Founding Talent Acquisition Partner

About the role

Build telli's hiring function from the ground up and own the ability to get A-players through the door across every team. You won't just fill open roles—you will scale the team fast without dropping the bar, partnering directly with the founding team and hiring managers to set strategy, build process and playbook, and fill open roles.

What you'll do

• Build the hiring function from scratch: partner closely with leaders to define hiring strategy, workflows, sourcing playbooks
• Own hiring end-to-end: source, screen, run debriefs, and drive the process toward the close
• Build a steady top-of-funnel of A-players across roles through outbound, referrals, founder-network activation, communities, and events
• Keep a high offer-accept rate and a short, predictable time-to-offer without dropping the bar
• Build real depth in technical hiring: calibrate with engineering leads, screen credibly on technical signal, and pre-qualify before hiring managers see candidates
• Own the external agency and recruiter channel actively: set a sharp brief, review candidate quality closely, give fast feedback, and cut what isn't working

What you'll need

• 3+ years TA experience in a fast-moving startup or scale-up
• You've built a function from zero
• A track record hiring strong candidates in competitive markets across engineering and commercial roles
• An active, warm network across the Berlin and EU startup and VC ecosystem that you can activate immediately
• Hands-on with a modern ATS (Ashby a plus) and AI sourcing tools
• High agency: you move fast, take ownership, and spot role gaps before anyone asks
• High craft in communication: every candidate touchpoint reads like a founder wrote it
• Data-driven: you track the funnel and use the data to fix what leaks

What they offer

• Competitive pay and equity
• Access to any AI tool that makes you more productive
• Gym / urban sports subscription
• Relocation support if you don't live in Berlin