Senior People and Culture Manager

About this role

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.