Talent Acquisition Lead

pplwise; Germany (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

pplwise is seeking a Senior Talent Acquisition Lead to own the full hiring lifecycle across multiple business functions. You will partner with hiring managers and senior leadership to attract top talent, build scalable recruiting processes, and strengthen our employer brand to fuel growth.

This hands-on role focuses on designing strategies, improving candidate experience, and delivering data-driven insights.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in Talent Acquisition or Executive Search within fast-growing tech, SaaS, or digital businesses.
• Proven full-cycle recruitment across multiple seniorities and functions.
• Strong sourcing and passive candidate engagement across markets.
• Data-driven with recruiting metrics to improve quality and speed.
• Excellent stakeholder management and ability to influence senior leaders.
• Experience with external agencies or executive search partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end recruitment across technical, product, and commercial functions.
• Define hiring strategies with managers and leaders.
• Design and improve recruiting processes, interview structures, and scorecards.
• Develop proactive sourcing in multiple talent markets.
• Build candidate pipelines through direct sourcing, networking, referrals.
• Provide transparent reporting on key recruiting metrics.
• Drive employer branding and candidate experience initiatives.
• Develop scalable TA structures and automation opportunities.
• Collaborate with external recruitment partners.

Skills

Full-cycle recruitment

Stakeholder management

Data-driven

Sourcing strategies

Employer brand

Market mapping

Dashboards reporting

External recruiting partnerships

Automation opportunities

Leadership

Job description

YOUR MISSION

As a Senior Talent Acquisition Lead, you take ownership of the entire hiring lifecycle across multiple business functions. You partner closely with hiring managers and senior leadership to attract exceptional talent, improve hiring quality, and build scalable recruiting processes that support long‑term business growth.

You combine strong recruiting expertise with a strategic mindset, using data, market insights, and stakeholder management to continuously optimize how hiring decisions are made. Beyond filling positions, you help shape the overall Talent Acquisition function by introducing better structures, improving candidate experience, and strengthening our employer brand.

This is a highly visible role for someone who enjoys operating hands‑on while building the recruiting foundations of a fast‑growing organization.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead end‑to‑end recruitment across technical, product, commercial, and business functions, managing the full hiring process from kick‑off to offer acceptance.
• Partner closely with hiring managers and senior leaders to define hiring strategies, challenge role requirements, and support workforce planning.
• Design, implement, and continuously improve recruiting processes, including intake meetings, interview structures, scorecards, feedback quality, and hiring governance.
• Develop proactive sourcing strategies across different talent markets, adapting your approach for technical, commercial, and go‑to‑market roles.
• Build and maintain strong candidate pipelines through direct sourcing, networking, referrals, and market mapping.
• Use recruiting data and market insights to identify bottlenecks, improve hiring performance, and provide transparent reporting on key recruiting metrics.
• Create dashboards and reporting structures covering pipeline health, conversion rates, time‑to‑hire, source effectiveness, and overall hiring performance.
• Manage and challenge external recruiting partners, ensuring high‑quality delivery, clear expectations, and efficient collaboration.
• Drive employer branding initiatives by improving candidate communication, supporting hiring managers, strengthening social media presence, and enhancing the overall candidate experience.
• Contribute to the continuous development of the Talent Acquisition function by introducing scalable structures, automation opportunities, and best practices.

WHO YOU ARE

We welcome different career paths, including:

• 6+ years of experience in Talent Acquisition, Recruiting, or Executive Search within fast‑growing technology, SaaS, e‑commerce, marketplace, or digital businesses.
• Strong experience recruiting technical profiles, combined with the ability to successfully hire commercial, sales, marketing, and other business functions.
• Proven experience managing full‑cycle recruitment independently across multiple seniority levels.
• Experience building or significantly improving recruiting processes, hiring frameworks, dashboards, and operational recruiting structures.
• Strong sourcing capabilities with confidence engaging passive candidates across competitive talent markets.
• Data‑driven mindset with experience using recruiting metrics to improve hiring quality, stakeholder decisions, and overall process efficiency.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the confidence to advise, influence, and constructively challenge senior leaders.
• Experience working with external recruiting agencies, executive search partners, or freelance recruiters.
• Strong interest in employer branding and candidate experience, with the ability to strengthen an organization’s visibility in the talent market.
• Highly structured, proactive, and hands‑on working style with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• Comfortable working in dynamic, fast‑changing environments where building structure is just as important as executing day‑to‑day recruiting.
• Fluent in both German and English.