---
title: 'Director, Government Relations & Public Affairs at Humanoid'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-government-relations-public-affairs-humanoid-london-tfskxhqwzn7c'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-24'
---

# Director, Government Relations & Public Affairs at Humanoid

- **Company:** [Humanoid](https://feeny.ai/companies/humanoid)
- **Location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-23
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-24
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/humanoid/b9475cc1-bd0a-40e5-ab78-687a1c51ca04

## Job description

Here at Humanoid, we believe in a future where robots amplify human potential. That’s why we’ve set out on a mission to build the world’s most capable, commercially-scalable, and safe humanoid robots. We’re bringing that mission to life with HMND‑01 - our rapidly developed humanoid platform being deployed in real industrial environments - and we’re growing the team to take it even further.

## About the Role

Humanoid is seeking a Head of Government Relations to lead the company's engagement with governments, regulators, and industry bodies across its principal markets. The role reports directly to the Chief Legal Officer and carries a global remit spanning government relations, public affairs, and policy. The United Kingdom is the company's primary market and the United States its fastest-growing second, alongside Canada, Germany, and the European institutions in Brussels. The remit extends beyond engagement to the development of the company's policy positions, in close alignment with Legal, Finance, and commercial leadership. Three priorities define the role. The first is to establish a regulatory path for the technology, working with governments, regulators, standards bodies, and industry associations so that bipedal platforms, and not solely wheeled systems, can be deployed safely and at scale. The second is to develop routes to public and institutional capital, including government-backed investment and financing support. The third is to build the public-interest case for humanoid robotics, from industrial deployment through to sectors such as healthcare. The role involves monitoring political and regulatory developments across the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States; advising leadership on their implications for the business; building and maintaining relationships across Westminster, Whitehall, Brussels, and Washington DC; and representing Humanoid before policymakers, officials, industry associations, and at public forums. The position is based in London, with the option to relocate to Washington DC as the company's United States operations grow, and involves regular international travel. The successful candidate will build a team as the function develops.

## What You'll Do

- Develop and own Humanoid's government relations, public affairs, and policy strategy globally, with the United Kingdom as the primary market and the United States close behind.
- Establish a regulatory path for humanoid robotics, working with governments, regulators, standards bodies, and industry associations to shape regulation that allows bipedal platforms to be deployed safely and at scale.
- Develop the company's policy positions as well as its relationships, in close alignment with Legal, Finance, and commercial leadership, so that policy work enables the business.
- Develop routes to public and institutional capital, including government-backed investment and financing support, working alongside the Chief Legal Officer and the Finance team.
- Build the public-interest case for humanoid robotics, including in sectors such as healthcare, and translate that case into deployment opportunities.
- Build and maintain relationships across Westminster and Whitehall, in Brussels, in Washington DC, and with industrial associations across the United Kingdom, the European Union, and North America.
- Represent Humanoid before policymakers, officials, and industry bodies, and at public forums and conferences.
- Monitor political and regulatory developments across the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States, and advise leadership on their implications for the business.
- Work closely with North American legal leadership on engagement across the United States and Canada.
- Build and lead the government relations function as it grows, while remaining personally engaged in research, drafting, and engagement.

## What We're Looking For

- 10+ years of experience specifically in government relations, government affairs, public affairs, or policy. This is a firm minimum.
- Deep and current knowledge of the United Kingdom political environment, including the ability to anticipate how the policy agenda is likely to develop.
- A sound working understanding of the United States political environment, and of European Union institutions and policymaking.
- A bachelor's degree in law, political science, economics, engineering, or a related field.
- Experience in at least one relevant sector: technology, telecommunications, satellites, media, AI, software, automotive, aerospace and space, or defence.
- The ability to develop policy positions and strategy, not only relationships.
- A hands-on, execution-oriented approach, with a record of conducting research and drafting personally alongside managing others.
- The ability to operate in ambiguity and to create clarity in a fast-moving environment.
- Willingness to travel regularly, including to Germany, Brussels, Washington DC, Boston, and San Diego.
- The right to work in the United Kingdom without sponsorship; visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
- A commitment to a long-term role, and the resilience required in a company scaling at pace.

## Nice to have

- A master's degree or PhD.
- Direct experience in Parliament or government, whether working with or for Members of Parliament, in a ministerial office, or with secretaries and under-secretaries in the executive branch.
- European Union policy and Brussels engagement experience.
- Experience establishing a government relations function from first principles in a scaling company.
- Experience with public funding, sovereign guarantees, or government-backed financing.
- Experience in emerging-technology regulation or standards-setting.
- A genuine interest in emerging technologies and the future of robotics.

## What We Offer

- Competitive equity: stock options with meaningful upside as we scale.
- 30+ paid days off, including 23 days of annual leave, all UK bank holidays, and additional company closure days (including Christmas–New Year shutdown).
- Private healthcare, including virtual and in-person care.
- Pension scheme with 8% total contribution (5% employee, 3% employer) on full earnings.
- Free daily breakfast, catered lunch, and snacks in-office.
- Work at the frontier - collaborate daily with world-class engineers, researchers, and product experts building the next generation of AI and humanoid robotics.
- Real ownership - direct access to founding leadership, meaningful input on product direction, and the ability to drive key initiatives from day one.

## About Humanoid

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Humanoid builds commercially scalable, safe, and reliable humanoid robots designed to automate labor-intensive industrial tasks across warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, and retail.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: London, United Kingdom (HQ) with offices in Cambridge, MA, USA; Burnaby, BC, Canada; and additional presence in Germany, Georgia, and the UAE.
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Artem Sokolov (CEO & Founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Robotics Engineering, Humanoid Robotics, Industrial Automation, Artificial Intelligence
- **Target customers**: B2B / Enterprise — industrial sectors including retail, e-commerce, third-party logistics (3PL), manufacturing, and automotive.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Empowering humanity by building the most reliable, safe, and helpful humanoid robots.” The company aims to free people from repetitive, dangerous, and tedious work, allowing them to engage in more creative and meaningful activities.

## Products & Services
- **HMND 01 Alpha Wheeled**: A robust industrial-grade wheeled humanoid robot designed for material handling, pick-and-place, and visual inspection in warehouses and factories. Prioritizes reliability, low total cost of ownership (TCO), and minimal maintenance.
- **HMND 01 Alpha Bipedal**: A bipedal humanoid robot for more complex environments requiring advanced locomotion, navigation of confined spaces, and higher dexterity. Features human-level manipulation speeds and walking speeds up to 1.5 m/s.
- **KinetIQ**: An AI framework for orchestrating fleets of humanoid robots across both wheeled and bipedal platforms, enabling centralized control and task optimization.
- **Modular Garments**: Exchangeable protective “garments” that allow HMND 01 robots to adapt to different use cases and environments, minimizing contamination and collision damage while enabling functional customization.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of **$50 million** (Seed round closed October 2025, with 1 lead investor).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Strategic partners include leading global companies in AI, cloud computing, and research. Specific partner names are not publicly listed on the website, but the company highlights collaboration with commercial partners to scale deployment.
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew **139.2% YoY** to ~182 employees (as of mid-2026), with 65 active job postings.
  - Opened offices in London, Boston, and Vancouver within its first year.
  - Team includes talent recruited from major robotics and AI firms: Sanctuary AI, Boston Dynamics, Dyson, Arrival, Ocado Technology, 1X, Wayve, Apptronik, and Brain Corp.
  - Focus on initial target sectors representing a combined $12 trillion in annual payroll and 250 million workers.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Human-centric design**: The world is already designed for humans, so humanoids can seamlessly integrate into existing environments without costly redesign.
- **Modularity**: HMND 01’s hardware/software modularity enables multi-task performance and easy repurposing, reducing the need for specialized robots.
- **Reliability & low TCO**: Prioritizing hardware and software stability over raw performance to deliver industrial-grade robustness suitable for mass commercialization.
- **KinetIQ fleet orchestration AI**: Proprietary framework for managing mixed fleets of wheeled and bipedal robots, differentiating from competitors focused on single-form-factor robots.
- **Experienced leadership**: CEO Artem Sokolov previously scaled a family manufacturing business into a billion-dollar enterprise (EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2021). The CTO, Jarad Cannon, has extensive experience translating research into deployment-ready robotics systems.

## Strategic Focus
- **Near-term (2027)**: Deploy robots for physical tasks in manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and retail — tackling repetitive, dangerous, and tedious manual work.
- **Medium-term (2029)**: Expand into the service sector, targeting the 70-80% of the global economy that will be services, with a focus on assisting an aging population (1.4B people over 60).
- **Long-term (2031+)**: Enter households as assistants and companions, potentially revolutionizing everyday life across 3.5 billion homes.
- **Core strategy**: Partner with leading global companies in AI, cloud, and research for technology development, and with commercial partners for scaled deployment. The company believes the humanoid TAM will reach $38 billion by 2035 and $1 trillion by 2050.

## Why Work Here
- **High-growth environment**: Company grew headcount by 139% in a single year, indicating rapid scaling and opportunity for career advancement. 65+ open roles suggest strong hiring momentum.
- **Talent from top robotics firms**: Team includes alumni from Boston Dynamics, Sanctuary AI, Dyson, Ocado Technology, Arrival, Wayve, and others — offering a deep learning and collaboration environment.
- **Technical focus**: Engineering and technical roles represent 38% of the workforce, with senior-level hires at 23% of the team. The company emphasizes hardware, AI, machine learning, and control systems.
- **Mission-driven**: Clear purpose to automate undesirable, unsafe, and repetitive work — appealing to candidates who want to make a tangible societal impact.
- **Global presence**: Offices in London (HQ), Cambridge (USA), and Burnaby (Canada), plus operations in 16 countries — offering potential for international mobility and remote collaboration.
- **Innovation culture**: Described as a place where engineers and researchers “move from demo to deployment” and “not just in the lab.” The CTO emphasizes building systems that perform in the real world from day one.
- **Office/Hybrid policy**: Not explicitly stated, but the company has physical offices in three countries and a distributed team across 16 nations — likely supports hybrid/remote with in-office collaboration for engineering roles.

## Sources
1. [thehumanoid.ai](https://thehumanoid.ai/)
2. [thehumanoid.ai/about-us/](https://thehumanoid.ai/about-us/)
3. [thehumanoid.ai/team/](https://thehumanoid.ai/team/)
4. [thehumanoid.ai/careers/](https://thehumanoid.ai/careers/)
5. [LinkedIn Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/humanoidai)
6. [Jobs.ashbyhq.com/humanoid](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/humanoid)

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