About the Role
We're a small, ambitious deeptech startup at the intersection of AI, robotics, and materials science — working to dramatically accelerate the discovery of next-generation materials for the energy sector and beyond. Our team of engineers, scientists, and operators is growing, and we're looking for a Culture and Community Manager to take intentional ownership of who we are as a team and how we work together.
This is a high-agency, highly people-facing role. You'll design the rituals, traditions, and systems that keep a fast-moving, technically deep team feeling connected and energized — while also running candidate outreach and owning the practical people-ops work that makes everyday employee experience reliable and warm. On-site in Berlin, full-time.
What You'll Do
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Design and run weekly rituals, team socials, monthly activities, celebrations, and quarterly offsites that feel genuinely meaningful — not performative.
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Create shared traditions and experiences that build a distinctive, cohesive team identity.
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Make all-hands meetings and collective gatherings more energetic, interactive, and participatory.
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Build trusted relationships across the company and maintain a continuous pulse on team sentiment.
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Proactively notice signs of disengagement or frustration; reach out to support team members or escalate when appropriate.
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Review monthly team updates to spot recurring asks, tone shifts, or emerging themes — and follow through on them.
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Source and outreach to candidates via LinkedIn, communities, referrals, and creative channels.
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Screen candidates for motivation, values, judgment, and cultural contribution; support interview coordination.
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Own practical, people-facing problems that lack a clear owner — and build workable solutions without a predefined playbook.
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Maintain lightweight people-ops: onboarding experiences, trackers, follow-ups, and internal documentation.
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Coordinate reliably across founders, employees, vendors, and external partners.
What We're Looking For
Required:
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Minimum 2 years of experience in community management, people operations, or a closely related field.
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Demonstrated ability to own and solve people-facing operational problems without a predefined playbook.
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Experience screening and evaluating candidates for motivation, values, and cultural fit as part of an interview process.
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Cross-functional collaboration experience — comfortable working alongside founders, engineers, scientists, vendors, and external partners.
Ideal Background:
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Background in community management, employee experience, recruiting, events, hospitality, startup ops, university communities, or similar.
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Strong emotional judgment and the ability to handle sensitive conversations with care and discretion.
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High agency, low ego — willing to do both the visible and the unglamorous work.
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Startup mindset: obsessed with speed, urgency, and impact; comfortable with ambiguity and a fast-changing environment.
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AI-native curiosity: you actively use AI tools to build workflows, write prompts, or create automations that make work faster. Engineering skills are not required — but genuine enthusiasm for leveraging AI in your day-to-day is.
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Warm, approachable, and persistent communicator who can give leadership honest, practical views of team sentiment.
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Ability to rally reluctant participants without making culture feel forced or top-down.
Location & Work Arrangement
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Location: Berlin, Germany (on-site)
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Visa sponsorship: Not available — candidates must have existing authorisation to work in Germany.
Why This Role
This is a rare opportunity to shape culture from the ground up at a technically ambitious, well-funded early-stage company tackling one of the most important scientific challenges of our time. You'll work closely with founders, have real ownership, and see your work directly reflected in how a remarkable team shows up every day.
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