Lead, Responsible Data and Artificial Intelligence

Lead, Responsible Data and Artificial Intelligence 

Job Description 

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

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 and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. 

The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) helps stakeholders harness the potential of technological advancements for the equitable and human-centered transformation of industries, economies, and societies. We provide a strategic and future-oriented platform designed to understand exponential technologies and guide their responsible adoption and global application. Our thematic priorities include understanding innovation, catalyzing industry transformation, improving governance, and building a positive future. 

Why we are recruiting 

As Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) continue to drive the digital economy, we recognize their growing impact on governments, enterprises, institutions, and individuals alike. From powering online transactions to understanding consumer behavior, data shapes every facet of our lives with broad and complex consequences. While AI's benefits are evident across sectors, it also presents multifaceted challenges, from issues related to data governance such as data privacy, data equity, cross-border data flows and data sovereignty, to issues dealing with responsible design and deployment and risk mitigation. 

Understanding the vast economic and societal potential of AI, along with the risks that accompany emerging technologies, the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution seeks to serve as a trusted platform. We seek to foster collaboration across businesses, governments, and civil society to address system challenges. As part of our strategic effort, we are recruiting a Lead on Data and Artificial Intelligence at our San Francisco office. 

The Lead will be tasked to support the design and management of Data and AI-related initiatives and frameworks to expand and support the existing portfolios and communities of Data Policy and the AI Governance Alliance, and more broadly the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This includes building multistakeholder communities and initiatives involving data governance, for example cross-sector and cross-border sharing, ownership, provenance and traceability, data intellectual property and rights, AI model as digital public infrastructure, data sovereignty; as well as AI responsible design and release, open-source and licensing, and emerging frontier AI systems and technologies. Moreover, the Lead will bridge gaps between various stakeholders such as industry leaders, research institutions, government representatives, entrepreneurs, academia, and civil society organizations, contributing to the future of the digital, data, and AI economy.

Reporting lines and interactions 

The Lead will collaborate closely with all technology practice leads across the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution as well as with other related World Economic Forum Centres. The Lead will also align and collaborate with the Forum’s global network of Independent Centres which build on, benefit from, and actively contribute to the Forum’s global Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution initiatives. This role reports to the Head of Data and AI Innovation based in San Francisco. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

• Support the design, execution and monitoring of new initiatives addressing emerging technologies, specifically data and AI, that can complement the existing portfolio.  

• Generating strategic insights and developing frameworks to assist business leaders and policymakers in anticipating the societal impact of emerging technologies. 

• Build, manage, and mobilize high-level communities of experts and decision makers from across the Forum’s stakeholder ecosystem (industry, government, academia, international organizations and civil society) to champion and lead ambitious, system-level initiatives.
• Monitoring the global landscape for key players and initiatives related to data and AI.

• Apply stakeholder engagement and user-centric design methodologies and techniques to rapidly move from idea to impact via creating, piloting, evaluating and iterating solutions.

• Ensure initiatives remain on target, within timeframes and budgets, through effective leadership and management of teams, stakeholders, budgets, and processes. This also includes clear communication and reporting through relevant digital tools. 

• Support the development of thought leadership and contribute to reports and publications. 

• Operate across multiple teams and geographies in an entrepreneurial and fast-paced environment; actively engaged in building and maintaining productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders including C4IR network. 

• Keep abreast of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in the data and AI space, and integrating pertinent insights into the organization's strategic and operational plans. 

• Plan and facilitate meetings with expert groups. 

Qualifications and Skills: 

• 7+ years of experience, focusing on Data/AI relevant topics. 

• Master’s degree in relevant field. 

• Thorough comprehension of and practical experience in the Data and AI domain, with a particular focus on value creation from data and comprehensive understanding of data governance and ecosystems. 

• Proven track record in designing business strategies revolving around Data/AI or analogous technologies. 

• Deep knowledge of the relevant stakeholder ecosystem, including leading organizations, experts and decision makers in business, government, and civil society. 

• Experience in successfully driving medium to large-scale projects from design to delivery, building and motivating high-performing teams, working on and through international multistakeholder coalitions and alliances, and effectively pursuing opportunities for impact. 

• Excellent organizational skills: able to juggle multiple tasks and assignments simultaneously and derive energy from high-pressure work settings. 

• Comfort in driving entrepreneurial initiatives, starting new teams, and identifying opportunities for impact in crowded spaces. 

• Demonstrated ability to work across different cultures and with high level officials and executives in highly collaborative work environments. 

• Published articles, speeches/presentations in international forums, and conference participation on Data/AI is a plus. 

• Results driven, proactive, self-starter, and team player. 

• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills. 

• Proficient with recent digital platforms. 

• Excellent spoken and written English. Proficiency in other languages is a plus. 

Vaccination requirement 

The Forum LLC requires that employees be fully vaccinated with at least one booster against COVID-19 by their first day of employment. The Forum will evaluate all requests for accommodation/exemption from this policy in keeping with federal, state, and local law. 

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!