People & talent lead

The Mission

European security is at a turning point. The war in Ukraine has shown that unmanned systems are the decisive factor on the modern battlefield. But these platforms are only as effective as the data links that control them. That is where we come in: we build resilient, scalable data links for UAVs. The technology is ready. We're a small, fast-moving team and we're growing.

The role

Recruiting has become a full-time job. We need someone to support it — and ultimately own it!. As our first dedicated Talent & HR hire, you'll run the end-to-end hiring process across all open roles, keep candidates moving, and make sure we don't drop the ball as volume increases. You'll also pick up a slice of HR operations: onboarding, documentation, compliance basics — the stuff that keeps the people side of the company running cleanly.

Every hire you make shapes who ZeroPhase becomes. You're not filling seats — you're building a company, one hire at a time. The culture, the team quality, the kind of place this becomes — that starts here, with this role.

This is a junior role with real ownership from day one. You won't be shadowing anyone — you'll be the person with the process.

What you'll do

• Own the recruiting pipeline: job postings, sourcing, screening, scheduling, candidate comms
• Keep ATS and tracking up to date so nothing falls through the cracks
• Screen candidates across the full range of roles — from embedded software engineers and RF specialists to BD managers and ops hires — and know what good looks like in each
• Write and iterate on job descriptions across roles (engineering, BD, operations)
• Build and manage relationships with sourcing channels — LinkedIn, universities, communities, referrals etc.
• Handle new hire onboarding: contracts, equipment, first-day logistics
• Support HR administration: personnel files, leave tracking, policy documentation
• Flag operational gaps and help build the processes we don't have yet

What we're looking for

• 1–2 years of experience in recruiting, HR, or a people ops role — or a strong internship track record in a fast-paced environment
• Broad enough technical curiosity to screen engineering candidates meaningfully, and sharp enough commercial instinct to evaluate BD and generalist profiles
• Genuine product understanding to spot a strong candidate, catch a weak one, and ask the questions that matter
• Organized to a fault. You close loops, you follow up, you don't let things sit
• Clear, capable communicator in both German and English
• Comfortable working independently with limited oversight
• Genuinely interested in what we're building — defense tech, real-world impact

Nice to have

• Experience with LinkedIn Recruiter or similar tools
• Familiarity with German employment law basics (Arbeitsrecht, Sozialversicherung)
• Background or interest in deep tech, aerospace, or defense

What we offer

• ~€40,000 - €55,000 base salary + equity
• A clear growth trajectory: this role has a ceiling only if you do. Demonstrate the skills and we'll expand the scope
• Direct exposure to a high-growth defense tech startup
• Small team, real responsibilities — an earned growth