Founding People & Talent Lead

We are looking for a Founding People & Talent Lead to join a fast-growing venture-backed technology company in Munich and take full ownership of its People & Talent function.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced recruiter or talent professional who wants to move beyond traditional hiring and play a key role in building the organisation culture and people processes of a rapidly scaling company.

You will work closely with the founders and leadership team shape the hiring strategy from day one and eventually build your own People & Talent team.

• Own the end-to-end recruitment process from role definition and sourcing through interviews offers and closing
• Build and continuously improve a scalable hiring engine as the company grows
• Develop creative employer branding and talent attraction strategies across Germany and international markets
• Partner closely with founders and leadership on talent planning organisational design and hiring decisions
• Introduce structured recruiting processes scorecards workflows and recruitment analytics
• Help shape performance management feedback career development and compensation processes
• Build strong talent networks through universities events communities and industry partnerships
• Monitor key recruitment KPIs and continuously improve the candidate experience
• Use modern AI recruiting and workflow tools to make the People & Talent function more efficient
• As the company grows build and lead a dedicated People & Talent team

• 25 years of experience in Talent Acquisition Recruiting People Operations or a similar field
• Experience working in a high-growth startup or scale-up environment
• Strong hands-on experience across the full recruitment lifecycle
• Proven ability to build or improve recruiting processes in a scaling organisation
• Experience contributing to performance management organisational development or people processes
• Strong analytical and structured approach to recruitment and talent decisions
• Comfortable using AI tools and modern recruiting technologies
• Excellent English communication skills
• Willingness to relocate to Munich and work 5 days per week from the office
• German language skills are a plus

• Highly proactive with a strong ownership mindset
• Comfortable operating with significant autonomy and responsibility
• Analytical structured and data-driven
• A strong communicator storyteller and relationship builder
• Curious about new technologies and constantly looking for better ways to work
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced high-growth environment
• Motivated by building something from scratch rather than simply maintaining existing processes

• Founding-level ownership of the People & Talent function
• Direct collaboration with the founders and leadership team
• Opportunity to build and eventually lead your own People & Talent team
• Competitive salary of gross per year
• Equity with voting rights
• Relocation and visa support
• Subsidised nearby accommodation options may be available
• Company-paid team dinners several times per week
• Sports membership
• Company offsite opportunities including an upcoming San Francisco offsite
• Close mentorship from experienced founders and industry advisors
• A highly collaborative ambitious and low-hierarchy working environment

This is a fully on-site position in Munich. You will work from the office 5 days per week collaborating closely with the founders and wider team.

1. 30-minute introductory conversation with a founder
2. Practical exercise and role-play focused on recruiting strategy and stakeholder interaction
3. Paid half-day on-site session with the team in Munich
4. Reference checks and offer

If you are an ambitious Talent or People professional looking for a role where you can have real ownership direct founder exposure and significant impact on a rapidly growing company we would love to hear from you.

Apply now and take the next step in building a People & Talent function from the ground up.