Senior Recruiter (m/f/d) Berlin | Hybrid · Permanent · Full-time

You don't need a perfect CV. You need the right skills. This is not a role that filters by job title or tenure. It filters by what you can actually do. We are looking for a recruiter who owns the full process — from the first Boolean search string to the signed offer, without hand-holding, without process gaps, and without needing someone to define the search for them. Skills are the filter, not biography. If you can demonstrate the capabilities below, we want to hear from you, regardless of how your career path looks on paper. About the Role You will be the driving force behind talent acquisition at a fast-growing, AI-powered HR Tech startup based in Berlin. This is an internal recruiting role, not a staffing agency seat, not a volume-first environment. You will own the complete hiring funnel: sharpen the role before searching, build and execute sourcing strategies, conduct structured interviews, and manage stakeholders who need to be challenged, not just served. Roles are thought of in terms of skill requirements, not job titles. The result is precision instead of volume. That's the standard you'll work within and the standard you'll be held to. What this role is not: • A coordinator position waiting for candidates to come in • A reactive sourcing seat with no strategic mandate • A bureaucratic HR function with fixed playbooks and no autonomy What this role is: • Full ownership of the recruiting process from identification to signed offer • A strategic partner seat, you challenge requirements, you advise, you deliver • A skill-first environment where your process quality matters more than your job title history Your Skill Map Core Skills are the central, non-negotiable capabilities of the role. Extended Skills are desirable additional competencies that strengthen the profile but are not a knockout criterion. Core Skills - KO Level These are non-negotiable. If you cannot demonstrate these, this role is not a match. Full-Cycle Recruiting Ownership You independently drive the complete hiring process, from role clarification and sourcing strategy through structured assessment to offer and close — without process gaps or handoffs mid-funnel. What we look for: You can describe a search you ran end-to-end, including how you aligned the hiring manager on requirements before searching, how you structured the funnel, and how you navigated blockers. Active Sourcing via LinkedIn Recruiter You can build and execute complex Boolean search strings from scratch, not just apply standard filters. You understand how to construct multi-layer queries, use operators, and adapt strings to market signals. What we look for: You can write a Boolean string for a target role live, explain the logic behind it, and describe how you would adapt it if initial results are too narrow or too broad. Competency-Based Interviewing You conduct structured interviews using a defined competency framework. Your candidate assessments are evidencebased, documented, and defensible, not impressionistic. What we look for: You can explain how you assess a specific competency in an interview, what question structure you use, and how you document the evidence. You distinguish between self-reported claims and demonstrated behavior. Stakeholder Advisory You challenge hiring managers when role definitions are unrealistic, market expectations are off, or process decisions create risk. You align before searching, not after. What we look for: You can describe a situation where you pushed back on a hiring manager's position and explain how you built the case and navigated the outcome. Data-Driven Recruiting You read, interpret, and act on funnel KPIs, time-to-hire, source-to-screen conversion, offer acceptance rates. You use data to make process decisions, not just report them. What we look for: You can describe a recruiting funnel metric you tracked, how you interpreted it, and what process change it drove. Language Skills — Non-Negotiable German at C2 / native-equivalent level, required for candidate conversations, stakeholder communication, and process documentation in a German-speaking context. English at C1+ level, required for written and verbal communication in an international team environment. AGG note: Both language requirements are professionally justified by the candidate-facing and client-facing nature of the role Strong Skills - Valued, Not KO These strengthen your application but will not exclude you if absent. • Talent Pool Architecture: You systematically build, segment, and maintain candidate pipelines for recurring roles, not ad hoc lists • AI & Tech Tool Affinity: You have hands-on experience with modern ATS systems and AI-assisted sourcing or matching tools • Employer Branding Contribution: You can co-create job ad copy, LinkedIn content, or employer brand messaging, not just distribute it • Startup / Scale-Up Navigation: You have delivered results in environments where process, structure, and resources were all still being built What You'll Work With • AI-powered recruiting infrastructure: The team you'll join builds and operates its own recruiting tooling. You will use it daily. • Modern ATS environment: Structured pipelines, documented stages, KPI tracking built in • LinkedIn Recruiter: Including Recruiter Lite or full seat, depending on search volume • Direct collaboration with a small, senior team, no layers, short decision paths • A technology-first environment where manual workarounds are the exception, not the norm The operating model follows a clear sequence: first understand, then structure, then automate. Everyone working here works not in individual cases, but within a system. What's On Offer • Hybrid working model: Berlin base, flexible execution • Real ownership: You design and run your own processes within a clear framework, no micromanagement • Direct access to decision-makers: No approval chains for sourcing decisions or outreach copy • Growth context: You are part of building the internal recruiting capability, not maintaining a legacy setup • Purpose-driven work: Recruiting done properly: structured, skill-based, documented, and fair Compensation: Salary is discussed transparently during the process, benchmarked against market data. No blanket figures without basis. If this is relevant for you upfront, mention it in your application, we'll address it directly. Our Hiring Process We screen based on skills, not credentials. Here is what to expect: • Application review: A person reads every application, no automated filtering • Short intro call (20–30 min): Context, fit, mutual questions • Skills-based interview (60 min): Structured, competency-specific, with documented assessment • Optional: work sample or personality test: Role-relevant, time-boxed, focused on a real scenario • Final conversation + decision: Transparent feedback regardless of outcome We aim to respond within 5 business days. If timelines shift, we communicate proactively. How to Apply Please send: • Your CV or LinkedIn profile • Optional: 2–3 bullet points on a recruiting challenge you solved, what the situation was, what you did, what the result was How to Apply Please send: • Your CV or LinkedIn profile • Optional: 2–3 bullet points on a recruiting challenge you solved — what the situation was, what you did, what the result was Not sure you meet every requirement? Tell us what you can demonstrate. We assess on evidence, not on completeness of profile. Find Jobs in Germany on Arbeitnow