(Senior) People Manager (m/w/d)

We are looking for an experienced developer who can help us build a scalable and sustainable organization. Our company is growing rapidly, and we need someone to lead our people operations team.

Gebäude verbrauchen 40 % der Energie Europas – das ist eines der drängendsten Klimaprobleme unserer Zeit. VARM löst es. With scalable insulation, we help millions of households save up to 50% of their heating costs.

We are a team of around 60 people who have just completed another large funding round and are growing quickly – as one of the fastest-growing climate-tech companies in Europe.

Until now, the topic of People has been directly led by the Founders. With our growth, we are building this function strategically and operationally internally for the first time.

We are looking for you.

The role

You will take ownership of everything that means People at VARM – from operational excellence to strategic co-creation.

You will join us in an early phase and help shape the People function together with the Founders from scratch.

In return, you will receive:

• direct access to the Founder level,
• true design space
• and the opportunity to build a modern, scalable People function.

In the first few months, the focus will be particularly on:

• stable and scalable People Ops,
• building in-house recruiting
• and creating initial People structures for further growth.

Tasks

What to expect

• You will build the People function at VARM internally for the first time – together with the Founders and with a lot of design space
• You will be responsible for our People Ops end-to-end: contracts, onboarding, payroll preparation, documentation, and processes
• You will gradually take over external recruiting and actively hire for central roles
• You will develop initial scalable People structures around performance, feedback, compensation, and benefits
• You will accompany organizational changes pragmatically, solution-oriented, and legally sound
• You will work closely with external partners for payroll and labor law
• You will move in an environment with high speed, a lot of self-responsibility, and direct communication
• You will have the chance to shape a modern People organization from scratch

Qualification

What you bring

• Multiple years of experience in a generalist People role – e.g. as People Partner, HRBP, People Lead or People Manager – ideally in the startup or scaleup environment
• Experience in building processes and structures yourself – not just managing existing systems
• Affinity for AI and modern tools and the willingness to actively integrate them into your daily work
• Solid knowledge of German labor law
• Very good German and English skills

What sets you apart

• You feel at home in environments with high speed, ambiguity, and a lot of self-responsibility.
• You don't wait until problems escalate. You communicate clearly and directly – even in difficult situations.
• You can think strategically without dropping the operational ball.
• You have a desire to build something from scratch – rather than just managing existing processes.
• You don't need a perfect playbook to be effective.

Benefits

What we offer you

• true design space: at our company, nothing is set in stone – you build actively with us instead of just managing
• direct collaboration with the Founders and the leadership team
• a clear development path with perspective towards Head of People
• work on one of the most pressing climate issues in Europe
• a strongly growing climate-tech company with international top investors
• a modern office in the heart of Kreuzberg
• onsite-first with flexibility and trust
• fast decisions, direct communication, and a true startup spirit
• attractive compensation including participation program
• opportunities for further education, team events, and fitness benefits
• a motivated team with high ownership and a genuine support culture

We look forward to your application!

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