Role type Contract Division Mobile for Development
Location: Nairobi plus travel
From urban to rural areas, mobile networks have become the predominant infrastructure in emerging markets and 905M more people are now covered by mobile networks than have access to energy and water. The GSMA’s Mobile for Development – Utilities Programme explores how the mobile industry can support commercially viable energy, water and sanitation services in underserved communities.
Launched in January of 2013 the programme includes a £6M Innovation Grant Fund, run on competitive terms, to support innovation in mobile technology for energy and WASH services. The grants from the fund seek to address the following questions: What types of mobile technologies can support community services? For a solution to be adopted at scale what building blocks would be needed? What is the social and commercial impact of delivering community services to rural mobile subscribers?
The M4D Utilities team is currently seeking 2 Programme Managers to support the programme’s on-going work and future grantees in Sub-Saharan Africa and Developing Asia. We are seeking highly motivated self-starters that believe in the catalytic role that technology can play in access to basic infrastructure in emerging markets.
The M4D – Utilities Africa Programme Manager will be based in Nairobi and spend a significant proportion of their time in the field (at least 30%). The time spent in the field is likely to be for periods of between 1-3 weeks.
The Programme Manager will be involved with the following:
- Build and maintain relationships with Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Tower Companies, energy access, water and sanitation organisations and stay abreast of developments in these sectors. Identify potential opportunities to support proposals to the M4D – Utilities Grant Fund.
- Support Grant applications by MNOs, Tower Cos, ESCOs, Water Service Providers, Academics and NGOs. The Programme Manager will be the point of reference for the applicant during the Grant writing and submission stages to assist with queries and provide guidance.
- Manage ~£1M portfolio of grants and provide on-going advisory support to the Grantees during the trial implementation including advice on technology options, structuring market and customer research, supplier selection, pricing, etc.
- Ensure that learnings and progress of trials are shared with the programme team, our donors and then ultimately shared more broadly with the wider industry through publications and events
- Assist in organizing and facilitating events including the programme’s annual regional Working Groups
- Support Feasibility Studies with MNOs to inform senior management of the business case and specific opportunities for deploying Mobile Enabled Utility trials.
- Participate in the programme’s research agenda by conducting desk-based and field-based research including time in rural villages with potential overnight stays
- Contribute towards shaping the overall strategic direction / course correction of M4D Utilities, to ensure that the programme delivers value to the industry and achieves its goal of creating more scalable and sustainable business models for energy, water and sanitation service provision.
Criteria
Background
- Strong technical background in at least one of: mobile networks, mobile devices, M2M communications, renewable energy, water or sanitation
- Strong commercial background with experience in at least one of: impact investing, rural distribution, marketing, raising capital for startups
- Project Management, New Product Introduction and/or Management Consulting experience is attractive
Qualifications
- An MBA, International Development, Engineering or Business post-graduate degree is preferred
Skills
- Comfortable managing relationships with various internal and external stakeholders, including C-level executives and dedicated entrepreneurs
- Strong analytical skills: Able to manipulate large quantities of data, and be able to present the results of analysis in a succinct manner to key stakeholders
- Excellent communicator: able to express complex technical, commercial or regulatory issues in plain language, without losing the important points
- A team player, being able to effectively connect together a wide group of internal GSMA interests and resources, to support their work
- Fluent and compelling written and oral communications skills, particularly in English
- Additional Language skills are an advantage, particularly French, Swahili, Portuguese, Spanish, South Asian languages, South East Asian languages.
Personal
- Genuinely interested in both the commercial and social benefits that are presented by the programme
- Excellent cultural awareness and a desire to work with teams around the world. Enjoys international travel (approximately 30% of the time) and learning about new markets
- Able to quickly grasp new concepts and ideas (given the level of innovation in our sector and the wider industry)
- Naturally curious, able to think beyond business-as-usual scenarios
- Process-oriented individual
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