Talent Director

Cherry Ventures is Europe’s leading early-stage venture capital firm led by a team of founders and operators with experience building fast-scaling companies such as Spotify, Zalando, and Uber. The firm backs Europe’s boldest founders, usually as their first institutional investor, and supports them in everything from go-to-market strategy, scaling the business, and team formation across all crucial stages in their journey. We look for founders with a vision to create revolutionary technologies - whether it’s AI, healthcare, robotics, consumer, or others—that impact society and change the world for the better. Cherry has invested in the pre-seed and seed stages of over 130 companies across Europe, including Flix, Auto1, Flaschenpost, Amboss, Manual, Numa, Moss, The Exploration Company, Qualifyze, Swap, Dash0, Proxima Fusion, and Tacto. Cherry has offices in Berlin, London, and Stockholm. Ideally this role will be based in London or Berlin.

About the Role

We’re looking for a senior talent and people leader to help elevate Cherry’s Portfolio Talent function and our portfolio of 130+ companies. You will partner closely with founders, CEOs, boards, and Cherry’s investment team to help build high-performing leadership teams, scalable organisations, and strong cultures across our portfolio from pre-seed to series B and beyond. This is a highly trusted, high-impact role operating at the intersection of venture, leadership, and company-building - shaping both portfolio outcomes and Cherry’s reputation as a hands-on, founder-first investor.

Responsibilities

• Build High-Performing Teams
• Partner with founders and CEOs to assess, design, and build world-class teams.
• Lead executive team diagnostics, organizational design reviews, and board & leadership planning.
• Support critical C-level, VP, and senior leadership hiring (e.g., CEO transitions, CXOs, & senior AI engineers).
• Define role scope, leadership profiles, compensation benchmarks, and hiring process design.
• Develop clear frameworks for leadership effectiveness, team alignment, and scaling readiness across growth stages.
• Design tailored talent & people strategies for growth-stage portfolio companies, aligning org structure and capability with scale ambitions.
• Deliver succession planning and leadership assessment frameworks to support Series B, Series C, and beyond.
• Advise founders on organizational change, leadership development, compensation design, equity, OKRs, and people infrastructure.
• Build scalable toolkits, playbooks, and self-serve resources for the Cherry platform.
• Allocation: 60% supporting existing portfolio companies, 20% building our network, 10% working with potential investments, and 10% collaborating on the ‘Talent Platform’ build.
• Act as a trusted advisor to founders and boards on talent, people, and culture topics—from founder evolution to executive team dynamics.
• Partner with Cherry’s investment team to integrate talent insight into investment decisions, diligence, and post-investment value creation plans.
• Build and manage relationships with external partners including executive coaches, search firms, and specialist advisors.
• Build & Leverage a Strong Talent Network
• Develop and maintain a high-quality network of senior operators across Europe, with deep coverage in AI, SaaS, Data, Product, GTM, and Finance.
• Maintain a structured talent intelligence system covering candidates, market insights, and hiring trends.
• Share up-to-date market data on compensation and equity to guide portfolio hiring decisions.
• Curate and host community initiatives (e.g., Founder Forums, Operator Dinners, Leadership Exchanges).

Experience

Deep experience in TA leadership, executive talent, organisational design, leadership advisory, or people strategy - ideally within VC, VC-backed technology, or executive search.

Required Skills

• Influence: Proven ability to influence founders, CEOs, or senior leadership with credibility, empathy, and sound judgment.
• Market Knowledge: Strong understanding of compensation structures and European talent markets.
• Connector: Exceptional relationship builder and communicator who enjoys the "matchmaking" aspect of talent.
• Agility: Comfortable operating both strategically (advising boards) and hands-on (designing role scopes).
• Mission-Driven: Passionate about helping founders scale through people, not just capital.

What Success Looks Like

• Founders see you as their first call for leadership, hiring, and people challenges.
• Investment teams actively integrate your talent strategy into post-investment plans.
• Data demonstrates improved leadership quality, retention, and scaling efficiency across the Cherry portfolio.

Why Join Cherry Ventures

• Impact: Shape how one of Europe’s leading early-stage VCs approaches talent and company-building.
• Access: Operate with autonomy, trust, and direct access to partners and world-class portfolio leadership.
• Founder-First: Be part of an operator-led firm where talent is a core lever of value creation, not an afterthought.
• Growth: Work with exceptional founders at the most pivotal stages of their growth.
• Benefits: We offer great benefits and competitive compensation.

Cherry Ventures is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.