Insights Manager, CIU

Department: Mobile for Development

Team: Central Insights Unit

Location: London (hybrid working)

Position type: Fixed Term Contract until March 2026

What the hiring manager says

“The ideal candidate will bring a curious and analytical mindset, strong research skills, excellent written communication, and a deep interest in how digital technologies can advance sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries. They will be skilled at generating evidence-based insights and communicating both global trends and local perspectives with clarity and impact.

This role offers the opportunity to develop thought leadership and deliver actionable insights to inform inclusive and sustainable development, working in a collaborative, diverse team passionate about leveraging digital technologies to reduce global inequalities.”

Nigham Shahid, Senior Insights Manager, Central Insights Unit

About the Team

The Central Insights Unit (CIU) sits at the core of GSMA Mobile for Development (M4D) and produces country- and region-specific research and analysis on the role and impact of digital technologies in advancing sustainable and inclusive development.  Our work spans across many themes and verticals including digital inclusion, gender, financial inclusion, agriculture, health, utilities, humanitarian action and climate action.

The thematically cross-cutting nature of our research means that our knowledge base is wide-ranging as we bring clarity to emerging opportunities in digital development. Our work directly supports international donors to build expertise and capacity as they seek to advance digitalisation initiatives in low- and middle-income countries.

About the Role

This role offers an opportunity to contribute to research that informs sustainable development initiatives, shapes global development discourse, informs programmes and policy, and supports the responsible scaling of digital innovation across sectors such as humanitarian action, agriculture, health, climate resilience, and digital and financial inclusion.

Working closely with an interdisciplinary team, the candidate will lead both primary and secondary research and produce high-quality outputs for diverse stakeholders—including donor and development partners, governments, and private sector actors. This is a unique opportunity to contribute knowledge to how digital technologies are understood and applied to tackle critical development challenges.

About You

You will bring a strong foundation in research and a passion for using digital technologies to advance development outcomes. You will thrive in a diverse team dedicated to empowering people via mobile and emerging tech., and bring many of the following:

• Excellent analytical skills, such as the ability to define research questions, devise analytical frameworks, analyse data and extract insights. 
• Strong command over qualitative research methodologies. Knowledge and experience of quantitative research methodologies is desirable.
• An understanding of the mobile industry and the international development sector, including a genuine interest in the commercial and social benefits presented by the adoption of mobile and emerging technologies in low-and-middle income countries.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and manage research projects, driving them through to completion with minimal guidance from your managers.
• Prior experience of managing externally commissioned research projects from end-to-end is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and managing productive work relationships, at all levels, including C-level.
• Fluent and compelling written and oral communications skills in English, including an ability to articulate complex issues in plain language. Knowledge of a second language (e.g. French) would be a plus.
• A track record of delivering results both through individual contribution and through teams.
• A proactive approach and a willingness to make suggestions and test new ideas.

Capabilities:

Key capabilities for this role include:

• Producing clear, engaging, and high-quality written outputs—such as reports, blogs, and slide decks—suitable for publication and dissemination.
• Designing and delivering research projects from end to end, including defining scope, formulating research questions, selecting appropriate methodologies, overseeing / conducting research and producing final analytical outputs.
• Through strong command over a variety of research approaches, identifying relevant and promising opportunities and trends in digitalization for development.
• Leading discussions and building relationships with a range of stakeholders, including donors, mobile operators, governments, development organisations, and other ecosystem actors.
• Ensuring research outputs are targeted and tailored to the research context - as well as meet the needs of specific audiences—whether policy makers, industry leaders, or development practitioners.
• Collaborating with insights teams across GSMA’s M4D programmes and the broader organisation to ensure alignment.
• Identifying and pursuing opportunities to share and promote research findings.
• Contributing to the development of CIU’s research and insights agenda.

Contract type

Worker type

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.