Head of Communications

Position OverviewAs Head of Communications at the AI Robot Association (AIRoA), you will oversee the PR and Community teams and lead the strategy and execution of both external and internal communications. Externally, you will be responsible for brand strategy, media PR, events and conferences, online community management, and stakeholder communications. Internally, one of your key missions will be to energize the AIRoA community itself by designing and running all-hands meetings and town halls, knowledge-sharing sessions, internal branding initiatives, and programs that foster connections among secondees from member companies and researchers. Your role is to create an environment where everyone at AIRoA can stay inspired and engaged.【What Makes the "Head of Communications" Role at AIRoA Unique】The Head of Communications role is about designing not only "how AIRoA is perceived by the world," but also "how AIRoA feels from the inside." In a pioneering field that combines AI and robotics, you will help communicate Japan's vision for a robot data ecosystem to the world, while at the same time building an environment where members, secondees, and researchers inside AIRoA can take pride in the mission and feel deeply connected across teams and organizations.You will have the mandate to define what messages we put forward, what stories we tell to bring people along, and what kinds of forums and experiences will move the organization into action—and then turn those ideas into reality.【The Appeal of Taking On This Challenge at AIRoA, Just as We Are Getting Started】AIRoA is still in its early days, bringing together people with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. Because of this, there is not yet a fixed "right answer" for our culture or our approach to communication. As Head of Communications, you will have the opportunity to design the entire blueprint for internal communications—from how meetings are run, to how information flows, to how we celebrate and recognize contributions.You will be able to create, through your own ideas and decisions, the practices and rituals that people will one day look back on and say, "This is what makes AIRoA, AIRoA."【Other】While remote work is possible, this role is primarily expected to be office-based.Most of our engineers and researchers also work on-site, conducting research and development directly in front of the robots.【About AIRoA】AIRoA was established in December 2024 with two core objectives: "to revolutionize the technology of robot development through the fusion of robots and AI" and "to promote the use of robots in society." While AI is rapidly advancing worldwide, the shortage of data in robot development has become a critical issue.To address this challenge, we are running a national flagship project funded by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization), with an investment of over JPY 20 billion.Recruitment BackgroundOver the next few years, our projects will expand and the number of people involved—both inside and outside AIRoA—will grow rapidly. In light of this, we need to carefully design an optimized, end-to-end communications strategy for both external and internal audiences.Building a strong sense of unity and culture across the organization is also a key challenge unique to this early stage.To address this, we are seeking a Head of Communications who will oversee both PR and Community functions, and who can design and drive "external outreach" and "internal engagement" as two mutually reinforcing pillars of AIRoA's communications strategy.Future MissionAfter joining AIRoA, your first priority will be to bring together our existing functions—PR, community, digital communications, and recruitment branding—and establish an organization-wide communications strategy and execution framework.Building on that foundation, your mid- to long-term mission will be to define AIRoA's overall narrative and language, and to design external communications and internal communications as an integrated whole. You will be expected to take the lead in community design that connects members, member companies, and researchers, as well as in building scalable mechanisms for information sharing and storytelling across the organization.RequirementsRequired Qualifications:At least 5 years of experience in corporate communications and/or PRAt least 5 years of management experience leading teams or organizations in corporate communications, PR, or related fieldsExperience working closely with senior management to plan and drive company-wide communication initiativesExperience in both external PR and internal (employee) communicationsPreferred Qualifications:Experience as Head of Communications or equivalent lead role at a tech company, startup, or consortiumExperience in community management (e.g., user communities, membership-based communities)Experience planning and running all-hands meetings/town halls, internal events, and internal branding initiativesExperience in global PR and communicating at international conferences and/or academic congressesSomeone who enjoys bringing together members with diverse backgrounds and building organizations from the 0→1 phaseBenefitsOur OfficeWe currently operate out of a spacious office and research facility of over 1,000 m² located in the Ryutsu Center area. In this space, our business teams and engineering teams work in close collaboration, advancing both day-to-day operations and R&D with AI robots always close at hand. The facility is frequently visited not only by members of the AI Robot Association, but also by engineers and researchers from partner companies and representatives from member companies. As a result, it serves as a hub where diverse experts at the forefront of AI and robotics gather and interact.Your ColleaguesToday, highly skilled engineers and researchers from around the world are part of our organization. Some members have even relocated from overseas to Japan to join our projects on site. We aim to build a globally open R&D organization where diverse talent, regardless of nationality or background, come together, inspire one another, and shape the future.People & Talent Development ProgramsTraining & Development[On-the-job training (OJT)]・Participation in external conferences, including overseas events・Communication and management training・Organizational development training[Internal Programs]・Performance reviews twice a year (every half year)・In-house study sessions・In-house library・Support for external training programs[Benefits]・Support for book purchases・Subsidies for lunch and light snacks・Free drinks・Commuting allowance (up to JPY 50,000 per month)・Monthly company-wide events (AIRoA Circle, social gatherings)・Family Day・AIRoA-branded shirts and other items provided