Mobile Money Regulatory Specialist at GSM Association (GSMA)

About the Role

• Develope and implement creative, bold, and targeted engagement strategies to advance GSMA’s mobile money policy and regulatory positions with regulators and government entities in Africa.
• Build and manage relationships with operators, financial regulators and other key stakeholders across the region in order to identify strategic opportunities to provide support and develop initiatives that align with the programme’s core objectives.
• Coordinate and collaborate with a large range of actors such as regulatory specialists, regional experts, and data analysts, both inside and outside of the GSMA.
• Identify gaps in the capacity of MNOs to address regulatory barriers for the development of mobile money services and make recommendations for support that will assist policymakers to advocate for enabling reforms.
• Write, review and edit mobile money publications and blogs on a wide variety of subjects relevant to the role.
• Participate in and present at relevant GSMA events and those of external regional partners to disseminate resources and insights, as well as to continue to position the programme as a thought-leader within the industry.
• Support in shaping GSMA Mobile Money programme’s regional advocacy efforts with relevant internal and external partners, e.g., African Development Bank, AFI, FSD Africa, UNCDF, CGAP and ITU, working in close consultation and coordination with policy and advocacy colleagues.

About You

The right candidate will be able to draw on a solid foundation of industry knowledge, , as well as the ability to engage stakeholders, communicate effectively, and rapidly adapt to different cultures.

• Strong public policy, regulatory engagement and/or government relations experience would be an asset. Experience working with mobile network operators would be an added advantage.
• A strong grasp of the English language, able to express complex technical, commercial or regulatory issues in plain language. Fluency in French (oral and written) is desirable.
• Regulatory knowledge relevant to mobile money and/or financial services in Africa.
• Excellent relationship management  and strong networking skills with financial regulators and policy makers at an executive level.
• Strong strategic skillset – able to work on the cutting edge of mobile money, to help determine how to successfully scale mobile money services in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment.
• A good understanding of legislative drafting and policy formulation processes.
• Charismatic & energetic, with strong public speaking skills, able to inspire others and build constructive working relationships with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience analysing the business impact of regulation in any sector and in designing advocacy campaigns to affect that impact.
• Proven analytical skills, especially the ability to predict and/or assess commercial and economic implications of regulatory decisions.
• Ability to work in a matrixed structure, to positively influence peers and support cross functional collaboration across the GSMA.
• Ability to handle pressing deadlines and ambiguity; innovates and devises frameworks to resolve and prioritise.
• Strong analytical capabilities – able to assess different business models, understand what is working/not working in different contexts around new products, and also identify potential solutions.
• Willingness to travel on international basis up to 30% of the time (pending travel restrictions).
• A good understanding of mobile money and of the existing financial services landscape for the underserved in the region and familiarity with the relevant policy and regulatory context in key markets.
• Excellent cultural awareness and the capability to work with globally dispersed teams.
• A self-starter and highly motivated