Founding People & Talent Lead

Build the People & Talent function from the ground up

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.

What youll do

• 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

What were looking for

• 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

Youll thrive in this role if you are

• 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

Why join

• 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

Working Model

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.

Hiring Process

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

Ready to build something from the ground up

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.