Talent Acquisition Manager (gn) @ Defencetech Venture, Mechelen, Belgium

About MAHI

MAHI builds autonomous navigation systems for vessels operating in the world's harshest environments. AI-driven situational awareness, remote supervision, safety-critical edge computing — deployed on working vessels from 6 to 60 meters, where the ocean doesn't forgive mistakes.

We grew out of Project Mahi, the team behind Mahi-2, the first autonomous solar vessel to cross the Atlantic. Founded in 2022, we've gone from proof of concept to production systems on real vessels. Now we're scaling.

How We Work

Ship fast. Own your work. No bullshit. Tight feedback loops, decisions with imperfect information, high standards. Every person on this 15-person team has real impact.

The Role

We're building technology that redefines what maritime autonomy means. To get to the next level, we need someone who can find and land the exceptional people who will take us there.

As our Talent Acquisition Manager, you own everything from role intake to signed offer. You work directly with the founders, shape how MAHI hires, and build the hiring infrastructure that scales with us. This is not a coordination role. You're a hunter, a strategic partner, and a builder.

What You'll Do

• Own the full cycle: From "what do we actually need?" to offer acceptance and onboarding handoff

• Hunt, don't wait: You find the people. Deep in LinkedIn, niche communities, your own network. You build a bench before we even have the headcount

• Think globally: We hire the best person, wherever they are. You navigate the path to make them part of the team

• Be the first filter: You run initial screening calls and protect everyone's time

• Build the machine: Refine our ATS and hiring process. Keep it lean, organized, and useful

• Tell our story: Write job posts people actually want to read. Shape our employer brand so the right people come to us

• Raise the bar: Coach hiring managers on how to evaluate talent fairly and close top candidates

• Measure what matters: Track the metrics that make us faster and better at hiring

Who You Are

• Proven track record running full-cycle recruitment for multiple roles simultaneously

• Sourcing is your craft: you build pipelines, you don't wait for inbounds

• Fluent and persuasive in English and Dutch

• Organised and process-minded, with a genuine instinct for candidate experience

• Comfortable operating at pace with incomplete information

• Ready to be on-site in Mechelen

Bonus Points

• Experience recruiting technical profiles (software, hardware, AI/ML, deep tech)

• Background spanning recruiting and broader people operations

• Network in the Belgian or European deep tech startup ecosystem

What You'll Get

• A seat at the table in one of Europe's most ambitious maritime autonomy companies

• Real ownership over how MAHI builds its team

• A tight-knit team of 15 where your work is visible and your ideas carry weight

• Room to grow as we scale