About Lightyear

We’re on a mission to make investing better for everyone in Europe. More specifically, we’re making it light years better (sorry… we had to!). We’re combining multi-currency accounts with unlimited access to global markets so that everyone in Europe can invest without sneaky hidden fees or unnecessary barriers.

In just four years, we’ve gone from idea to fully regulated in both the UK and EU, launched across 25 countries, raised $58M, and built a 80+ strong team from Europe’s top fintechs and startups.

We’re backed by a stellar line-up of investors – including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sir Richard Branson, Mosaic Ventures, NordicNinja, and some of Europe’s top founders like Taavet Hinrikus (Wise), Jaan Tallinn (Skype), and Markus Villig (Bolt).

Description

We’re looking for a Talent Acquisition Lead to take full ownership of how we find, hire, and develop the people who will shape our company’s future. This role combines strategic vision with hands-on execution: you’ll influence how teams grow, how managers lead, and how the company maintains high standards as we scale across Europe.

You’ll define the foundations of the People function, creating practical systems for hiring, performance, and organisational design that actually work for the business. The goal is to ensure every manager and team can operate effectively, without adding unnecessary process or bureaucracy.

What you will do

• Own and execute the company-wide Talent strategy.

• Partner with founders and functional leads to translate strategy into clear, prioritised hiring plans.

• Personally lead senior and business-critical hires end-to-end.

• Design and run efficient, high-signal hiring processes that optimise for quality.

• Own and scale the foundations of the People function, including core Operations (onboarding, performance cycles, compensation frameworks, documentation) and Leadership practices (performance standards, manager support, organisational design) in a pragmatic, scalable way.

• Design people systems that scale with growth without introducing unnecessary processes or bureaucracy.

• Build scalable, structured hiring and people systems that enable managers to hire and manage effectively without adding bureaucracy.

Requirements

• 6+ years in talent acquisition, including senior-level hiring in fast-growing tech or fintech environments.

• Experience owning core People foundations (onboarding, performance cycles, compensation frameworks) in a pragmatic, scalable way is a strong plus.

• Experience scaling teams across multiple countries and building hiring systems that hold up under growth.

• Proven track record of hiring high performers in product-driven organisations.

• Strong commercial judgement – understands trade-offs between speed, quality, cost and business impact, including compensation and equity decisions.

• Hands-on operator with high ownership – willing to source, screen, interview, close, design systems and challenge hiring managers when needed.

• Clear, direct communicator. Fluent English.

Benefits

💵 A competitive startup package with stock options that vest monthly after a one-year cliff

📍 Brand new office in Tallinn (Kalamaja)

⏰ Flexible working hours

🏡 A flexible approach to working remotely

🏥 Private health insurance

☕️ All the usual office facilities, including free tea, coffee & snacks

🐶 Dog-friendly office (20% distracting, but 100% cute: see here)

🚲 Cycling or running to work? We’ve got bike parking and showers