Department: Strategy
Team: Strategic Initiatives
Location: London (Hybrid)
Position type: Permanent, Full time
What the hiring manager says
Strategy only matters if it translates into meaningful impact.
The Head of Strategic Initiatives will ensure that GSMA does not simply observe industry shifts but actively shapes them. This role will identify, champion, and amplify high impact priorities across the mobile ecosystem - ensuring that when GSMA selects a strategic focus area, we lead with scale, coordination, and visible impact.
This is about making GSMA the centre of gravity for selected industry priorities - leveraging our technical expertise, policy leadership, global convening power, and brand to deliver outsized impact for our members.
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 & Projects - defining the industry's 3-5 year outlook and implications for GSMA.
- Corporate Strategy & Projects - developing the 3 year strategic roadmap of GSMA, KPIs, business plan, and high level operating plan.
- Strategic Initiatives - leading and coordinating cross functional initiatives externally and internally (e.g., 5G monetisation, 6G, AI, Innovation, inorganic growth opportunities, AI first GSMA).
- 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 Strategic Initiatives is responsible for identifying, shaping, and amplifying high impact strategic priorities for GSMA and the broader mobile ecosystem. The role brings a top down, ecosystem level perspective to selected industry priorities (e.g., 5G monetisation, 6G, AI, innovation, inorganic growth opportunities, AI first GSMA) and ensures GSMA delivers maximum value and visible leadership in those domains.
- Setting direction
- Mapping the ecosystem
- Identifying gaps and opportunities
- Coordinating internal capabilities
- Elevating impact to industry scale
Key Responsibilities Strategic Priority Identification & Scoping
- Identify and champion high impact strategic initiatives aligned with sector and corporate strategy
- Define clear ambition, scope, and outcomes for selected priority areas
- Develop initiative charters and strategic roadmaps
Ecosystem Mapping & Opportunity Identification
- Map the industry landscape for each priority:
- Key players and competitors
- Existing industry initiatives
- Potential partners and collaborators
- White spaces and gaps
- Identify where GSMA can uniquely add value and differentiate
Cross Functional Orchestration
- Coordinate across GSMA functions (policy, technical domains, events, marketing, regional teams, GSMA Intelligence)
- Ensure initiatives leverage GSMA's full capability stack:
- Technical expertise
- Policy influence
- Global events and convening power
- Brand and communications
- Align stakeholders around shared objectives and measurable outcomes
Execution Oversight & Impact Amplification
- Establish governance and progress tracking mechanisms for key initiatives
- Ensure initiatives move beyond concept into visible, measurable impact
- Identify and resolve execution bottlenecks
- Drive storytelling and positioning to reinforce GSMA's leadership in selected domains
- Ensure the "GSMA stamp" is clearly visible in priority areas
Partnership & External Engagement
- Develop strategic partnerships that accelerate impact
- Represent GSMA in relevant industry forums and working groups
- Strengthen GSMA's position as the industry's coordination platform for priority domains
About You
- Significant experience leading complex, cross functional strategic initiatives
- Strong understanding of the telecom and broader digital ecosystem
- Demonstrated ability to orchestrate across multiple stakeholders without direct authority
- Strong commercial and strategic acumen
- Experience shaping large scale programmes or ecosystem initiatives
- Comfortable operating at executive level and influencing senior leaders
- Pragmatic, impact oriented, and execution focused
- Experience operating in fast paced or high growth environments
- Results orientated problem solver with strong resilience and adaptability
About Your Skills
- Delivery - driving execution excellence by translating strategy into actionable plans, overcoming bottlenecks, and ensuring initiatives deliver measurable, high impact outcomes
- Leadership - leading with clarity and influence by setting direction, aligning diverse stakeholders, and driving teams to deliver high impact strategic outcomes
- Influence - shaping decisions and driving alignment across complex, multi stakeholder environments by leveraging credibility, clear communication, and deep industry insight
- Stakeholder Management - building strong, trust based relationships with internal and external stakeholders, navigating diverse interests and priorities to foster collaboration, buy in, and driving collective action toward strategic objectives
- Commercial Awareness - understanding market dynamics and industry trends to identify value creating opportunities, making informed strategic decisions, and ensuring initiatives deliver tangible business and ecosystem impact
- Innovation - driving forward thinking solutions by identifying emerging trends, exploring new opportunities, and fostering creative approaches that deliver differentiated value and industry impact
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 with your request.
What We Offer
Working at the GSMA offers unparalleled access to the mobile industry and the chance to shape its direction. You will work in a fast paced, rapidly evolving environment on global solutions, genuinely fascinating and industry changing projects. Our benefits include competitive compensation, architect designed offices, learning and development opportunities, generous holiday allowance, four additional days off for professional development, and many others.
GSMA Values
Our values shape how we work and interact inside and outside our global organisation. They include:
- Passionately driven - we approach everything we do with unparalleled capability, tenacity and commitment.
- Insightful leaders - we continually develop and engage our expertise, insight and creativity.
- Stronger together - we lean on each other so the industry can lean on us.
We care deeply about diversity, equity and inclusivity and are committed to ensuring equal representation and opportunity for all staff. Flexi time and remote working are available to all employees.