People & Culture Manager

• People & Culture Lead - Northern Germany (Between Bremen & Hannover) | Full-Time | On-site
• Build the Team Behind Europe's Next Generation of Aerospace Innovation

We're partnering with an ambitious, venture-backed aerospace company developing breakthrough technology that will play a key role in the future of European aerospace and defence.

Following significant investment and rapid growth, the company is looking for its first People & Culture Lead to build the foundations of a world-class organisation.

This is a rare opportunity to create a People function from scratch, working directly alongside the founders and leadership team to shape how the business attracts, develops and retains exceptional talent.

This is not a role for someone who simply wants to administer HR. It's an opportunity to build, influence and leave a lasting mark on a company at a defining stage of its journey.

The Opportunity

As the company's first People & Culture hire, you'll own the entire employee lifecycle, helping build an organisation capable of scaling from a small, highly specialised engineering team into a world-class technology business.

You’ll design recruitment processes, establish scalable HR frameworks, develop onboarding and performance programmes, and play a central role in creating a culture where exceptional people can thrive.

Working directly with senior leadership, you'll help shape organisational design, hiring strategy and workforce planning while ensuring the business retains the entrepreneurial culture that has driven its success to date.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and lead the People & Culture function from the ground up.
• Own the end-to-end recruitment process across engineering, manufacturing and business functions.
• Design scalable onboarding, performance management and employee development frameworks.
• Create HR policies, processes and people infrastructure that support rapid growth.
• Manage all people operations, including contracts, HR administration and the employee lifecycle.
• Partner with leadership on organisational design, workforce planning and succession planning.
• Champion a high-performance, collaborative culture while maintaining the agility of an early-stage company.
• Continuously improve the employee experience and help establish the company as an employer of choice within Europe's deep tech ecosystem.

About You

We're looking for someone who enjoys creating rather than maintaining. You'll be comfortable working autonomously, solving problems and building systems where none currently exist.

You’ll likely bring

• Experience building or significantly scaling a People or HR function within a startup or high-growth environment.
• Proven end-to-end recruitment experience, ideally across technical and engineering disciplines.
• A genuine passion for developing people and creating outstanding company cultures.
• A proactive, hands‑on approach with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• The confidence to advise founders and senior leaders while remaining operationally involved.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Fluency in English; German language skills would be advantageous.
• A curiosity for technology and a willingness to embrace modern tools and new ways of working.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to join a company before the growth curve truly accelerates.

You'll have the autonomy to build an entire People function, influence how the organisation evolves, and work directly alongside an ambitious leadership team committed to building a world-class business.

In return, you'll receive a competitive salary, meaningful equity participation, and the opportunity to play a pivotal role in one of Europe's most exciting emerging aerospace companies.

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