Department: Strategy
Team: Sector Strategy
Location: London (Hybrid)
Position type: Permanent, Full time
What the hiring manager says
The telecoms and technology ecosystem is entering one of the most consequential periods in its history. Telcos, technology companies, vendors, policymakers, and regulators are all redefining their roles in an increasingly interconnected and competitive landscape.
As Chief Strategy Officer, I am building a Strategy function that ensures GSMA remains relevant, forward-looking, and indispensable to our members. The Head of Sector Strategy & Strategy Projects will play a central role in defining the industry’s 3–5 year strategic outlook and translating it into clear positioning and priorities for GSMA.
This is not a traditional planning role. It is about shaping the strategic narrative of the sector, anticipating disruption, and ensuring GSMA stays ahead of structural shifts in technology, regulation, competition, and business models.
Hakan Dursun, Chief Strategy Officer
About the Team
The Strategy team shapes the long-term direction of the GSMA to ensure we provide maximum value to our members and the broader mobile ecosystem.
The team is responsible for:
Sector Strategy & Strategy Projects – defining the industry’s 3-5 year outlook and implications for GSMA
Corporate Strategy & Strategy Projects – developing the 3-year strategic roadmap of GSMA, KPIs, business plan, and high-level operating plan
Strategic Initiatives – leading/ coordinating cross-functional initiatives externally and internally (e.g., 5G monetisation, 6G, AI, Innovation, inorganic growth opportunities, AI-first GSMA etc.)
GSMA Intelligence – the only data and insights source built from inside the telecoms industry, delivering trusted forecasts, real-time insights and deep research across the global telecoms ecosystem
Strategy Group – convening telecom CSOs to align on industry-level priorities
As a small, high-impact team, we work across functions and regions to drive clarity, alignment, and execution against long-term goals.
About the role
The Head of Sector Strategy & Strategy Projects is responsible for defining and continuously evolving GSMA’s sector-level strategy.
This role provides a structured understanding of the strategic roadmaps, priorities, and challenges of key industry stakeholders - including telcos, technology companies, vendors, policymakers, and regulators - and translates these insights into a comprehensive 3 - 5 year sector strategy.
The role ensures GSMA remains aligned to the most critical global and regional industry priorities and is positioned as a trusted strategic partner to its members.
Key Responsibilities
Sector Strategy Development
Develop and own a comprehensive 3 - 5 year sector strategy for GSMA
Map the strategic roadmaps and investment priorities of key ecosystem stakeholders (telcos, tech companies, vendors, regulators, policymakers)
Identify global structural themes and regional variations in priorities and challenges
Translate industry shifts into clear implications for GSMA positioning and priorities
Provide strategic inputs into the corporate strategy and annual business planning cycle
Foresight & Horizon Scanning
Lead structured horizon scanning and scenario planning to anticipate shifts in:
Telecom and technology evolution
AI and emerging technologies
Regulatory and policy frameworks
Competitive dynamics
Consumer behaviour
Additionally, develop alternative future scenarios and stress-test GSMA’s strategic positioning, and establish early-warning mechanisms for disruptive market developments.
Market Intelligence & Strategic Analysis
Conduct market landscaping and competitive analysis across core and adjacent sectors
Develop business cases and strategic options assessments
Commission and interpret external research where necessary
Partner closely with GSMA Intelligence to integrate market data into strategic insights
Produce executive-level strategic briefings for the Leadership team, Director General and the Board
Cross-Functional & Regional Collaboration
Work very closely with key functional/ regional teams to understand top global & regional priorities and challenges
Ensure sector strategy reflects global & regional realities and opportunities
Contribute to corporate strategy for strategic alignment across functions/ regions
Contribute to strategic initiatives led by the broader Strategy team
External Representation & Ecosystem Engagement
Represent GSMA in relevant strategy, innovation, and industry forums
Engage with senior stakeholders across telcos, technology firms, vendors, and policy bodies
Position GSMA as a thought leader in sector-level strategic dialogue
About You
Significant experience in strategy consulting, corporate strategy, or corporate development (ideally in telecoms)
Deep understanding of the telecom ecosystem, including policy / regulatory and technology dynamics
Demonstrated experience developing long-term strategic frameworks and future scenarios
Strong commercial acumen and ability to translate industry insight into actionable strategy
Experience influencing senior executive stakeholders
Proven ability to operate in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
Excellent analytical, structuring, modelling and storytelling capabilities
Experience engaging at C-suite level is highly desirable
Exceptional communication and presentation abilities
Proven track record of delivering growth initiatives
Management consulting background
About Your Skills
Leadership - driving industry-wide strategic direction by combining market intelligence, anticipating future trends, and aligning diverse stakeholders around a clear long-term vision
Influence - shaping industry direction by building credibility, aligning senior stakeholders, and positioning the organization as a trusted strategic thought leader
Stakeholder Management - building and maintaining strong relationships with diverse senior stakeholders by aligning interests, navigating complexity, and driving consensus around strategic priorities
Analysis – applying data-driven thinking to interpret complex market dynamics, generating actionable insights, and inform high-impact strategic decisions
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.
Contract type
RegularWorker type
EmployeeWorking 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.