Telugu Subject Matter Expert – Audio Transcription (AI Training)

About the Role

What if your deep command of Telugu and your leadership instincts could directly shape how AI learns to understand spoken language? We're looking for a Subject Matter Expert (SME) based in the Hyderabad area to lead our Telugu audio transcription project. You'll oversee a team of language labelers and reviewers, provide linguistic guidance, and help ensure consistent, accurate, and high-quality output across the project.

This is a hands-on leadership role that rewards sound judgment, clear communication, and a sharp ear for language. You'll guide a team through the natural messiness of real-world audio while keeping quality standards high and the team aligned.

• Organization: Alignerr
• Type: Hourly Contract
• Location: Remote
• Commitment: Hours may vary based on project demands, team needs, and project volume

What You'll Do

• Lead and support a team of Telugu-specific labelers and reviewers throughout the project
• Serve as the primary language and project subject matter expert, providing guidance on transcription, labeling, and language-specific questions
• Ensure accuracy, consistency, and quality standards are maintained across all project work
• Monitor team performance and identify recurring quality issues, trends, or areas requiring additional guidance
• Conduct regular audits of labeling and reviewing work and provide actionable feedback
• Manage project-related communications and questions through Discord
• Host Office Hours to answer questions, clarify guidelines, and provide ongoing support to the labeling and reviewing teams
• Help identify ambiguities or gaps in project guidelines and escalate issues when necessary
• Participate in team meetings, calibration sessions, and project discussions
• Support alignment between labelers and reviewers to ensure consistent application of project guidelines
• Communicate important project updates, changes, and quality expectations to the assigned language team
• Collaborate with Project Operators and Project Managers to address quality, workflow, and performance concerns

Who You Are

• Native proficiency in Telugu — ideally with familiarity with Hyderabad and Andhra regional speech patterns
• Strong understanding of Telugu grammar, vocabulary, regional or dialectal variation, pronunciation, and natural spoken usage
• Experience with audio transcription, data labeling, linguistic annotation, quality assurance, or AI/ML data projects preferred
• Strong attention to detail and ability to identify subtle linguistic, transcription, or labeling errors
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Telugu
• Experience providing feedback, coaching, or leading teams is preferred
• Comfortable working independently and managing multiple project priorities
• Familiarity with Discord or similar online collaboration platforms

Nice to Have

• Background in linguistics, education, journalism, or communications
• Prior experience with annotation platforms or AI training pipelines
• Awareness of Telugu dialectal differences across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Why Join Us

• Lead a team on cutting-edge AI projects alongside leading research labs
• Fully remote and flexible work
• Shape how AI understands and processes spoken Telugu for millions of people
• Build specialized leadership and quality-assurance skills in AI data pipelines
• Potential for ongoing work and contract extension as new projects launch