Vice President of Public Affairs

About Airalo

Airalo is revolutionizing travel connectivity as the first global eSIM store, enabling millions of travelers to access affordable mobile data in over 200 countries and regions worldwide. Our diverse team comprises more than 400 individuals across 60+ nations, united by our commitment to trust, ownership, and autonomy in a fully remote, global environment.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Vice President of Public Affairs to establish and lead Airalo’s public affairs function. This senior role involves advocating and shaping regulatory landscapes impacting fast-growing tech companies, particularly within telecoms and digital economy sectors. The position demands engaging with worldwide regulators, policymakers, and industry bodies, providing strategic advice to leadership, and proactively managing market-access risks across multiple jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

• Devise and direct a comprehensive global public affairs strategy aligned to Airalo’s commercial priorities and expansion goals.
• Build and lead the public affairs function, including establishing internal processes, selecting and managing external consultants and lobbyists, and eventually growing an internal team.
• Create a forward-looking policy horizon scanning mechanism to anticipate regulatory changes before they emerge as challenges.
• Lead interactions with government ministries, telecom regulators (such as TRAI, Anatel, OFCOM equivalents), and consumer protection agencies in target markets.
• Represent Airalo in regulatory consultations, hearings, legislative inquiries, and trade association forums.
• Develop a trusted network of policymakers, civil servants, and industry stakeholders who regard Airalo as a credible partner.
• Collaborate with Legal on regulatory enforcement matters.
• Track, analyze, and interpret policy and regulatory developments across APAC, EMEA, LATAM, and North America.
• Formulate and maintain policy positions on key topics including eSIM licensing, data privacy, consumer protection, digital markets regulation, and cross-border telecommunications.
• Foster and manage engagement with industry associations such as GSMA, MVNO groups, and digital economy coalitions, influencing their policy work.
• Represent Airalo as a senior spokesperson at industry events, conferences, and forums.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Legal, Compliance, Communications, and Commercial teams to integrate policy perspectives into business decisions and support new market entry assessments.
• Ensure consistency between external messaging and internal communications/PR.

Qualifications and Experience

• At least 10 years of experience in public affairs, government relations, policy, or regulatory affairs within tech or telecom companies, or consultancy experience serving these sectors.
• Proven success influencing regulatory outcomes and managing government relations programs across multiple jurisdictions.
• In-depth knowledge of telecom, digital economy, or platform regulatory environments.
• Ability to independently build structure and processes as a first hire without an existing team.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong political acumen to effectively align Airalo’s interests with government stakeholders.
• Comfortable working remotely across global time zones in a commercial and fast-paced setting.
• Preferred: Experience managing external affairs agencies in multiple countries and prior experience founding a public affairs function.

Compensation and Location

• Remote position available in Spain, the United Kingdom, or the United Arab Emirates.
• Contract type varies by location, including permanent contracts with either local entities or employers of record.
• Salary ranges according to residence:
• UK: £98,000 to £133,000 per year
• Spain: €80,500 to €109,000 per year
• UAE: AED 459,000 to 621,000 per year

Additional Information

Applicants acknowledge that background checks may be required with prior consent and conducted under applicable laws. Airalo is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and equal opportunity. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to individuals with disabilities during the recruitment process. The recruitment process integrates AI-assisted tools for reviewing applications, with final hiring decisions made by human recruiters.