Account Associate

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.

Why we are recruiting

As a partnership organization and through the Business Engagement teams, the World Economic Forum engages the private sector to address industry, regional and systemic issues. Partners benefit from and contribute to the global knowledge base through working closely with the Forum to set the intellectual agenda of Forum gatherings, drive the insight agenda of its publications and steer the impact of its initiatives.

Structured geographically, the Regional Business Team is responsible for building and managing the world’s premier communities of business executives.

We are currently seeking an Account Associate, Japan, who will be tasked with supporting Account Managers to enhance engagement with Partner organizations and improve partner experience across Forum activities. The Account Associate will focus on business engagement operations, facilitating efficient day-to-day business administration with a strong focus on operational excellence and data quality.

Reporting Lines and Interactions

The Account Associate will interact with the Account Managers within the team, and across multiple teams ranging from Finance, Contract Management to Industry, Centre and Government engagement groups. The person will report to the Regional Manager, Japan.

Main responsibilities

Account management support: Facilitate and deliver onboarding for Partners in close collaboration with Account Managers - prepare an agenda for the meeting; coordinate internally with relevant teams; prepare relevant documents/presentations; support with logistics; and when appropriate onboard/introduce digital tools to partners.

Event related support: Track registrations for the full team and provide overview on status; support registration and event related queries on logistics from partners; conduct first level of account checks before handing over to the Account Manager; collate nominations from Account Managers for select communities; collate shortlist of bilateral meetings from Account Managers on the team for the Forum’s Chief Business Officer, President and Co-chairs and other Managing Directors, schedule bilateral meetings and build briefing documents (with supervision of Account Managers and Head of Region). 

Data quality management: Maintain accurate account data for the portfolio, liaise with Business Services to address Salesforce issues; ensure digital tools are being efficiently deployed within the team.

Contract and invoice management: accurate and timely contract management in compliance with internal policies and procedures; liaise with Finance and Accounts Receivables team to reduce errors in billing automation processes, implying minimal intervention from Account Managers; manage invoice delivery, corrections, track overdue invoices, work with Account Managers to identify action to be taken to reduce receivables.

Day-to-day operational and administrative support to Head of the Region: the Account Associate will be responsible for the operational efficiency of the team - manage operations for team meetings; support the planning and execution of special projects, including top Forum leadership visit to the region; track timelines and milestones to deliver on the team’s objectives, using the appropriate CRM and operational tools and processes; closely monitor and evaluate key industry developments, media reports and policy changes that impact the larger ecosystem to advise on regional business strategy.

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Operational performance: Consistent, accurate, and self-directed management of partner engagement activities
• Data integrity: Tangible improvements in data accuracy and governance
• Business enablement: Proactive problem-solving leading to fewer support requests from business teams
• Productivity gains: Clear reduction in Account Manager time spent on operational overhead
• Execution discipline: Reliable delivery of team operations on time and in line with agreed SLAs
• Stakeholder impact: Strong, trusted collaboration with stakeholders, reflected in quality of engagement and feedback

 Preferred Requirements and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Business, Economics, Management or another relevant field.
• Knowledge and understanding of the business and political landscape of Japan.
• Between 2 and 4 years of full-time experience in a business development or relationship management role in a fast-changing professional environment. Working knowledge and experience of sales cycle management, account management, market research is a must.
• Ability to build and maintain positive relationship with partners that enable the Forum to drive new business opportunities.
• Excellent organizational, project and time management skills, a strong work ethic, and high attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills, with the ability to engage senior stakeholders and manage expectations effectively in both Japanese and English.
• Agile team player who enjoys working in a highly collaborative, culturally diverse, fast-paced, and rapidly evolving environment.
• Deep passion for the future of the business in the emerging world, the role it plays within the global context, and its potential impact on society and the individual
• Responsible, independent, and self-driven with a learning mindset and a positive attitude
• Proficient in working with MS Office and Salesforce, experience with other CRM tools a plus.
• Proficiency in working with AI solutions – knowledge of Chat GPT and Slack a plus.  

Why join us?

Join an independent and impartial organization with over 55 years of connecting leaders to make sense of global challenges and move the world forward together.