Talent & People Lead (m/f/d)

Recruiting is the core of this role, and the measure in year one is simple: every role we open, filled on time with someone excellent, closed by you. Everything else in HR is yours to build lean behind that.

What you'll own

• The whole funnel, for every role. Briefing with the hiring founder, the job ad, sourcing, screening, interview loops, references, offer, close. You are the first conversation a candidate has with VIA, and the one who gets them over the line
• Sourcing that does not wait for applications. The people we want are rarely looking. Outbound on LinkedIn and beyond, our network, the places where therapists, engineers and salespeople actually are. We use agencies today. After you, we do not
• The bar. A process that reliably separates excellent from good: structured interviews, take-home challenges with the hiring team, scorecards, fast decisions. You say no to candidates the founders like, and you say it with reasons
• Candidate experience. Answers within days, not weeks. Every candidate, hired or not, leaves with a better opinion of VIA than they came with
• Onboarding. A new engineer ships on day two, a new Sales Manager runs their first demo in week one. You build the path from signed contract to productive, together with the hiring lead
• A lean people function. Contracts, probation reviews, feedback and performance cycles, compensation bands and the tooling behind them. Founders' time out, structure in. Our ISO 27001 and C5 frameworks carry HR controls, from joiner and leaver processes to security training, and you own those with the Security & Compliance Lead (who may be one of your first hires)
• The team as it doubles. Rituals, offsites, the things that keep a company twice this size feeling like the 12-person one that got here

Your profile

Must-have

• A track record of closing hard roles yourself, in-house or at an agency, with numbers you can show: hires per year, time to hire, offer acceptance. Senior engineers and salespeople at minimum
• Real sourcing craft. You find people who are not applying and get them to take the call
• Judgement about people. You can tell exceptional from polished in a first conversation, and explain the difference
• Closing instinct. You know what moves a candidate who holds three offers, and you negotiate for us without losing them
• Builder mentality. Processes, templates and tooling you set up yourself, because there is nobody else to do it
• Working knowledge of German employment basics: contracts, probation, notice periods and the thresholds that matter as we grow. Payroll and legal are outsourced; you know when to call them
• Hunger. You want to build the people function of a company that is going to be much bigger, not run one that already exists
• Fluent German and English. Our candidates and contracts are in German, parts of our team work in English

Strong plus

• You have been the first People hire somewhere and built from zero
• Employer branding, from the careers page to events
• AI tools as a matter of course. One person using them well replaces a recruiting team
• You have recruited in a regulated health-tech environment

This role is not for you if

• You want to run HR and let someone else do the hiring. Hiring is the job
• You need an ATS, an employer brand and inbound applicants already in place. You build those
• You hire to fill a seat. We would rather leave it empty

What we offer

• A team that outperforms. DACH market leader for AI assistance in psychotherapy within two years, bootstrapped, with a team of 12. Our plans from here are considerably bolder, and we hire people who want to be part of it
• Ownership of a core function from day one. Every person who joins VIA in the next year came through you. There is no clearer measure of impact
• High autonomy. Competence and execution are what count here. We do not put obstacles in your way
• Direct work with the founders. Decisions in hours, not weeks, including on offers
• Competitive salary plus equity , so that you participate in the company's success
• Office in Berlin-Mitte with flexible hours, latest equipment and any tool you need. Berlin-based hybrid is our preference for this role

We are not looking for someone to administer HR. We are looking for the person who finds the people VIA's next year depends on, and then builds the function that keeps them.

Sounds like you? A short CV or your LinkedIn profile is enough. If there is a hire you are proud of, tell us about that one.

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Source: Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis), table; dl-de/by-2-0; StarIn's calculation

Posted Nov 05, 2026

Posted Nov 05, 2026