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Insights Manager, Emerging Technologies

Department: Mobile for Development

Team: Research and Insights

Location: London (hybrid working)

Position type: 12 monthFixed Term Contract

What the hiring manager says

“The ideal candidate is someone with a strong ability to develop and lead impactful research projects, a keen interest in the transformative application of AI, mobile and emerging technologies in international development, and an aptitude for articulating both global and local perspectives.” Ibrahim Sajid, Senior Insights Manager, Emerging Tech

About the Team

GSMA Mobile for Development (M4D) is a dedicated global team within the GSMA, which brings together our mobile operator members, tech innovators, the development community and governments, to realise the impact of mobile in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The mission of the Emerging Tech programme at GSMA Mobile for Development (M4D) is to accelerate impact and climate action by fostering the adoption of AI and emerging technologies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To achieve our mission, we work with public, private and third sector innovators to develop scalable and sustainable solutions that have at the core inclusive and responsible AI.

AI is the primary driver of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but it remains under-utilised across LMICs due to limited access to financing and infrastructure, lack of skills and expertise, concerns around privacy and ethics, and complexities in ecosystem collaboration.If we can address these challenges, AI and emerging tech can deliver incremental impact for everyone and everywhere.

About the Role

The Emerging Tech team is looking for a researcher with demonstrable experience in creating outstanding analytical pieces on AI and emerging technologies for development

Responsibilities for this role will include:

• Lead and execute research projects focused on the role of AI and emerging technologies (e.g. mobile tech, IoT, GIS, blockchain) in advancing socioeconomic development and climate resilience in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Define scope and methodology of research projects that respond to real-world challenges faced by innovators, industry practitioners, and development actors, while aligning with the strategic objectives of funders and GSMA programmes.
• Produce high-quality written outputs including policy reports, research briefs, slide decks, blogs, and case studies, ready for public dissemination and aligned with GSMA’s quality and editorial standards.
• Monitor and analyse trends in emerging technologies for development to identify high-impact opportunities, innovations, and business models suitable for scaling across LMICs.
• Collaborate with internal teams, including other M4D Insights, Innovation Fund, and the AI for Impact team, to ensure coherence across research agendas, messaging, and dissemination strategies.
• Engage and coordinate with stakeholders across the ecosystem, including donors, mobile operators, startups, government agencies, NGOs, and multilateral institutions—to gather insights, validate findings, and amplify research relevance.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to promote research through blogs, events (e.g. MWC Barcelona, M360 APAC, AI for Good), webinars, and thought leadership pieces.
• Contribute to shaping the research agenda, proposing relevant themes, use cases, and strategic focus areas based on trends in digital development.

About You

The right candidate will be able to draw on a solid foundation of research and industry knowledge to produce thought leadership content. You will be excited to join a diverse team that shares a passion for the ways mobile and emerging technologies can empower people. You will have most or all of the following:

• Excellent analytical skills, such as the ability to define research questions, devise analytical frameworks, analyse data and extract insights.
• Strong command over qualitative research methodologies. Knowledge and experience of quantitative research methodologies is desirable.
• An understanding of AI and emerging technologies, the mobile industry and the international development sector, including a genuine interest in the commercial and social benefits presented by the adoption of AI, mobile and emerging technologies in low-and-middle income countries.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and manage research projects, driving them through to completion with minimal guidance from your managers.
• Prior experience of managing externally commissioned research projects from end-to-end is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and managing productive work relationships, at all levels, including C-level.
• Fluent and compelling written and oral communications skills in English, including an ability to articulate complex issues in plain language. Knowledge of a second language (e.g. French) would be a plus.
• A track record of delivering results both through individual contribution and through teams.
• A proactive approach and a willingness to make suggestions and test new ideas.

Contract type

Worker type

What We Offer

Working at the GSMA offers you unparalleled access to the mobile industry. We offer a chance to truly shape the direction of mobile, whatever your role. By joining the GSMA, you will be exposed to a fast-paced rapidly evolving environment, working on global solutions, genuinely fascinating and industry-changing projects and a stimulating and dynamic environment designed to enable you to flourish.

In addition to architect-designed offices and competitive compensation, our benefits include fantastic learning & development opportunities, generous holiday allowances, four additional days off for professional development and many others.

To learn more about the GSMA, visit our career site , our LinkedIn page and our Twitter page.

Being You at the GSMA

We care deeply about diversity, equity and inclusivity and aspire to be the best at it. Your well-being and work/life balance is important, so flexi-time and remote working is available to all staff. We're keen to ensure everyone is equal, represented and connected so we particularly encourage applications from all demographics. The sucess of the GSMA year on year will continue to be contributed by people from all walks of life.

GSMA Values

Our values not only drive our culture – they shape how we work and interact inside and outside our global organisation.

Passionately driven

We approach everything we do with unparalleled capability, tenacity and commitment, knowing that the challenging scale, pace and complexity of our work is what leads to its world-changing impact.

Insightful leaders

We continually develop and engage our expertise, insight and creativity so that we’re always ready to respond to the changing landscape with authority, agility and nuance.

Stronger together

We lean on each other so the industry can lean on us, embracing our diversity by actively seeking out perspectives and skill sets beyond our own, fuelling each other’s successes and constantly asking how we can help.

Underpinning our values is our collective mindset to show up purposefully as good human beings every day, in every situation. When we’re at our best – we are collaborative, considerate and compassionate to others, and we create a safe space for one another to thrive, assuming positive intent in our colleagues. And if we aren’t at our best and the pressure is on – we feel free to be ourselves but still remain curious, lean into the tough stuff and we are always respectful to others and accountable for the part we play.

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About the GSMA

The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Industry Services and Solutions, Connectivity for Good, and Outreach.

Connectivity for Good engages members, governments and civil society, to advance positive policy and spectrum outcomes, facilitate digital innovation to reduce inequalities in our world, and tackle todays’ biggest societal challenges such as digital inclusion, climate change and sustainability.

Industry Services and Solutions underpins the technology and interoperability that make mobile work. Via our projects, working groups and promotional activities we facilitate the industry’s focus on areas such as 5G, Mobile IoT, fraud and security. And our technical services offer tools, data and resources to enable even more efficient and robust mobile experiences for users.

Outreach provides the world’s largest platform, convening and informing the mobile ecosystem, at MWC Barcelona, Shanghai, Los Angeles and the M360 series, and through Mobile World Live and GSMA Intelligence with breaking news, insights and expert analysis.

We invite you to find out more at gsma.com .