Senior People and Culture Manager

About the Role

This is a full-ownership, individual contributor role building the people function from the ground up at a fast-growing AI/ML startup. You will work directly alongside founding leadership, taking end-to-end responsibility for recruiting, onboarding, culture, employer branding, and HR operations as the team scales rapidly.

What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end recruiting operations, pipeline management, and hiring strategy to support aggressive headcount growth.

• Design and execute onboarding processes that set new hires up for success in a high-intensity environment.

• Build core people processes, policies, and frameworks from scratch to support a rapidly scaling team.

• Cultivate and steward company culture aligned with organizational values and work intensity.

• Develop employer branding and recruitment marketing strategies to attract top talent in a competitive market.

• Manage HR administration and ensure compliance with German labor law and Berlin employment practices.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years in people or HR roles, with at least 3 years building or leading a people function at an early-stage or high-growth startup (Series A/B stage or equivalent).

• Proven experience owning end-to-end recruiting operations including sourcing, screening, pipeline management, and hiring process design.

• Demonstrated expertise in German labor law and Berlin employment regulations, or a strong willingness to rapidly upskill with legal support.

• Track record of building employer branding and recruitment marketing strategies in competitive talent markets.

• Experience designing and executing onboarding programs and people processes during rapid growth phases.

• Proficiency with HRIS, ATS, and HR admin tooling.

• Ability to maintain a high hiring bar while scaling quickly, with strong talent assessment instincts.

• Comfortable wearing multiple hats, moving fast, and thriving in ambiguity without direct reports.

• Experience building high-performance culture in demanding, fast-paced startup environments.

• Familiarity with venture-backed tech startup ecosystems is a plus, as is experience with international or multi-location team compliance.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range: 60,000 to 70,000 EUR annually. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Location

Berlin, Germany. Hybrid, with a minimum of four days per week on-site. The target start date is by end of 2025, with earlier availability strongly preferred.