Senior Policy Manager, SSA

Department: Advocacy - Africa region
Team: Public Policy
Location: You must be based in the Southern Africa sub-region

Position type: Full-time

About the Team

The GSMA Africa team is dedicated to advancing digital transformation as an essential catalyst for social and economic progress across the region. Collaborating with other GSMA teams and members, we formulate strategic positions to support the ongoing development of the mobile industry in Africa. Our initiatives focus on addressing the significant usage gap, striving to ensure inclusivity so that all individuals benefit from the digital evolution.

We partner with policymakers, regulators, mobile network operators, and other stakeholders to promote policy decisions that adhere to established industry best practices, fostering a regulatory environment conducive to sector growth and innovation.

What the hiring manager says

“This is an exciting role for someone who is passionate about driving digital transformation in Africa, the role that enabling policy and regulatory environments play in driving this and has the drive to work with a wide range of stakeholders to create such environments. The successful candidate will have a strong network of regulatory and policy decision-makers and, ideally, mobile money operators across the Southern African sub-region and Africa as a whole. The individual will enjoy developing and maintaining relationships with a wide stakeholder base.

As the region rapidly adopts new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 5G, and as mobile connectivity becomes ever more critical, there is an increasing need for innovative policy interventions. The successful candidate will be at the forefront of supporting the responsible deployment of AI, promoting the expansion of 5G infrastructure, and ensuring data privacy and ethical considerations are addressed. Furthermore, tackling key barriers such as smartphone affordability remains essential to bridging the digital divide and enabling true digital inclusion for African communities. Working closely with stakeholders, the role will focus on advocating for policies that foster access to affordable devices and connectivity, empowering people and businesses to fully participate in the evolving digital economy across the Southern African region.”

Caroline Mbugua HSC, Senior Director, Public Policy & Communications, Africa.

About the Role

As Senior Policy Manager, Southern Africa, you will develop and deliver an advocacy agenda that supports GSMA Africa’s efforts to help our members advance their collective public policy interests at the country and sub-regional levels. Additionally, the role will be responsible for providing strategic guidance and thought leadership to the industry on forward-looking policy aimed at reducing the usage gap in a particular country and sub-region and improving the investment climate to secure the industry's future.

Key roles and responsibilities include the following:

• You will develop and nurture relationships with policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders in the region’s ecosystem to support successful advocacy of industry positions.
• You will analyse and assess key areas of policy and regulation, and their impact on GSMA members and the industry as a whole.
• You will work with GSMA members to understand their policy and regulatory priorities and, in consultation with internal teams, assist in developing clear industry positions.
• You will collaborate effectively across the GSMA. This includes working closely with other advocacy teams and technology experts to align and incorporate their messaging and with the Marketing team to disseminate the industry position.
• You will contribute to GSMA policy positions by writing, updating, and editing position papers, policy briefings, public consultation responses, letters, presentations, leave-behinds and proposed amendments to draft laws.
• You will provide systematic monitoring, analysis and dissemination of political intelligence to inform GSMA’s policy and advocacy work.
• You will support the delivery of GSMA programs in a particular subregion.
• You will represent GSMA at internal and external meetings and events
• You will develop a capacity-building program for a specific sub-region and collaborate with internal experts to deliver it.
• You will prepare monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports as required.
• You will assess opportunities for partnering with other organisations on a common platform.

About You

You will have a strong foundation in the mobile industry and a clear understanding of the policy and regulatory landscape across the Southern Africa sub-region as it relates to this sector. You actively stay up to date on current trends and decisions that affect the mobile industry, with a proactive and solutions-oriented attitude to support industry players in addressing key challenges in their markets. You are comfortable engaging stakeholders, communicating effectively, and rapidly adapting to different cultures.

We welcome applications from individuals who have the following demonstrated qualifications and skills:

• English language fluency is mandatory.
• You understand the mobile industry and the existing policy well and are familiar with the policy and regulatory landscape in the Southern African sub-region.
• You have demonstrable experience in regulatory or advocacy functions in the telecom sector.
• You have experience analysing the business impact of policy and regulatory decisions on the mobile sector and designing advocacy campaigns to affect that impact.
• You have proven market research and analytical skills, especially the ability to predict and/or assess public policy decisions’ commercial and economic implications.
• You have excellent relationship management skills, are comfortable engaging at different levels, including the executive and ministerial levels, and can effectively manage a diverse set of stakeholders.
• You have strong communication and interpersonal skills and can work effectively in a team of diverse cultures, skills, and knowledge.
• You understand the need for and value of tracking long-term engagements, and you have experience doing so.
• You can handle pressing deadlines, ambiguity and competing priorities.
• You have excellent cultural awareness and the capability to work with globally dispersed teams.

About your Skills

• Communication: Able to convey complex regulatory and policy concepts clearly and persuasively to governments, regulators, and industry stakeholders — a critical skill for influencing policy outcomes and ensuring organizational positions are well understood.
• Project Management: Skilled in planning, coordinating, and delivering multi-country initiatives on time and within budget — necessary for driving consistent implementation of policy priorities across diverse markets in Southern Africa.
• Leadership: Provides strategic direction and inspires collaboration within the team and across stakeholder groups — essential for setting vision, guiding advocacy efforts, and ensuring alignment with broader organizational objectives.
• Teamwork: Works effectively with cross-functional and multicultural teams — vital for fostering organizational cohesion, leveraging diverse expertise, and ensuring coordinated advocacy across geographies.
• Stakeholder Management: Builds and maintains trusted relationships with policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders — key to navigating complex political environments, sustaining dialogue, and securing policy progress.

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.