AI Research Lead Evaluation

GSM Conference Services; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading telecommunications organization is seeking an experienced AI Research Lead to develop and maintain benchmarking in AI for the telecom sector. This role emphasizes collaboration with members on evaluating low-resource language models, ensuring robust and transparent evaluation processes. Candidates should have experience with open-source evaluation frameworks and understand telco or enterprise AI. The position offers a hybrid work environment with a short-term contract until the end of December 2026, with potential for extension.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Flexible remote working

Generous holiday allowances

Professional development days

Qualifications

• Experience with open-source evaluation frameworks (e.g. HELM, lm-eval-harness).
• Ability to manage versioned pipelines and benchmarking reports.
• Understanding of telco or enterprise AI is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the evaluation pipeline for open telco benchmarks.
• Lead the integration and benchmarking of new models.
• Provide technical support for low-resource language LLM initiatives.

Skills

Machine learning model evaluation

Open-source evaluation frameworks

Collaboration

Project Management

Stakeholder Management

Innovation

Analysis

Job description

Department: Technology

Team: AI

Location: London with hybrid ways of working

Position type: Short Term Contract (Inside IR35) until end of Dec 2026 with potential to extend

What the hiring manager says

As the AI Research Lead you will be at the forefront of developing and maintaining the GSMA’s Open Telco AI benchmarks and working with members on evaluating low‑resource language models. This role is critical to ensuring our evaluation pipelines are robust and transparent directly impacting the quality and reliability of our Members AI solutions. You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with leading telecom operators and frontier AI ecosystem partners making a tangible impact on industry best practice and innovation.

About the Team

You’ll join a dynamic cross‑functional team dedicated to advancing AI capabilities in the telecom sector. Our team is growing rapidly with a culture of collaboration and technical excellence. We value curiosity, initiative, and a drive to set new benchmarks for the industry.

About the role

You will own and maintain the evaluation pipeline for open telco benchmarks, designing and implementing new benchmarks in collaboration with telecom operator members and AI partners. You’ll lead the integration and benchmarking of new models, including member‑submitted LLMs, and guide the expansion of benchmarking to include AI agents and diverse architectures. You’ll also provide technical support for members building low‑resource language LLM initiatives. Success in this role means delivering robust, transparent benchmarking processes and supporting the community in adopting best practices.

About You

You are passionate about machine learning model evaluation and have demonstrable experience with open‑source evaluation frameworks (such as HELM or lm‑eval‑harness). You thrive in collaborative environments working with technical partners and cross‑functional stakeholders. Your experience developing or evaluating local language LLMs gives you a unique perspective on linguistic, cultural, and resource constraints. You are adept at managing versioned pipelines and benchmarking reports and you bring an understanding of telco or enterprise AI.

About your skills

• Strong experience in machine learning model evaluation and benchmarks.
• Familiarity with open‑source evaluation frameworks (e.g. HELM lm‑eval‑harness).
• Experience collaborating with technical partners and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage versioned pipelines and benchmarking reports.
• Understanding of telco or enterprise AI use cases (a strong plus).
• Proven experience developing or evaluating Local Language LLMs with an understanding of unique linguistic, cultural, and resource constraints (a strong plus).
• Communication
• Analysis
• Project Management
• Innovation
• Stakeholder Management

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.

Contract type

Short term Contractor

Worker type

Contingent Worker

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 equally represented and connected, so we particularly encourage applications from all demographics. The success 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 but 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, fueling each other’s successes and constantly asking how we can help.

Key Skills

• Administrative Skills
• Facilities Management
• Biotechnology
• Creative Production
• Design And Estimation
• Architecture

Employment Type: Full‑Time

Experience: years

Vacancy: 1