VP of Public Affairs

You will build Airalo's public affairs function from scratch and oversee our external relationship with the world's regulators, policymakers, and industry bodies. This isn't a communications role with a government relations side — it's a substantive policy and advocacy role for someone who understands how to shape the environment a fast-growing tech company operates in. You will advise senior leadership and represent Airalo in regulatory processes across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously, and ensure that market-access risks are identified early and addressed proactively. The role requires a sharp political instinct, genuine interest in the telecoms and digital economy regulatory space, and the credibility to represent a global brand. What You'll Do: Strategy & Leadership - Design and lead Airalo's global public affairs strategy, aligned to business priorities and market-expansion plans. - Build the public affairs function — establish processes, select external advisors and lobbying firms by market, and, in time, grow a team around you. - Develop a forward-looking policy horizon scanner to anticipate regulatory change before it becomes a fire to fight. Government Relations & Advocacy - Lead direct engagement with government ministries, telecom regulators (TRAIs, Anatel, OFCOM equivalents, etc.), and consumer protection bodies across priority markets. - Represent Airalo in regulatory consultations, public hearings, parliamentary or congressional inquiries, and trade body working groups. - Build a trusted network of policymakers, civil servants, and industry peers who see Airalo as a credible and constructive actor in the sector. - Contribute to to regulatory enforcement actions — working closely with Legal. Policy & Regulatory Intelligence - Monitor and analyse, policy and regulatory developments across APAC, EMEA, LATAM, and North America. - Develop and maintain Airalo's policy positions on key issues: eSIM licensing, data privacy, consumer protection, digital markets regulation, and cross-border telecoms. Industry & Stakeholder Engagement - Build and manage Airalo's relationships with industry associations (GSMA, MVNO associations, digital economy coalitions) and shape our participation in their policy workstreams. - Represent Airalo at industry events, conferences, and forums as a senior external voice. Cross-functional Collaboration - Partner with Legal, Compliance, Communications, and Commercial teams to ensure policy work is integrated into broader business decision-making. - Working with legal, support market-entry workstreams by providing regulatory assessments for new geographies. - Align external messaging with Internal Communications and PR to ensure consistent positioning. What You'll Bring: - 10+ years in public affairs, government relations, policy, or regulatory affairs — in-house at a tech or telecoms company, or in a public affairs consultancy serving this sector. - Demonstrable track record of influencing regulatory outcomes and managing multi-jurisdictional government relations programmes. - Deep understanding of the telecoms, digital economy, or platform regulation landscape. - Ability to operate autonomously as a first hire, building structure and process without a team underneath you from day one. - Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. - High political intelligence: you know how to frame Airalo's interests in a way that resonates with government stakeholders, not just internal audiences. - Comfortable operating remotely across time zones in a fast-moving, commercially driven environment. Preferred - Experience managing external affairs agencies and consultants across multiple geographies. - Prior experience building a public affairs function from the ground up.