People Lead

About the Opportunity:

We're partnering with a Series A, VC-backed start-up operating at the intersection of AI and secure data collaboration.

Having successfully moved from early product development the business is now entering its first true scale phase. With an engineering-heavy team, growing customer demand and AI-enabled products already live, the focus is shifting towards building the people structures, leadership capability and culture required to scale sustainably.

At 40 employees today, the company is seeking a German-speaking People Lead to professionalise and own the people function as it grows towards 70+ and beyond.

This is a pivotal hire at a defining moment in the company's journey.

The Role:

A direct report to the COO, you'll partner closely with the CEO, CTO and broader leadership team to own the people agenda across the business.

This is not a role focused on building a large HR team or introducing heavy process. Instead, you'll design and run pragmatic, high-quality people practices that enable engineers and leaders to perform at their best as the organisation grows.

You'll act as a trusted partner to senior technical leaders, ensuring teams are structured effectively, supported through growth, and equipped with the behaviours, feedback and leadership capability needed to scale sustainably.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Own and continuously improve people processes across the full employee lifecycle, from hiring and onboarding through to performance management, development and retention.
• Design clear, pragmatic performance frameworks that balance accountability, feedback and growth without unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Drive professional development with a strong emphasis on soft skills, behavioural capability and leadership readiness, particularly within engineering teams.
• Act as the primary people partner to the CTO, engineering managers and product leadership, supporting team effectiveness, communication and conflict resolution.
• Take hands-on ownership of people operations, including employment matters, policies, compliance and coordination with external advisors, particularly in a German employment context.
• Lead early-stage recruiting execution, including workforce planning, recruiter management and hands-on hiring where required.
• Partner with the COO and CEO on organisational decisions, translating direction into structured actions and ensuring consistent follow-through.
• Shape and strengthen culture in a remote-first environment, fostering trust, connection and sustainable ways of working as the business scales.

Your Profile:

• 6+ years' experience in people, HR or organisational roles within highly engineering-led, technically or scientifically rigorous environments.
• Demonstrated experience supporting growth in Series A or early Series B startups or scale-ups, typically from 0 to 100+ employees.
• Fluent German and English, with the ability to operate confidently across senior stakeholder conversations and employment matters.
• Strong track record of partnering with senior technical leaders and operating credibly at C-level.
• Deep understanding of performance management, team dynamics and professional development within engineering organisations.
• Comfortable operating hands-on in a remote-first business, with sound judgment on sensitive people matters.
• Pragmatic, low-ego operator who enjoys building structure without over-engineering it.

Why Join?

• True Series A impact. Shape the people foundations of a company moving from early success into meaningful scale.
• Engineering-led, AI-first environment. Partner with highly technical teams building advanced AI-enabled products.
• High trust, low bureaucracy. A culture that values clarity, autonomy and thoughtful execution over process.
• Berlin hub, remote-first. Based in Berlin with flexibility and regular in-person connection.
• Meaningful ownership. Competitive compensation, equity and the chance to leave a lasting imprint on how the business grows.

We recognise how competitive the current market is for senior People professionals, and Hawkwood is committed to providing a confidential, fair and positive candidate experience throughout.

If you're interested in exploring this opportunity, please apply via this LinkedIn advert rather than by email or direct message. This ensures every application is reviewed fairly and consistently.