We are looking for our future Head of People, who will start by leading the single most strategic initiative for our growth: sourcing, attracting, and hiring our core engineering team. You will act as the right hand to the founders and executive leadership on all human capital matters. Once the team is in place, your role will naturally transition into full People Operations leadership to support the company’s long-term scale-up.
Responsibilities
Phase 1 (Months 1 to 12): Strategic Talent Acquisition & Scaling (~80% of your time)
- Direct Sourcing & Executive Search: Map talent pools across major aerospace OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, research labs, and deep-tech startups worldwide to proactively headhunt top technical talent.
- Technical Fluency: Quickly grasp our technological challenges to speak peer-to-peer with propulsion specialists and pitch our engineering vision credibly.
- Candidate Experience & Employer Branding: Design a fast-paced, highly engaging, and rigorous hiring process from initial outreach through closing.
- Offer Negotiation & Closing: Successfully negotiate competitive compensation packages (base & bonus) against established aerospace players.
Phase 2 (Parallel & Post-ramp-up): People Operations & HR Foundation (~20% ramping to ~80%)
- Onboarding & Retention: Build a tailored onboarding experience to seamlessly integrate new hires into our engineering culture and accelerate time-to-productivity.
- People Infrastructure: Establish clear compensation bands, technical career ladders, and performance management/feedback frameworks.
- Labor Compliance & Employee Relations: Oversee French labor compliance, HR administration, and employee representation bodies (CSE) as headcount thresholds are reached.
- Culture & Engagement: Foster high standards, team cohesion, and purpose as the company transitions from an early-stage startup into an industrial-scale operation.
Profile
- Technical Affinity: Comfortable navigating complex aerospace engineering terminology (gas turbines, aero-mechanics, structural analysis, CFD, etc.) and understanding what motivates experienced R&D talent to leave established corporations.
- Track Record in Closing: Strong interpersonal skills, grit, and sharp negotiation capabilities to secure niche, highly sought-after candidates.
- Full-Scope HR Foundations: Solid background in generalist HR practices and French labor regulations, coupled with a genuine appetite to build a People function from the ground up.
- Languages: Full professional proficiency in both French and English (European candidate sourcing and international working environment), German would be a plus.
Requirements
- Technical Affinity: Comfortable navigating complex aerospace engineering terminology (gas turbines, aero-mechanics, structural analysis, CFD, etc.) and understanding what motivates experienced R&D talent to leave established corporations.
- Track Record in Closing: Strong interpersonal skills, grit, and sharp negotiation capabilities to secure niche, highly sought-after candidates.
- Full-Scope HR Foundations: Solid background in generalist HR practices and French labor regulations, coupled with a genuine appetite to build a People function from the ground up.
- Languages: Full professional proficiency in both French and English (European candidate sourcing and international working environment), German would be a plus.
