Founding Growth & Marketing Lead

Xpreso (xpreso.ai) is an AI-powered recruiting platform built for European tech. Our voice-first AI agent, Nina, screens candidates and matches them to roles — replacing the generic, broken job search experience with something that actually works for candidates and companies alike. We’re early, moving fast, and focused on the DACH region and broader European market. We are backed by Merantix and proudly AI-first.

We’re looking for a Founding Growth & Marketing Lead to own the candidate side of our product. This means two things: building the engine that brings candidates in, and making sure the ones who join genuinely love Xpreso and keep coming back.

You’ve taken products from 0 to 1. You know what it means to build an acquisition funnel from nothing, test channels with limited resources, and design the retention loops that turn a cold user base into an engaged one. You think in growth levers, not to-do lists.

You’ll sit at the intersection of GTM strategy, product-led growth, and direct execution. You won’t just drive top-of-funnel — you’ll close the loop with the founding team to translate growth signals into product decisions.

This is a foundational role. The person who does it well will shape how Xpreso grows.

– Define and execute the go-to-market strategy for the candidate side — positioning, messaging, and channel mix across European tech markets, with a focus on DACH

– Build acquisition engines from scratch: identify which channels reach the right tech talent, run structured experiments, double down on what works

– Design and activate viral and referral mechanics that turn users into a distribution channel

– Own partnerships, community plays, events, and warm network strategies as part of a diversified GTM motion

– Own the full candidate funnel — from first touch to activated, engaged user

– Monitor engagement signals and design re-engagement mechanics before users go cold

– Develop outreach cadences that feel genuinely useful, not spammy — the kind that candidates actually respond to

– Track the metrics that matter: activation rate, retention curves, NPS, and leading indicators of drop-off

– Run structured feedback loops — qualitative interviews, usage analysis, friction mapping — and bring that signal directly into roadmap conversations with the founding team

– Own the growth side of product decisions: where are users dropping off, what’s driving retention, what one product change would unlock the next growth curve

– Track and report on candidate satisfaction (usability, usefulness, NPS or equivalent) as a shared product-growth metric

At 3 months: Measurable growth in active candidates in the platform, a clear channel hypothesis backed by early data, and at least one growth-informed product improvement shipped.

At 6 months: A repeatable acquisition engine running with defined unit economics, a retention rate we’re proud of, and a candidate community with genuine organic momentum.

– You’ve been a Head of Growth, VP Growth, or equivalent at a startup — and you’ve done the 0-to-1 work yourself, not just managed a team that did it

– You’ve built acquisition channels from scratch and know how to prioritise when you can’t do everything at once

– Strong GTM instincts: you can design a go-to-market motion, write the copy, run the experiment, and interpret the results

– Excellent written and verbal communication in English; German is a strong plus for the DACH market

– Comfortable working autonomously in an early-stage environment — you set your own priorities and move without being managed

– Data-forward: you track what matters, spot patterns early, and use evidence to make decisions — while knowing when to trust your gut

– Based in Berlin or willing to relocate

– Background in strategy consulting or growth advisory — you know how to structure a problem before you sprint at it

– Experience in HR tech, recruiting platforms, or marketplace businesses — you understand the dynamics of a supply-demand model

– Familiarity with AI recruiting tools or voice-first products

– Network within the DACH tech talent market

– Founding experience — you’ve started something yourself and know what it takes to build from nothing

This is not a campaign manager or performance marketing role. You won’t be optimising ad spend or running someone else’s playbook. Your job is to figure out the playbook, build the engine, and own the outcome. If you need a fully-resourced team and a defined brief to do your best work, this isn’t the right role.

Compensation: €80-150k gross per year depending on experience, plus equity participation.

We use our own product for hiring. Here’s what to expect:

– Click Apply — you’ll land on a short Xpreso page for this role

– Create an account (takes 30 seconds) and optionally upload your CV

– Nina, our AI recruiter, will have a quick conversation with you — about your background, what you’re looking for, and why this role interests you

– If there’s a strong match, we’ll make the introduction and share next steps. If not, Nina will suggest strong alternatives and keep matching you to relevant roles.

You always win.