Market Engagement Manager, Handset Affordability at GSM Association (GSMA)

As the Market Engagement Manager, you will collaborate with mobile operators and their partners across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific to drive initiatives aimed improving the affordability and ownership of internet-enabled handsets for women, empowering them to meet their needs and support their livelihoods.

You will engage with operators and others in the mobile eco-system to shape their strategies and approaches to handset affordability, helping to build scalable and impactful solutions for underserved populations, particularly women. Your work will build on the existing efforts of the Digital Inclusion team and ensure that operators are supported in addressing the device affordability barrier.

Key roles and responsibilities include the following:

• Drive handset affordability initiatives with the telecom industry: Engage with mobile operators and key stakeholders to develop and advance strategies that improve device affordability for underserved populations (including device financing), with a particular focus on women. Provide direct support through strategic workshops and technical assistance, ensuring timely, high-quality execution and tracking impact to refine and scale initiatives in alignment with digital inclusion goals. Facilitate partnerships for enhanced impact where relevant.
• Secure operator commitment for technical assistance and research projects: Engage mobile operators to secure their commitment to participate in technical assistance projects, such as qualitative research, design sprints, and program evaluations. Support operators in optimizing their handset affordability interventions through tailored insights and guidance.
• Monitor trends and impact measurement: Stay informed about trends in digital inclusion and handset affordability, particularly in LMICs and for women. Help to measure and evaluate the impact of affordability initiatives and use data-driven insights to guide further efforts and improve outcomes.
• Collaborate with the insights team: Work closely with the insights team to shape thought leadership on handset affordability and deliver data-driven strategic advisory for operators and other stakeholders. Help translate insights from operator engagements into actionable recommendations, contributing to industry best practices and publications.
• Share insights across the ecosystem: Collaborate with the insights team to document and share findings from operator engagements, disseminating key learnings and actionable insights to the wider mobile and development ecosystem.

About You

The right candidate will bring experience and understanding of how to drive digital inclusion or underserved populations in low-and middle-income countries at scale. This includes having both strong commercial experience and an understanding of approaches to increasing handset affordability with a gender lens. You will be excited to join a diverse team that shares a passion for the ways mobile technology can empower underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries, especially women. 

You must have the right to work in the UK.

Capabilities

• Commercial expertise: Commercial experience, with a strong understanding of the telecom sector and mobile for development initiatives. Experience in strategy, consulting, or telecom business is highly desirable.
• Expertise in handset affordability and barriers to access: Knowledge and understanding of approaches to improving handset affordability and/or consumer credit, with a strong understanding of the broader challenges facing underserved populations in LMICs—particularly women—in accessing and using mobile phones. Knowledge of holistic approaches that address additional barriers such as digital skills, safety and security, relevance, and access is highly desirable.
• Strategic and analytical skills: Proven ability to develop and implement actionable strategies with measurable impact, particularly in the mobile sector. Skilled in recognizing commercially viable approaches that drive social impact and able to adjust tactics to keep operator partners aligned with project goals.
• Experience in LMICs with underserved populations, ideally with a focus on women: Experience working with underserved communities in LMICs, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa or Asia-Pacific. Background in mobile for development or development contexts is a plus.
• Exceptional communication and advocacy skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills with an emphasis on influencing and persuading stakeholders. Capable of communicating complex ideas clearly and convincingly to diverse audiences to maintain commitment and focus from operator partners.
• Tenacious relationship-building and influence: Demonstrated ability to build and sustain strong relationships with key stakeholders, especially with mobile operators who may have competing priorities. Able to effectively engage and influence operators both virtually and in-person, maintaining momentum and alignment on key initiatives.
• Global perspective and cultural sensitivity: Ability to work effectively in a global, cross-cultural environment, with strong collaboration skills across diverse teams.
• Project management and execution: Strong project management skills with the ability to work independently. Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, including workshops, events, meetings with various partners and stakeholders. A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset is essential for driving impactful initiatives.