At Laelaps AI, we believe robotics is entering a transformative decade, much like the arrival of the internet. Advances in AI, cloud computing, and hardware are reshaping what autonomous systems can do. Our mission is to build the intelligent software that powers physical security in the real world - enabling robots and sensors to handle dangerous and critical tasks that humans shouldn't have to. By engineering the orchestration layer for intelligent security, we aim to create a world that is safer, more secure, and more resilient.
We're a strong founding team based in Zurich, backed by visionary investors and advisors. We are engineering the future of security today!
The RoleYou will be our first people hire. Laelaps is a team of about a dozen in Zürich planning 15 to 25 hires over the next twelve months, and you will run hiring and HR so the founders can spend their time on the product and customers. You will own how we hire, how people join, and the people side of running a growing company.
We hire the top of the top and are particular about culture. You will keep that bar while making the process fast and humane for candidates and interviewers.
What You'll Work OnHiring operations: run our hiring process in Ashby end to end: job setup, interview plans, scheduling, candidate communication, offer paperwork with the founders.
Sourcing: find and engage candidates for technical and G&A roles alongside the hiring managers.
HR: employment contracts, onboarding and offboarding as a programme, policies and the employee handbook, people records.
Candidate and employee experience: make every touchpoint reflect the company we are building.
Employer brand: with the founders, how we show up to the people we want to hire.
A people and talent generalist who has done both recruiting and HR in a startup or scale-up, ideally hiring engineers. You are organised, discreet, quick, and comfortable being the first person in the function.
Your Background3+ years in recruiting, people operations or both, in a startup or scale-up.
Experience hiring technical profiles.
Working knowledge of Swiss employment practice.
Hands-on with an applicant tracking system; Ashby is a plus.
Fluent English; German a plus.
Deep tech, robotics or defence.
Hiring internationally and the permits that come with it.
Equity and employee option paperwork.
Ownership: you are able to ship products and deliver project end-to-end.
Mission: autonomous security that keeps people and critical sites safe, including in defence.
Career path: a ground-floor seat with real runway. Prove your value and you will not have barriers to grow.
Team: work directly with PhD-level co-founders in AI, Robotics, and Physics, alongside a strong (and fun) founding team.
Compensation: Competitive equity/salary package
Culture: International founding team that is serious about building but does not take itself too seriously.
Skills Required
- 3+ years of experience in recruiting, people operations, or both in a startup or scale-up
- Experience hiring technical profiles
- Working knowledge of Swiss employment practice
- Hands-on experience with an applicant tracking system
- Fluent English
- German language skills
- Experience in deep tech, robotics, or defense
- Experience hiring internationally and managing related permits
- Experience with equity and employee option paperwork
What We Do
Laelaps AI develops an autonomous security platform that unifies robots and stationary sensors, including cameras, drones, and security robots, into a coordinated monitoring force. Its AI-driven systems support continuous surveillance, automated patrols, rapid incident response, and intelligent decision-making across commercial and defense environments. The hardware-agnostic platform is designed to reduce monitoring workloads while improving coverage, response speed, and operational reliability.
