About the JobAs a key growth accelerator, A11 partners with Europe’s most ambitious startups and scaleups, corporates and SMBs to connect them with top-tier talent ready to make an impact. We're looking for a driven Founding People Lead (m/f/d) to build and lead the People function from the ground up at Optiml.As a Founding People Lead you'll build the entire people engine from scratch, treating People Ops like a product and designing automated systems so a lean team operates like a much bigger one.Join the A11 Ecosystem - Optiml is rebuilding how investment decisions get made in the world's largest asset class, real estate. As rising rates, looming refinancing, and shifting regulation make portfolios harder to steer, Optiml's platform, Real Estate Decision Intelligence (REDI), uses AI to turn scattered building, financial, and regulatory data into clear, evidence-backed decisions on where to hold, sell, renovate, or refinance. An ETH Zurich spin-off backed by world-class investors including Innovation Endeavors, Planet A Ventures, and KOMPAS, Optiml is scaling fast across Europe.In this role, you’ll:Own recruiting and hiring end-to-end across commercial, technical, and operational roles, partnering with hiring managers to define requirements, build structured interview kits, and standardise candidate communicationBuild and automate onboarding, offboarding, and performance-review workflows using an AI-native stack (Notion, Slack, AI agents), and own the people tech stack end-to-endDesign and own culture rituals and communication systems that keep a distributed, hub-and-spoke team (CH, DE, UK) connected, including planning and running offsites and culture initiativesRun performance management (30/60/90s, probation reviews) and own HR operations and compliance across the CH, DE, and UK entities, partnering with the Head of OperationsTypical Tasks: Evaluate and implement tools and automations that cut manual adminAct as the day-to-day point of contact for employees on culture, wellbeing, and people questionsManage day-to-day employee relations, including performance concerns, grievances, and sensitive situations, escalating appropriatelySupport compensation and benefits administration: salary reviews, benchmarking, and benefits setup and renewal across entitiesYour Profile: 4 to 7 years in People Ops, HR, or Recruitment, including time in a startup or high-paced environment, or a strong track record in an adjacent field (operations, consulting, founder's office) with a genuine pull toward people and culture workProven ownership of a full people function or key processes end-to-end: you have built structure from scratch without a roadmap and kept several workstreams running in parallelTrack record owning full-cycle recruiting across roles and departments: sourcing, screening, and closingStrong stakeholder management, building trusted relationships across a distributed team and with foundersBusiness acumen: you understand the business model, stage, and priorities and make people and hiring decisions from the business need backwardsBuilder mentality: you use AI tools daily in your own workflow and are energized by removing manual, repeatable workA track record setting up and improving HR operations end-to-end (HRIS, processes, policies, compliance) is idealStrong written and verbal English, German is a nice-to-haveBased in or able to work from London, and willing to travel to Zurich and offsitesPlease note that this position is based in London or Berlin. Benefits and Perks:Direct impact: play a critical role in scaling a company transforming how real estate makes investment decisionsOwnership: build and own the people function's tooling and systems from scratch, not inherit someone else's stackGrowth: work closely with leadership and gain exposure across all company functionsCulture: join a mission-driven, high-performance, distributed team you will help shapeLearning and development budgetIf you’re eager to join the A11 Ecosystem and shape what’s next, we want to hear from you!Our Commitment to Diversity and InclusionA11 is committed to diverse and equal opportunities hiring for all – applicants, candidates, and employees alike. We value humans – with all our glorious multifaceted backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences – and look forward to your application.
Founding People Lead (m/f/d) in London employer: Project A Ventures
A11 is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture, offering flexible hybrid working arrangements in the vibrant city of London. Employees benefit from competitive salaries, performance-based commissions, and opportunities for equity participation, all while being part of a pioneering team that shapes the future of Real Estate Decision Intelligence. With a strong focus on personal growth and direct access to industry leaders, A11 empowers its employees to thrive in their careers and make a meaningful impact.
