Project Associate

How to Apply

Please express your interest in this position via this form: bit.ly/safl-apply. Rolling applications (Early Deadline: 25 Dec 2025). Link to this JD: bit.ly/safl-jd. 

Location:

Delhi NCR (preferred), with ad hoc travel across India.

Type:

Full-time contractor (5 months from 15 Dec 2025 – 15 May 2026, with potential to renew/convert). Available to start ASAP.

Mode:

Full-time contractor role with substantial autonomy; you’ll work closely with the SAFL and Impact Academy leadership, and with international partners across time zones.

Compensation:

1–3L per month (all-inclusive), commensurate with experience. The exact salary will be based on your prior relevant work and demonstrated ability to address the requirements of this JD. We can also higher a senior version of this role.

About:

The Secure AI Futures Lab (SAFL) is a dedicated networked hub for advancing research expertise for the safe and beneficial development and deployment of advanced AI systems in India and South Asia.

Based in Delhi NCR and active across India’s major STEM hubs (New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, etc.), SAFL convenes researchers, academics, technologists, policymakers, and other experts to:

• Surface and enable experts whose interests intersect with trustworthy AI
• Build a thriving network for the exchange of ideas and opportunities in trustworthy AI 
• Run curated events, workshops, roundtables, selective grantmaking, and public calls for expressions of interest in the science of trustworthy AI
• Anchor India’s contributions to the global conversation on safe and trusted AI, during and beyond the India AI Impact Summit 2026

Role Overview:

Project Associate

You will:

• Design and run a calendar of small, high-leverage events (workshops, roundtables, campus engagements, curated dinners) in New Delhi and across India
• Lead communications around SAFL, from positioning and messaging to digital presence and documentation of impact
• Act as a key operations personnel to coordinate with the schedules and asks of different stakeholders in our network, including academics, senior researchers, institutional partners, government, and government-adjacent actors, etc.

You should be energized by building new things, comfortable with ambiguity, and happy to handle a wide range of responsibilities from event strategy to on-the-ground logistics.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Program & Event Design

• Shape SAFL’s events and programs calendar across New Delhi and other Indian/South Asian hubs, aligned with SAFL’s objectives and India AI Impact Summit timeline
• Co-design event concepts with SAFL leadership (e.g., invite-only workshops, campus simulations, research salons, closed-door stakeholder roundtables) and translate them into concrete formats, agendas, and target audiences
• Set clear objectives and success metrics for each event (who we want in the room, what decisions or collaborations we’re trying to catalyze, how this feeds into SAFL’s broader network-building and talent goals)

2. Event Operations & On-Site Delivery

• Own end-to-end logistics for SAFL events: venue scouting and negotiation, vendor coordination, travel and accommodation for speakers/guests, catering, AV, and on-site operations
• Run on-the-day operations: room setup, registrations, timekeeping, speaker support, live adjustments to the agenda as needed
• Handle event risk-management basics: backups for speakers, contingency planning, troubleshooting and “firefighting” in real time
• Capture and synthesize feedback to refine future events and improve attendee experience over time

3. Communications 

• Work with us to produce high-quality content in line with our communications strategy:
• Event pages, concept notes, invitations, and follow-up summaries
• Blog posts, newsletters, and short explainers translating technical work and policy developments into accessible language
• Short decks/one-pagers for partners and funders
• Manage SAFL’s digital presence (website, mailing list, and core social channels) and ensure consistent, credible, and timely communication of our work
• Coordinate media/comms with partner organisations where appropriate (e.g. co-branded pre-summit events, joint announcements).

4. Stakeholder & Community Management

• Maintain and deepen relationships with a small set of high-leverage stakeholders: senior faculty, lab leads, think tank partners, and government-linked institutions in India’s AI ecosystem.
• Support SAFL leadership in coordinating with global partners (research labs, academic institutions, summit-related event organizers), including handling pre-reads, background briefs, and follow-up notes.
• Help design small, recurring community touchpoints (e.g., alumni gatherings, small dinners, visiting scholar meetups) that keep the network warm and useful over time.

5. Internal Ops & Project Management

• Help maintain project plans, timelines, and budgets for SAFL programs; own vendor and expense tracking for events and communications.
• Help build simple, reusable systems: checklists, templates, documentation, and playbooks that make future programs easier to run.
• Where appropriate, manage interns or junior contractors supporting events and comms work.
• Any other work for SAFL that may be assigned from time to time.

Whom We’re Looking For

The ideal candidate may/may not have all of these qualifications. If you’re on the fence, please err on the side of applying!

• Any relevant experience in any mix of programs/project management, events, communications, community-building, policy/research operations, or similar generalist roles (e.g., consulting, think tank, nonprofit, or startup ops).

• Demonstrated track record

  of owning complex projects end-to-end and shipping them on time (events, campaigns, policy interventions, or similar).

• High agency and ownership:

  you like being handed a fuzzy goal and figuring out what needs to be done, who needs to be in the room, and how to make it real.

• Strong stakeholder management:

  you’re comfortable working with senior academics, lab leads, and policy experts; you know how to be prepared, respectful of their time, and follow through on commitments.

• Event and ops competence:

  you can juggle logistics, deadlines, and vendors without dropping balls, and stay calm under pressure when something inevitably changes last minute.

• Comfort with ambiguity:

  this is a young initiative in a fast-evolving space; you should be okay iterating and learning as we go.

Nice-to-have

• Experience working with or around academic institutions, research labs, think tanks, etc., in India.
• Prior exposure to safe and trusted AI, AI governance, or adjacent fields (even if just through reading/courses/side projects).