Innovation Fund Manager at GSM Association (GSMA)

Department: GSMA M4D

Team: M4D Innovation Fund

Start date: 3rd October 2022

End date: 31st March 2027

What The Hiring Manager Says

“This opening is a fantastic opportunity to support the delivery of the Humanitarian Innovation Fund activities as part of the new phase of the very successful FCDO-funded Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation (M4H) Programme. As the Innovation Fund is central to the theory of change of the M4H programme and will involve stakeholders across the organisation, we expect the successful candidate to be collaborative by nature as well as have demonstrated grant management experience. They must also have a deep-rooted understanding of delivering local impact whilst mitigating corporate risks.

About The Team

The GSMA Innovation Team is a unit set up in early 2020 to manage all Innovation Fund activities within GSMA. Leveraging on 10 years of M4D experience running Innovation Funds on a multitude of topics, the team is responsible for the end-to-end grant management of GSMA grantees (from setting up the process, grantees’ selection to grant completion) in strong collaboration with the relevant M4D programmes, who provide strategic guidance and expertise on their respective subject matters. The Innovation Fund Team is a centre of excellence that ensures that the best grant projects are managed to the benefits of the grantees, whilst complying with strong GSMA compliance and risk management processes.

About The Role

This role will support the management of the three rounds of the Humanitarian Innovation Fund (2022 to 2027) with the first round likely to start in 2022. The responsibilities for the successful candidate will be:

• Support the Senior Manager to set up each round of the Humanitarian Innovation Fund, together with relevant internal stakeholders
• Successful operational delivery of each round of the Humanitarian Innovation Fund which includes:
  • Work in a team to review and assess grant applications for funding
  • Support shortlisted grant applicants, this will include conducting due diligence and an extensive review of their grant application (workplan and budget)
  • Manage a portfolio of grant projects from contracting to completion
  • Manage and coordinate regular meetings with grantees assigned to you. This will include coordination with an Independent Fund Manager.
  • Participate in and present at relevant GSMA or external events to disseminate resources and insights, as well as to continue to position the programme in these forums
• Ensure that a close collaboration model with other teams is being always fostered, ensuring that the relevant information flows between teams and defined roles and responsibilities are adhered to. This applies to:
  • The GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation programme, whose learnings and results of the Fund are essential to the programme’s theory of change
  • The GSMA Operations team
  • The GSMA compliance team and external Fund Manager
  • Where synergies are relevant, the broader Innovation Fund team

About You

We welcome applications from individuals with the following:

• A demonstrable and substantial experience in grant management in low and middle-income countries is an absolute must-have for this role
• A demonstrable track record of managing complex projects, with multiple stakeholders’ engagements, and within predefined budget and timelines is a must have for this role
• A demonstrable track record of collaborating with a diverse set of internal (operations, compliance, subject-matter experts…) or external stakeholders is a must-have for this role
• Strong presentation skills with the ability of representing the Innovation Fund to external stakeholders (e.g. Fund Panel etc.…) is a must have for this role
• An ability to think creatively of solutions to new challenges or a changing environment and adapt to them
• Experience of/genuinely interested in both the commercial and social benefits that are presented by mobile access and use in low and middle-income countries
• Experience or understanding on how mobile / digital can support the delivery of humanitarian assistance is desirable.
• Strong interpersonal skills are highly desirable

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.