ECP Spring 2026 – Centre for Urban Transformation, Yes/Cities

World Economic Forum•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The Early Careers Programme (ECP) offers high-potential early-career professionals the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working on complex global challenges, while developing core professional skills through exposure to cross-functional teams, senior leaders, and the Forum’s unique multistakeholder platform. Yes/Cities is a global initiative led by the World Economic Forum, Deloitte, and other founding collaborators to reimagine and transform urban life through place-based innovation and entrepreneurs. As the initiative enters a significant growth phase, with the onboarding of multiple new cities, the programme requires additional capacity to support operations, programming, and coordination. As an ECP, Innovation Ecosystems (Yes/Cities), you will be embedded within the San Francisco–based Yes/Cities team and work closely with the Lead, Yes/Cities. The role provides hands-on exposure to global innovation ecosystems, multistakeholder collaboration, and international programme delivery. This position is designed for an early-career professional who is eager to develop skills in project coordination, stakeholder engagement, communications, and programme operations while contributing meaningfully to the expansion of a high-impact global initiative.

Requirements

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple tasks in parallel.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
Interest in cities, innovation ecosystems, sustainability, or global development.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, international, and collaborative environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and digital collaboration tools.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to urban innovation, entrepreneurship, or public-private collaboration.
Experience supporting events, research, or programme coordination.
Familiarity with CRM tools such as Salesforce.
Additional language skills.

Responsibilities

Support the planning and execution of Yes/Cities programming, including delegation visits, workshops, learning journeys, and local events with city leaders, innovators, and partners.
Assist with logistics, scheduling, invitations, and session preparation for both local and global activities.
Prepare presentations, briefing notes, and event materials in line with Forum standards.
Support the delivery of the Yes/Cities workplan in assigned cities by tracking timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
Maintain stakeholder contact lists, meeting schedules, and internal documentation to support collaboration across public and private-sector partners.
Assist with onboarding new cities and stakeholders, including stakeholder mapping and needs assessments.
Coordinate with colleagues across Urban Transformation, UpLink, and other Forum teams to ensure alignment and visibility.
Collect and synthesize insights, best practices, and case studies from participating cities.
Support the organization of knowledge-sharing sessions, workshops, and internal convenings.
Contribute to the development of templates, toolkits, and internal resources to support consistency across the global Yes/Cities network.
Support communications and reporting efforts, including drafting updates, presentations, and impact stories for internal and external audiences.
Collaborate with the Forum’s Marketing & Communications teams on storytelling and content development.
Compile inputs for internal reporting and partner updates.
Assist with tracking programme-related budgets and expenses for events and activities.
Support invoice processing, expense tracking, and coordination with finance and operations teams.

Benefits

Gain exposure to global urban innovation, innovation ecosystems, and multistakeholder collaboration.
Develop core professional skills in project management, stakeholder engagement, and communications.
Work closely with senior leaders and global partners across the Forum’s ecosystem.
Build a strong foundation for future roles within the World Economic Forum or related international organizations.
Join an independent and impartial organization with over 55 years of experience enabling public-private cooperation for the common good.
Be part of a global team that brings leaders together through dialogue, to build trust, and turn shared understanding of complex global issues into collective solutions.
Our culture is grounded in care, curiosity and respect, encouraging genuine dialogue and meaningful collaboration.
By investing in trust and understanding, we create an environment where everyone can contribute fully to our shared mission.
Work in an environment that values shared learning, diverse perspectives, and real-world collaboration, helping you grow through challenge, not routine.
At the Forum, every role contributes to global progress. We advance together and help our partners shape solutions that make a lasting impact.