People & Culture Manager (m/f/d)

We are a young, dynamic tech startup on a mission to solve one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges: the destruction of PFAS ("forever chemicals"). Our technology enables safe and scalable elimination of harmful substances that threaten ecosystems and human health.

As a fast-growing early-stage company, we are building a team of passionate scientists, engineers, and operators who share a strong sense of purpose.

We believe that People & Culture is a core strategic function to help us grow sustainably, live our values, and build an outstanding workplace.

As our People & Culture / HR Manager, you build and shape our HR function from the ground up. This hands‑on role combines strategic thinking with operational execution. You work closely with the founders and team and play a key role in enabling our next phase of growth. You ensure that we attract great talent, establish effective HR processes, and actively cultivate a strong, value‑driven culture.

Tasks

People & Culture Development

• Define, implement, and embed our vision, mission, and values into daily work and company processes.
• Support leadership in building a strong, healthy, and high‑performing team culture.
• Develop and run people processes like onboarding and feedback.
• Act as a trusted contact for employees on people‑related matters.

Recruiting & Talent Acquisition

• Write and refine job descriptions for various roles (technical, operational, working students, interns).
• Manage the full hiring process (Review applications, coordinate interviews, communicate with candidates).
• Help strengthen our employer brand to attract top talent.

HR Processes & Structure

• Build and improve scalable HR processes for a growing startup.
• Ensure compliance with labor regulations and internal policies.
• Maintain and organize personnel records and HR data.

People Operations & Back Office Support

• Assist with onboarding and offboarding.
• Implement tools and systems for efficiency and transparency.

Requirements

Your Profile

• The Builder Mindset: Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field or equivalent practical experience. You have 1–3 years of experience in HR or People Ops, ideally in a fast‑paced startup where you had to figure things out on your own.
• Empathetic Rigor: You balance high empathy with a structured, data‑driven working style; a “Pragmatic Hero” for the team.
• Communication: Fluent in English; German is a significant plus as we navigate local regulations and partnerships.
• Mission Alignment: You are motivated to solve environmental crises and want to contribute to a sustainable future.

Benefits

What we offer:

• Build and shape the People & Culture function from the beginning.
• Contribute to solving a major global environmental challenge.
• A dynamic, mission‑driven, and supportive team.
• High level of ownership and responsibility.
• Competitive compensation.
• Growth opportunity - as the company scales, your role and influence grows with i.

Why Join Us?

We are at the prototype stage - not just of our technology, but of our company. If you want to look back in five years and say, "I built the team that solved the PFAS problem," this is your role.