Lead, Cyber Resilience, Electricity

(Temporary contract, start immediately through to December 2028, Geneva based)

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.

Why we are recruiting

The Forum brings together business leaders from the electricity industries (power generation, distribution, new technologies) to drive the effective transformation of this these sectors, as they maximize their contribution to a more sustainable, secure, and productive energy system.

Since 2018, the Forum has convened a community of senior executives dedicated to enhancing the cyber resilience of critical electricity infrastructure globally.  This community evolved into a self-funded initiative with a vision to act as a global exchange platform for cyber security leaders across the electricity industry in 2022.  The initiative leverages the power of shared decisions and is committed to raising ecosystem wide cyber resilience through solving concrete problems. 

The Lead, Cyber Resilience - Electricity will be responsible for leading the Project Management Office, which is hosted in the World Economic Forum’s premises in Geneva, Switzerland. 

She/he will standardize the initiative-related governance processes; regularly convene the global community of core members and associate members (including electricity utilities, technology and equipment manufacturers, energy service providers, policy makers, regulators, universities, technical institutions, associations, and other senior experts); facilitate the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools and techniques; and curate proposals for new projects.

This is a position funded for a 3-year period, with the possibility of extending.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

The Systems of Cyber Resilience: Electricity Lead reports directly to the Executive Board of the Systems of Cyber Resilience: Electricity Initiative. She/he will be expected to build working relationships with a vast range of global stakeholders relevant for this topic.

Internally, within the World Economic Forum, the Systems of Cyber Resilience: Electricity Lead reports directly to the Manager, Cyber Resilience, Centre for Cybersecurity.  

Breakdown of main responsibilities

•  Operate a project management office to ensure the day-to-day management of the Systems of Cyber Resilience: Electricity Initiative

• Ensure appropriate governance and reporting processes for the Executive Steering Board or activities relevant to ensure the success of the Initiative

• Manage day-to-day activities of the SCRE Initiative including onboarding and integration of new members, stakeholder engagement including other industries where agreed, governments, civil society, international and intergovernmental organizations, academia and research institutions

• Facilitate the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools and techniques and curate proposals for new projects.

• Coordinate feedback and sharing from members, transforming this feedback into insights and project development plans in conjunction with the members

• Disseminate the activities and successes of the initiative internally and externally

The successful candidate will be assessed on

•  Successful delivery of an operational Project Management Office based on a defined budget

• Delivery of at least 1 physical meeting of the members per year and quarterly meetings of the Executive Steering Board

• Feedback from Executive Steering Board on the effectiveness of Project Management Office, as well as the delivery of curated project development plans in collaboration with the members.

• Dissemination efforts (e.g. sharing insights and thought leadership from the members) to bring visibility to the initiative both through the World Economic Forum’s platform and through other external platforms

Preferred Requirements and Experience  

• 8-10 years of professional experience in the private sector with expertise leading a project management office, and/or relevant experience in building cyber resilience across the electricity sector or other related critical infrastructure.

• Strong academic background, including a master’s degree in business, economics, engineering, or related disciplines

• Demonstrated ability to influence and motivate senior leaders of competing companies from the private sector into supporting a collective cause and collaborating together

• Proven track record in conceptualizing, building and leading multi-organization collaborations that deliver impact

• Demonstrated ability to work with industry and government leaders at the top executive/minister level, as well as with subject matter experts

• Proven agility, with a strong orientation for delivering results while embracing change – a pro-active, self-starter

• Ability to build strong internal relationships and networks within complex organizations and multi-cultural environments

• Excellent network-building skills with a passion for cultivating external relationships

• Outstanding communication skills, with fluency in written and spoken English

• Comfortable with occasional global travel and proficient in using CRM tools 

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!