Emerging Tech Research and Partnerships Director

Department: Mobile for Development

Team: Emerging Tech

Location: London (hybrid working)

Position type: Fixed term contract until 31/03/2029

Reporting to: Head of Emerging Tech

What the hiring manager says

In an era where AI's transformative power is rewriting industries, this role offers a unique opportunity to support the development and adoption of AI in low-middle income countries by and for underserved communities. This is a crucial leadership role in the Emerging Tech programme as it builds its impact and network. You will have an interest in the transformative application of AI, mobile, and emerging technologies in international development and be a dedicated manager and collaborator to deliver the programme’s aims.

Kimberly Brown, Head of Emerging Tech, Mobile for Development

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with almost 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series conferences.

Every day we work to harness the power of mobile to achieve our industry purpose – Connecting Everyone and Everything to a Better Future – through four main activities:

• We provide strategic direction and thought leadership to our members
• We drive collaborative industry programmes aimed at maintaining operator relevance in the digital world
• We advocate for the industry to regulators, policy makers and society as a whole
• We convene the broad mobile communications ecosystem at our industry leading events

About the Team

The Mobile for Development (M4D) team drives innovation in digital technology to reduce inequalities in our world. Singularly positioned at the intersection of the mobile ecosystem and the development sector, we stimulate digital innovation to deliver both sustainable business and large-scale socio-economic impact for the underserved.

The Emerging Tech Programme sits within the broader M4D team and aims to accelerate impact and climate action by fostering the adoption of AI and emerging technologies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To achieve our mission, we work with public, private and third sector innovators to develop scalable and sustainable solutions that have at the core inclusive and responsible AI.

About the Role

The Research and Partnerships Director will play a leadership role in the Emerging Tech programme, with explicit responsibility for shaping and operationalising the programme’s approach to responsible and inclusive AI. The role will help develop Emerging Tech’s network with development partners, operators, innovators and donors and support increasing integrated delivery across the insights, market engagement and innovation fund aspects of M4D’s AI work. The role will lead the research and insights agenda for the Emerging Tech programme, positioning GSMA as a thought leader in the responsible and impactful use of AI and emerging technologies for digital development.

Key Responsibilities

• Play a role in the strategic direction of the Emerging Tech programme, identifying key themes, use cases, and opportunities for responsible and inclusive AI and emerging tech in LMICs.

• Working with the Head of Programme, enable collaboration between programme functions, building a cohesive delivery model across insights, market engagement and the innovation fund.

• Develop and deliver the Emerging Tech learning agenda, ensuring it addresses not only impact and scale, but also risk, unintended consequences, and governance challenges associated with AI deployment.
  
• Lead and manage research and insights professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.
  
• Oversee and execute research projects on AI, mobile big data, IoT, blockchain, remote sensing, and other emerging technologies, with a strong emphasis on responsible design, data governance and inclusion.

• Produce high-quality outputs (reports, briefs, case studies, blogs) for diverse audiences, ensuring GSMA’s standards and editorial quality.
  
• Collaborate across M4D, AI for Impact and broader GSMA teams to ensure coherence and amplify research relevance.
  
• Engage with donors, mobile operators, startups, governments, NGOs, and multilateral institutions to validate findings and promote research.
  
• Support the Innovation Fund rounds on Impactful AI, including leveraging evidence and learnings and providing technical input where relevant.
  

About You

The Emerging Tech Research and Partnerships Director will be passionate about the role of AI in development, and you’ll bring a strong commitment to ensuring these technologies are deployed responsibly, inclusively, and with accountability. You will have experience in this field as a researcher and/or practitioner. You will be excited to join a diverse team that shares a passion for the ways mobile and emerging technologies can address development outcomes.

Must-have experience and capabilities for this role are:

• Demonstrated expertise in AI and emerging technologies, with a strong foundation in their application for international development.
  
• Experience designing and delivering mixed-methods research, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches to generate actionable insights for responsible AI-driven international development initiatives.

• Experience should include work related to AI governance, ethics, data protection, or responsible innovation frameworks.

• Significant knowledge of the AI for development ecosystem and specifically the role of mobile network operators.

• Ability to shape and articulate a strategic approach for the Emerging Tech programme, grounded in a deep understanding of the evolving global AI landscape and its implications for international development.

Additional desirable experience and capabilities for this role include:

• Proven leadership and managerial experience, ideally in global, cross-functional teams.
  
• Track record of delivering high-quality research using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships, collaborate effectively across diverse teams, and navigate complex stakeholder environments.
  
• Strategic thinker, able to translate challenges and opportunities into actionable research and programme direction.
  
• Excellent communication skills, able to articulate complex issues in plain language for diverse audiences.
  
• Experience engaging with senior stakeholders across public, private, and third sectors.
  

• Passionate about digital innovation, inclusion, and impact in LMICs.
  
• Willingness to travel internationally and work in a matrixed, multicultural environment.

About your Skills

Analysis: Interpret quantitative and qualitative data to generate insights, conduct analysis, and develop clear, evidence‑based recommendations.

Stakeholder Management: Work effectively across a diverse network of internal and external stakeholders to advance the programme’s objectives.

Communication: Communicate complex technical or strategic concepts clearly and accessibly to a range of audiences.

Teamwork: Value and contribute to collective working, actively collaborating with colleagues across your team and the wider GSMA.

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.

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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.