Director - Public Policy & Government Affairs (AI)

Josh Talks AI | India

Location : Delhi/NCR

Reporting to : Founders

About Josh Talks AI:

Josh Talks AI is building the foundational layer for real-world voice AI systems, starting with India.

We work at the intersection of:

- Large-scale conversational voice datasets

- Evaluation systems and benchmarks (Voice of India)

- Research and domain-specific AI infrastructure

- Our work enables leading AI labs and enterprises to build voice systems that perform reliably across India's linguistic and real-world diversity.

- As AI adoption accelerates, there is a growing need for credible, real-world evaluation and measurement frameworks. Josh Talks AI is building that layer.

About the Role:

We are looking for a Director - Public Policy & Government Affairs to help shape how voice AI and multilingual AI systems are understood, evaluated, and adopted across India.

This role sits at the intersection of:

- Government engagement

- Policy and regulatory ecosystems

- Industry partnerships

- Research and institutional collaboration

You will work closely with leadership, research, and communications teams to build meaningful partnerships with public institutions and ecosystem stakeholders.

What You Will Do:

1. Government & Institutional Partnerships (State-Level)

- Build and manage relationships with state governments and public institutions

- Work on state-level collaborations around Voice of India (VOI) our benchmark for measuring model performance, including language-specific or state-focused reports

- Support the planning of state-level launches, discussions, and knowledge-sharing forums

- Engage with relevant stakeholders (e.g., IT departments, digital missions, language bodies) to drive awareness and adoption of evaluation frameworks

2. Strategic Central Government Engagement

Build relationships with key central government bodies such as:

- Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY)

- India AI Mission/Digital India /IndiaAI ecosystem

- Other relevant national initiatives

- Support partnerships that align VOI and related work with national priorities around AI, language technology, and digital inclusion

Contribute to policy conversations on:

- Multilingual AI

- Evaluation standards

- Responsible and inclusive AI deployment

3. Strategic Policy Engagement

- Track and engage with developments in AI, data, and digital policy

- Represent Josh Talks AI in relevant forums, consultations, and policy discussions

- Help translate ecosystem learnings into constructive inputs for policy and institutional stakeholders

4. Ecosystem & Industry Partnerships

Develop partnerships across sectors such as:

- Financial services

- Healthcare

- Customer experience / BPO

- Support the development of domain-specific initiatives and benchmarks in collaboration with industry and institutional partners

5. External Stakeholder Engagement

- Build relationships with:

- Academic institutions and researchers

- Think tanks and policy organizations

- Civil society groups working on language, accessibility, and inclusion

- Facilitate collaborative discussions, roundtables, and joint initiatives

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with:

- Communications team (external narratives and launches)

- Research team (credibility and technical alignment)

- Business team (partnership opportunities)

7. Program & Partnership Execution

Support the planning and execution of:

- State-level engagements and VOI-related initiatives

- Institutional partnerships and collaborations

- Multi-stakeholder discussions and events

- Help build a structured, long-term approach to engagement across government and policy stakeholders

What We're Looking For:

10-15 years of experience in:

- Public policy

- Government relations

- Regulatory or ecosystem roles in tech, digital infrastructure, or adjacent sectors

- Strong understanding of:

India's policy landscape

- Government functioning at state and central levels

- Experience working with:

- Ministries, public institutions, or policy bodies

- Multi-stakeholder environments

Preferred Qualities:

- Ability to translate complex technical ideas into accessible policy narratives

- Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills

- Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth environments

- Interest in AI, language technology, and digital inclusion

Why This Role Matters:

Voice is becoming a primary interface for how people interact with technology especially in a country as linguistically diverse as India.

This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of AI, policy, and real-world impact, helping shape how these systems are built and evaluated for millions of users.