused on how companies earn and sustain trust and license to operate through credible, place-based impact
• Build trusted relationships with executives shaping enterprise-wide strategy, corporate affairs, sustainability and market presence, positioning the Centre as a partner in aligning corporate priorities with local competitiveness and resilience
• Advance place-based impact as a driver of long-term business performance, brand strength and talent attraction and retention across key markets
• Catalyse cross-sector collaboration by connecting business leaders with public officials and ecosystem partners to better align strategy, investment and implementation at the local and regional level
• Translate executive dialogue into practical leadership frameworks, coalition-based initiatives and strategic opportunities that strengthen communities while delivering enterprise value
  
  

Strategic Alignment, Team Leadership and Impact Delivery

• Work closely with the Head of the Centre to guide and support teams delivering thematic initiatives and communities
• Ensure executive engagement translates into strategic priorities, programme coherence and measurable impact
• Integrate communications and knowledge strategies as core tools to enhance partner value and influence
• Foster alignment, collaboration and shared accountability across focus areas and geographies
• Strengthen the Centre's overall positioning and effectiveness as a leading global platform for place-based growth and impact

People Management

• Set clear objectives, provide strategic guidance, support professional development, foster cross-team alignment and ensure high-quality execution.
  
  

The successful candidate will be assessed on

• Execution of a coherent growth and engagement strategy, including performance against retention and growth targets
• Strength and depth of senior executive relationships cultivated
• Growth, influence and sustained impact of executive engagement focused on trust, license to operate and place-based outcomes
• Ability to translate executive dialogue and insight into clear strategy and measurable impact
• Stakeholder feedback on the relevance, quality and value of engagement
• Overall contribution to the Centre's positioning, impact and team effectiveness

Requirements and experience

• 10+ years of senior leadership experience in the private sector, business associations, and/or government or civil society roles closely engaged with the business community
• Advanced university degree in a relevant field
• Experience engaging CEOs and C-suite leaders, with a track record of driving growth, strategic partnerships or revenue
• Strong commercial judgment and strategic instincts, with the ability to translate executive dialogue into clear priorities and measurable outcomes
• Proven ability to build and lead multi-stakeholder collaborations across business, government and civil society
• Staff management experience with culturally diverse, matrixed teams across time zones; abilities conducive to developing staff and maintaining a learning environment
• Entrepreneurial mindset, with comfort operating in ambiguity and evolving platforms
• Exceptional communication, facilitation and executive relationship-building skills, with experience leading high-performing teams
• Strong digital fluency, including the use of CRM platforms, data analytics and emerging AI tools
• Fluent in English and comfortable with global travel (up to 40%)

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!