Pilot-to-Market Lead, Africa-First Language Models at GSM Association (GSMA)

About the role

• You will help shape how Africa-first language models move from build stage into real-world deployment. Working across mobile operators, startups, researchers, public-sector partners and digital service providers, you will identify priority use cases, define pilot pathways, structure partner propositions and support the commercial logic for early deployments.
• Success in this role will mean that priority language model projects have clear use cases, credible pilot designs, defined partner roles, practical routes to users and measurable success criteria. You will translate model capabilities into product, service and market propositions that partners can understand, support and ultimately deploy.
• You will also help strengthen the initiative’s use-case library across priority languages, sectors and markets, ensuring that pilots are grounded in real needs across areas such as digital health, agriculture, education, financial services, public information and digital public infrastructure. You will work closely with technical, policy and ecosystem colleagues to ensure that deployment pathways are feasible, responsible and aligned with the wider objectives of the initiative.
• In your first year, you will be expected to support the development of practical pilot concepts for priority language models, define pilot structures and KPIs, shape partner-facing propositions, and help build credible pathways from early pilots toward scalable African digital services.

About you

• You will bring demonstrable experience in go-to-market strategy, commercialisation, innovation delivery, product strategy or pilot-to-scale execution. You will be comfortable taking early-stage digital, AI-enabled or technology-led products from concept into pilot, and you will know how to turn ideas into practical deployment plans.
• You will need to communicate clearly and persuasively, especially when translating technical work into market-facing opportunities for operators, partners, funders or public-sector stakeholders. You will be able to structure complex, multi-stakeholder opportunities into clear propositions, partner roles, timelines, risks, KPIs and decision points.
• You will have strong stakeholder management skills and be confident working across corporate, startup, research and ecosystem environments. Experience with mobile operators, digital platforms, public-sector innovation, African markets or sectors such as health, agriculture, education, financial services or digital public infrastructure would be valuable.
• You will be delivery-focused, practical and self-directed, with the ability to work in a fast-moving environment where the path is still being shaped. You will have the opportunity to deepen your experience at the intersection of AI, mobile technology, inclusive innovation and market development across Africa. 

About your skills

• Communication: you will translate technical model development into clear market-facing propositions, pilot concepts and partner materials.
• Delivery: you will help move ideas from concept to structured pilots, with clear actions, timelines, owners, KPIs and success measures.
• Stakeholder Management: you will work across operators, startups, researchers, public-sector partners and ecosystem organisations to align priorities and move pilots forward.
• Commercial Awareness: you will shape value propositions, deployment logic, sustainability considerations and routes to scale.
• Innovation: you will help identify practical, high-impact ways to apply African language models to real market and social needs.