Founding Talent Lead (m/f/x)

ABOUT CORTEA We’re Cortea, a Berlin startup transforming audits with AI. Manual, document-heavy audits waste expert time while demand keeps rising. Our AI-powered software and specialized AI agents remove the repetitive work so auditors can focus on judgment. Backed by top-tier VCs with >15m funding, with a working product and paying customers, we’re rapidly scaling. We value first-principles thinking, speed, trust, and kindness. We build side by side in our Berlin office. THE ROLE 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. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Own the Talent end to end: job design → scope → JD → sourcing → structured interviews → offer → close - Build a Talent Engine: attract great people proactively; both inbound and outbound - Raise the hiring bar: scorecards, trained interviewers, consistent candidate experience - Shape our brand for Tech/AI talent with content, events, and a strong referral loop - Be culture-positive: partner with founders on rituals, onboarding handover, and feedback loops YOU’LL BE GREAT AT THIS IF YOU - Have 5+ years of TA in a fast environment (startup/scale-up or agency) - Have hired top talent before and know the difference in how to assess them - Communicate clearly, leverage our founding team, and make data driven decisions fast - Can show early-stage track record you’re proud of - Think in systems and improve with data; bonus if you’ve built employer branding for engineers/AI HOW WE WORK - We value kindness + candor + execution, speed with care, and strong ownership - We’re fully in-office in Berlin because we like building side by side - We hire with structured interviews and clear scorecards to reduce bias - Non-linear paths welcome. Career breaks welcome. If you’re unsure, apply. WHAT WE OFFER - High impact from day one and a path to Head of Talent/People as we grow - Competitive salary + meaningful equity (range shared on the first call) - In-office energy. shared lunches, whiteboard time, fast decisions, real teamwork - Uncapped growth. Budget for tools, learning, and events you choose INTERVIEW PROCESS - Intro Call (25 min) with Liza https://www.linkedin.com/in/liza-shaban/ - Expert interview (45 min): with Valentin https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentinneumann/ (Co-Founder) - deep dive into: sourcing strategy, process design, quality in decisions) - Cultural interview (45 min): with Philipp https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-hoevelmann/ (Co-Founder) - collaboration, judgment, and culture add - On-site day (Berlin): meet the team and work on a real life assignment [https://app.ashbyhq.com/api/images/user-content/316125b8-3855-479e-a082-a30caf346d45/1ddbeed3-b4e6-4a47-8872-d5cfeee3e842/image.png]