People & Talent Lead

YOUR IMPACT Tacto is building the intelligence layer for manufacturing. Engineering designs products in bits. Manufacturing builds them in atoms. Procurement connects both at the right quality, cost, and time - yet it runs on outdated systems. We're here to change that. Sequoia and Index backed us for the team we've built. This is Europe's chance to build a globally leading AI company, and we're at the center of it. None of this happens without the right people. We're past 100 and continue to grow fast. The quality of the people we hire and how we develop them once they're here will determine whether Tacto becomes a generational European tech company. That makes People & Talent the single most important lever we have. As People & Talent Lead, you own this lever end-to-end. You have full ownership of how we hire, develop, retain, and get the best out of our team. Realistically, ~80% of your focus will sit on Talent (where the real gap and biggest immediate impact is) and ~20% on broader People & Performance topics. You will primarily be measured on Talent outcomes. We're not looking for someone who wants to run a traditional HR function. We're rethinking people & talent from the ground up - focused on performance, not process theater. This is a company-building function, built with the same intensity and quality bar we apply to our product. YOUR TASKS - Own hiring end-to-end (your primary focus). Run recruiting across all departments with your team executing on entry- and mid-level hires under your lead. You personally source, pitch, and close all senior and critical hires (e.g., Expansion Lead, Head of X). Quality bar enforcement is yours - Build our employer brand. Make Tacto the obvious choice for top talent in DACH and beyond. Own positioning, LinkedIn presence, hiring events, university partnerships, and content strategy. Your team executes operationally; you set direction and quality - Be the sparring partner to Team Leads and Hiring Managers. Help leads define what great looks like for their team, challenge their thinking on org design and talent planning, calibrate hiring decisions across the company, and push back when standards slip - Drive performance management and people topics (~20% of your time). Together with André, own calibrations, feedback rhythm, career progression, and comp benchmarking. Address underperformance fast. Co-own leadership development, AI enablement, and internal communication on key decisions - Systematize the function. Build repeatable processes, clean analytics, and scalable workflows. Think in conversion rates, cycle times, and pipeline health, not just "we need to hire more." - Build community & network. Actively grow Tacto's presence in the DACH startup ecosystem. Build relationships with top universities, run events with taste, and maintain a warm network of A-players across all relevant functions YOUR PROFILE - 3-5 years of experience, with meaningful time spent in talent, performance, or org development topics in a high-growth environment (Series B+ SaaS, top startup, or similar) - Alternatively: 2-3 years in Tier 1 consulting combined with hands-on people or org development experience in a startup - You have a super high bar for great people - you know what excellence looks like and you won't lower the standard - You combine structured thinking with raw execution speed - you can design the system AND run it yourself - You're outgoing and a strong storyteller - you genuinely like working with people, convincing them, and building relationships. You can sell Tacto's vision to passive candidates 1:1 and in writing - You use AI tools daily and experiment with new workflows - Native German + strong English (written and verbal) - You're ready to commit - this role requires exceptional energy and intensity Bonus: Network in the DACH startup ecosystem (CDTM, MBB alumni, VC circles) We know that nobody is perfect and therefore have no specific 'minimum qualifications'. If the role sounds inter