Location: Maharashtra, with extensive field travel across districts

Employment Type: Full-time, Project-based

About Arré

Arré is a media-tech and content company building original content, creator platforms and technology-led solutions across audio and video. Through our voice-tech platform Arré Voice, we are expanding our work in voice and language AI, with a focus on enabling AI technologies to better understand and serve India's diverse languages and communities.

As part of this effort, we are undertaking a voice data collection initiative in tribal languages spoken in Maharashtra. The project aims to build high-quality, domain-specific speech datasets that can support the development of AI-powered applications, including agriculture-focused voice interfaces.

The Role

We are looking for a hands-on Program Manager – Voice Data for AI to lead the end-to-end execution of this initiative. The role will involve planning and managing field operations, mobilising native-language speakers, coordinating field teams and recording activities, and ensuring that the collected data meets defined quality, volume and delivery requirements.

The ideal candidate combines solid program management and field execution skills with an understanding of rural and tribal communities. Experience in language data collection, research operations, community mobilisation or technology-led field projects would be valuable.

Key Responsibilities

1. Program Planning and Execution

- Develop and manage the end-to-end implementation plan, including milestones, field schedules, resource allocation and delivery timelines.
- Lead day-to-day execution across voice data collection activities




- Track progress against project targets, identify bottlenecks and implement corrective actions to ensure timely delivery.
- Coordinate with internal teams, project partners and relevant technology stakeholders.

2. Community Mobilisation and Field Operations

- Build relationships with tribal communities, local leaders, teachers, community organisations and other local stakeholders to facilitate participant mobilisation.
- Recruit and coordinate native-language speakers for speech recording and other data collection activities.
- Set up and manage field teams, including field coordinators, enumerators, language experts and recording personnel.
- Organise recording sessions in community and studio settings, as required.
- Ensure participant consent, informed participation, appropriate documentation and responsible handling of data.

3. Voice Data Collection and Quality Assurance

- Oversee the collection of speech data across conversational, spontaneous and read-speech formats, in line with project specifications.
- Coordinate the collection of agriculture-related and general-domain speech, ensuring that the dataset reflects the project's intended use cases.
- Work with language experts to ensure locally relevant vocabulary, pronunciation and expressions are captured accurately.
- Track associated transcripts,



translations, annotations and other deliverables wherever required.
- Maintain detailed documentation of field activities, participant records, consent, quality checks and dataset progress.
- Share regular progress reports with project leadership and flag risks early.

Required qualifications and experience

- Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences, Rural Development, Development Studies, Linguistics, Project Management or a related field. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.
- Approximately 3-4 years of experience in program management, field operations, community mobilisation, research or large-scale data collection.
- Demonstrated ability to manage field teams and deliver projects against measurable targets and deadlines.
- Experience working with rural, tribal or underserved communities in Maharashtra or other Indian states.
- Willingness to travel extensively and work in field locations with varying infrastructure and connectivity.
- Proficiency in Marathi and/or Hindi, with the ability to communicate effectively with local stakeholders.

Preferred qualifications

- Experience in speech, language or AI data collection, including ASR/TTS datasets, transcription, annotation or linguistic quality assurance.
- Experience working with government departments, NGOs, academic institutions, community-based organisations or development-sector partners.

Who should apply?

We are looking for someone who enjoys solving operational challenges on the ground, can work independently, and is comfortable moving between community engagement, team management and data.

📌 Program Manager – Voice Data for AI at Arré Voice (India)
🏢 Arré
📍 India