Senior People and Culture Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE Build and run the people function for a fast-growing AI startup, partnering closely with company leadership. This senior individual contributor role owns recruiting, onboarding, culture, employer branding, and HR operations as the team scales. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Own end-to-end recruiting operations, including pipeline management, sourcing, screening, hiring strategy, and process design. - Design and deliver onboarding that helps new hires succeed in a fast-paced environment. - Build people processes, policies, and frameworks to support rapid growth. - Develop employer branding and recruitment marketing to attract talent in a competitive market. - Support employee engagement, retention, and a high-performance company culture. - Manage HR administration and help ensure compliance with German labor law and employment regulations. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - At least 5 years of experience in people or HR roles, including 3 or more years building or leading the function at an early-stage startup or during comparable rapid growth. - Experience as a senior individual contributor who can own the people function independently. - Proven ownership of end-to-end recruiting operations, along with experience building onboarding programs and people processes at scale. - Experience with employer branding, recruitment marketing, employee engagement, retention, and culture initiatives. - Proficiency with HR information systems, applicant tracking systems, and HR administration tools. - Knowledge of German labor law and employment practices, or the ability to rapidly develop that expertise with legal support. - Comfort working in a demanding, fast-paced startup environment and managing ambiguity. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS Annual salary: €60,000 to €70,000. Visa sponsorship is not available. LOCATION Hybrid in Berlin, Germany, with at least four days per week in the office.