Founding Talent Lead (m/f/x)

<h2>About Cortea</h2><p style="min-height:1.5em">We’re <strong>Cortea</strong>, a Berlin startup <strong>transforming audits with AI</strong>. Manual, document-heavy audits waste expert time while demand keeps rising. Our <strong>AI-powered software and specialized AI agents</strong> remove the repetitive work so auditors can focus on judgment.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">Backed by top-tier VCs with &gt;15m funding, with a working product and paying customers, we’re rapidly scaling.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em">We value <strong>first-principles thinking, speed, trust, and kindness</strong>. We build side by side <strong>in our Berlin office</strong>.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>The Role</h2><p style="min-height:1.5em">You build talent foundations. You’ll design a process, that bring in exceptional talent across Tech and Non-Tech, and build a culture we’re proud of.</p><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>What you’ll do</h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Own the Talent end to end:</strong> job design → scope → JD → sourcing → structured interviews → offer → close</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Build a Talent Engine: </strong>attract great people proactively; both inbound and outbound</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Raise the hiring bar:</strong> scorecards, trained interviewers, consistent candidate experience</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Shape our brand</strong> for Tech/AI talent with content, events, and a strong referral loop</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Be culture-positive:</strong> partner with founders on rituals, onboarding handover, and feedback loops</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>You’ll be great at this if you</h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Have <strong>5+ years</strong> of TA in a fast environment (startup/scale-up or agency)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Have hired <strong>top talent before</strong> and know the difference in how to assess them</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Communicate clearly, leverage our founding team, and make data driven decisions fast</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Can show <strong>early-stage track record</strong> you’re proud of</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Think in systems and improve with data; bonus if you’ve built employer branding for engineers/AI</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>How we work</h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">We value <strong>kindness + candor + execution</strong>, speed with care, and strong ownership</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">We’re <strong>fully in-office</strong> in Berlin because we like building side by side</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">We hire with <strong>structured interviews and clear scorecards</strong> to reduce bias</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em">Non-linear paths welcome. Career breaks welcome. If you’re unsure, apply.</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>What we offer</h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>High impact from day one</strong> and a path to Head of Talent/People as we grow</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Competitive salary + meaningful equity</strong> (range shared on the first call)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>In-office energy</strong>. shared lunches, whiteboard time, fast decisions, real teamwork</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Uncapped growth</strong>. Budget for tools, learning, and events you choose</p></li></ul><p style="min-height:1.5em"></p><h2>Interview process</h2><ul style="min-height:1.5em"><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Intro Call (25 min)</strong> with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/liza-shaban/">Liza</a></p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Expert interview (45 min):</strong> with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinneumann/">Valentin</a> (Co-Founder) - deep dive into: sourcing strategy, process design, quality in decisions)</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>Cultural interview (45 min):</strong> with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-hoevelmann/">Philipp</a> (Co-Founder) - collaboration, judgment, and culture add</p></li><li><p style="min-height:1.5em"><strong>On-site day (Berlin):</strong> meet the team and work on a real life assignment</p></li></ul><div style="text-align:left"><img style="max-width:100%" src="https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/316125b8-3855-479e-a082-a30caf346d45/1ddbeed3-b4e6-4a47-8872-d5cfeee3e842/image.png" /></div><p>Find <a href="https://www.arbeitnow.com">Jobs in Germany</a> on Arbeitnow</a>