Senior Market Engagement & Insights Manager, Inclusive Digital Finance

Position type: Fixed Term Contract; end date 30 September 2028

What the hiring manager says

“This role is an exceptional opportunity for someone who is passionate about converting access to financial services into meaningful financial outcomes for individual users and small and micro-businesses. As Senior Market Engagement & Insights Manager, you will forge strong partnerships with mobile money providers, lead the day-to-day operational delivery of the initiative, and apply your outstanding research and analytical skills to develop impactful knowledge products for the wider community.”

Panos Loukos, Director, Inclusive Digital Finance

About the Team

The GSMA Inclusive Digital Finance programme (formerly known as the Mobile Money programme) mobilises Digital Financial Services (DFS) providers, policymakers and partners to deliver market innovation and reform — closing the gap between financial access and genuine financial health for underserved populations.   

The programme sits within Mobile for Development (M4D), a dedicated global team within the GSMA that brings together mobile operator members, tech innovators, the development community and governments to prove the power of digital in emerging markets.

About the role

Under the “Advancing Financial Health in Mobile Money Ecosystems” initiative, the GSMA Inclusive Digital Finance programme will generate evidence on the drivers of financial health, equip mobile money providers (MMPs) with practical, evidence-based tools and implementation support, and embed financial health measurement into MMP product design, strategy, and decision-making.

The Senior Market Engagement & Insights Manager will lead the day-to-day operational delivery of the initiative across both of its phases: from synthesising evidence and convening MMPs on the drivers of financial health, through to leading a portfolio of MMP partner sprints that adopt the GSMA Financial Health Index and translate it into measurable improvements in financial health outcomes for individual users and small- and micro-businesses (SMBs). You will be the primary point of contact for MMP partners throughout their engagement with the initiative as well as develop—and oversee the development of—the programme’s knowledge products.

This is a highly cross-functional role combining research and insights leadership, hands-on programme and project management, and senior external stakeholder engagement — offering unparalleled access to leading mobile money providers and the opportunity to shape an initiative with global reach and impact.

Key roles and responsibilities include:

• Lead day-to-day operational delivery of the initiative, ensuring activities are delivered to a high standard, on time and on budget.
• Oversee the synthesis of evidence and insights on the drivers of financial health for underserved individuals and SMBs, translating findings into practical guidance for industry partners.
• Build and manage a portfolio of relationships with mobile money and other DFS providers, acting as their primary point of contact and supporting them throughout their engagement with the initiative.
• Oversee the adoption of the Financial Health Index and the design and delivery of partner-facing technical assistance and implementation support, from diagnostics through to evaluation of outcomes.
• Lead the development of research, the analysis of insights and the development of knowledge products, as well as manage and mentor junior team members contributing to this work.
• Represent the programme externally, including at industry convenings and dissemination events, and manage relationships with key stakeholders.
• Work closely with colleagues across the wider Inclusive Digital Finance team and organisation to ensure a joined-up approach to programme delivery.

About You

The right candidate will combine exceptional research and insights skills with robust programme management experience and a strong track record of building trusted, senior-level relationships with MMPs or similar private-sector partners. You will be comfortable leading complex, multi-stakeholder workstreams independently, translating evidence into practical guidance, and managing junior team members.

Essential

• Experience driving financial inclusion and/or financial health outcomes for underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries, including an understanding of the commercial and social opportunities this presents for the private sector.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing research & analysis projects coupled with outstanding writing skills.
• Proven track record managing complex, multi-partner programmes or projects end-to-end, including planning, budgeting, risk management and reporting, with minimal guidance from senior management.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and managing productive, senior-level relationships with external partners — ideally mobile network operators, MMPs or other financial services providers — across a range of geographies, including at group and local/operating company level.
• Fluent and compelling written and oral communication skills in English, including the ability to translate complex, technical evidence into clear, actionable guidance for commercial audiences.
• Ability to present persuasively and negotiate programmatic engagement with senior industry stakeholders.
• A self-starter who is highly motivated, able to work independently, and comfortable operating with an entrepreneurial, solutions-oriented mindset in a fast-evolving programme.

Desirable

• Direct experience working for MMPs or the broader mobile industry in Sub-Saharan Africa and/or Asia Pacific.
• Familiarity with financial health, financial capability or financial resilience frameworks and measurement approaches.
• Experience designing or delivering test-and-learn or sprint-based technical assistance programmes with private-sector partners.
• Knowledge of consumer protection and responsible data/AI use principles in digital financial services.

About your skills

• Communication – Communicates complex research and technical concepts clearly and persuasively to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior industry stakeholders.
• Delivery – Consistently delivers high-quality outputs to agreed timelines and budgets, adapting plans as needed to keep the programme on track.
• Project Management – Plans, sequences and manages multi-workstream activities end-to-end, balancing competing priorities and mitigating risks proactively.
• Influence – Builds credibility and buy-in with partners and stakeholders, shaping decisions and priorities without relying on direct authority.
• Stakeholder Management – Builds and sustains trusted, senior-level relationships across a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, balancing competing interests to keep the programme moving forward.

Contract type

Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)

Worker type

Employee

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.