A-Players is a bootstrapped talent and management company — $1M+ ARR, 7+ years in market. We place high-performing Business Associates (BAs) directly with early-stage US tech startups, embedded with founders and C-level executives as their main operations and communication layer. Our hires have supported Seed–Series A teams backed by YC, a16z, and other top VCs — some of those companies are now unicorns. We hire only true A-Players, and we hold ourselves to the same standard.
We're looking for a People Partner with an HR partnership, people development, or talent management background to own the growth, performance, and wellbeing of our BA team.
This isn't a classic HR role. You'll spend most of your time talking to people — understanding what's blocking them, helping them grow inside startup environments, and turning client feedback into something actionable. If you've mentored people in a startup accelerator, campus program, or early-stage company, you'll immediately recognize the dynamics here.
In this role you willRun regular 1:1s with BAs to track progress, surface blockers, and support goal setting
Collect and translate client feedback into concrete individual development actions
Build development plans and follow through on their implementation
Catch early signs of performance or motivation issues and respond with structured coaching — not just escalation
Document key insights, status changes, and performance trends in our internal systems
Support onboarding and help new BAs integrate faster
Contribute to internal improvement projects — workshops, knowledge base updates, process refinements
Background in HR partnership, people development, coaching, or talent management — in a startup, accelerator, or fast-moving environment
Experience mentoring people navigating early-stage company realities — you understand how these teams work and what it takes to perform inside them
You've had hard performance conversations and know how to give direct feedback without making it personal
You can tell the difference between someone who needs direction and someone who needs support — and you adjust accordingly
Comfortable working without a perfect process; you build structure as you go
Organized enough to document well and track what matters without getting lost in admin
Confident written and spoken English (B2+)
Familiar with tools like Notion, Airtable, Claude and Google Workspace
Working hours: 10 am - 7 pm CET
Competitive pay with annual performance reviews
Unlimited vacation and sick days — actually encouraged
Full access to premium productivity and AI tools, plus our internal library
A small, high-standards team that moves fast and takes care of its people
Pre-screen interview
Take-home test
In-depth interview with the CEO
Final culture-fit conversation with leadership
Offer + reference check
Skills Required
- Background in HR partnership, people development, coaching, or talent management in startup, accelerator, or fast-moving environment
- Experience mentoring people navigating early-stage company realities
- Experience having hard performance conversations and delivering direct feedback
- Ability to diagnose whether someone needs direction versus support and adapt approach
- Comfortable building structure and processes where none exist
- Organized and able to document insights, status changes, and performance trends
- Confident written and spoken English (B2+)
- Familiarity with Notion, Airtable, Claude, and Google Workspace
- Availability to work 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM CET
What We Do
A-Players is a talent technology and recruiting firm that connects top-tier talent with mission-driven startups and investors. They provide leadership recruitment, dedicated business associates on a subscription basis, and consulting services to help companies build strong cultures and high-performing teams. Their mission is to shift the global culture from money-first to impact-first by matching exceptional individuals with organizations that aim to create positive change.
