Apply now
Department: Mobile for Development

Team: ClimateTech and Digital Utilities

Location: London (hybrid working)

Position type: Fixed Term Contract until March 2027

About The Team

The Mobile for Development Foundation operates at the intersection of the mobile ecosystem and the development sector. Our aim? To stimulate digital innovation and deliver both sustainable business and large-scale socio-economic impact. Our research and insights platform, in-market expertise and community of partners push forward digital innovations and implementations that empower underserved populations.

The GSMA ClimateTech programme unlocks the power of digital technology in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), to enable their transition towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future. We do this through the collective support of the mobile industry, as well as public and private actors. The ClimateTech programme is uniquely placed within Mobile for Development in GSMA to encourage integration between digital technology and climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience strategies in LMICs. Through our research activities, we identify, promote and inform opportunities for digital innovation, developing pathways for aligning climate action with the sustainable development agenda.

Our Digital Utilities work supports urban resilience in low- and middle-income countries by enabling access to essential utility services through digital solutions and innovative partnerships. Inclusive utility services, such as energy, water, sanitation, waste management and transport support urban resilience, which allows cities in low-and-middle-income countries to better withstand challenges related to population growth, climate change, and inequality. Through our Digital Utilities programme, we have contributed to over 60 innovation funding grants.

In total, the GSMA Innovation Fund has supported more than 170 organisations to develop, launch and scale innovative businesses and services. Collectively, these organisations went on to raise more than £680 million in follow-on funding within two years of the end of the grant and impacted the lives of more than 104 million people. All GSMA Innovation Fund grants can be explored here. Examples of our Digital Utilities programme insights and activities can be found here and the ClimateTech programme here.

About The Role

The Insights Analyst will be responsible for supporting the development of programme insights across the Digital Utilities and Climate Tech programmes. This role is based in London but with a global remit.

In this role, you will work to deliver new and persuasive research that identifies, promotes, informs and advances digital innovations that enable urban resilience and equity in low- and middle-income countries to transition. The research work of the ClimateTech and Digital Utilities programmes has three major components: i) drawing and disseminating insights from our innovation funding, ii) delivering discrete research projects at the frontier of digital innovation within the markets we work, and iii) providing technical inputs to the work of other global organisations’ research.

The Insights Analyst’s key responsibilities span four main areas:

  • Develop and disseminate programme insights. This will include: leading discrete research projects across the programme’s priority areas, and developing report, blog, web, video and other outputs about grantees, programme research, industry events and relevant industry news for internal blogs, as well as guest blogs to share with partners.
  • Coordinate programme advisory boards. This will include: supporting the strategic governance, coordination and delivery of the programme’s advisory mechanisms and collaborate with the Insights Director and Head of Programme to shape advisory board workplans and engagement cycles.
  • Curate events and develop marketing content to support these. This will include: leading and supporting the development of programme content and materials for GSMA events such as Mobile World Congress, as well as programme-led events, and sector-specific events, and identifying opportunities for programme participation in key global events.
  • Working with the M&E teams to track, disseminate, and analyse key performance indicators and key programme and industry statistics. This will include: tracking programme impact across our partnerships and influencing work, coordinating with the Innovation Fund team to track the follow-on funding and partnerships of current and past grantees, and providing data points to colleagues for reporting to donors and internal management.

About You

You are an early-career professional looking to apply and develop your research and influencing skills and will be motivated by the opportunity to develop and lead projects independently. You will already have practical professional experience delivering research products and presenting research outputs to a diverse range of stakeholders. You’ll have thematic experience linked to some of the ClimateTech and Digital Utilities programmes areas of focus (climate finance, nature tech, urban and climate resilience, intermediary cities, water, sanitation, transport, energy, waste management). 

The right candidate should be excited to join a diverse team that shares a passion for the ways digital technology can empower people.

About Your Skills

  • Stakeholder Management - You understand how to engage partner organisations, donors, government representatives, and other influential stakeholders to maximise the impact of your research and our wider programme objectives.
  • Commercial Awareness – You have an understanding of both the commercial business models (mobile operators and start-ups) and public utility services, and the barriers and enablers for partnerships between these groups.
  • Research and Analysis – You have a strong research background. You will be confident in working across data and qualitative projects. This could be demonstrated through either post-graduate study in a relevant area, or equivalent professional experience. You will have worked independently in an applied environment, producing work to publication quality.
  • Innovation – You have a sufficient technical background in order to speak on topics including connectivity technologies, IoT, digital payments, and AI, and be familiar with the challenges and opportunities in leveraging these in innovative business models.
  • Teamwork - You are used to, and value, working in multicultural and geographically dispersed teams. You have some experience in managing relationships with diverse stakeholders.

We strive to offer a meaningful and inclusive application experience for all candidates. Should you require any accommodations or adjustments due to a disability or for any other reason during the hiring process, please contact talent@gsma.com with your request.

Contract type

Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)

Worker type

Employee

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.