HR Manager / People & Culture Manager US Operations (all genders)

Overview Blackwave designs, manufactures and ships flight-qualified, commercial off-the-shelf composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) for launch vehicles and satellites. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Munich, Germany, the company delivers COPVs from a standardized portfolio with flight heritage. The approach reduces lead time from months to days while ensuring that each tank is qualified and flight-ready.

Blackwave's mission is to end COPV failure in spaceflight. The company employs more than 150 people across manufacturing facilities in Germany and Texas. More information at Blackwave.com and the procurement platform COPV.com.

Role Mission Blackwave is landing in Texas. As our first People hire in the US, you won''t be joining an HR function — you''ll be founding one. Own hiring, culture, compliance, and the workplace experience that makes our Texas office feel unmistakably Blackwave.

What You'll Own Hiring — End to End: Own the full recruiting cycle for all US roles: job briefs, sourcing, screening, process design, and offers. Manage TeamTailor as the ATS and be the face of Blackwave to every candidate. During the start-up phase, hiring is the highest-priority outcome.

Payroll & HR Compliance: Run US payroll accurately and on time via Gusto. Own all federal and Texas state employment law compliance — from onboarding paperwork to quarterly filings. Zero errors, no surprises.

Culture & Workplace Experience: Be the keeper of the Blackwave culture in the US. Design and run onboarding experiences that connect new hires to our values. Create a workplace where people feel engaged, included, and motivated — from office setup to team rituals to the day-to-day vibe.

HR Processes & Tools: Build, document, and own all core HR processes: onboarding, performance cycles, leave management, and more. Manage Gusto and TeamTailor as the HR tech stack. Everything you build should be scalable — ready to hand off as the team grows.

Health & Safety: Ensure the Texas site meets applicable OSHA standards. Conduct initial risk assessments, implement baseline H&S policies, and build a culture where safety is a shared responsibility — not a compliance checkbox. Germany HQ Partnership: Work in close sync with the Head of People & Culture in Germany.

Align US HR operations with the global People strategy, contribute to cross-continental processes, and make sure the US team never feels disconnected from the broader Blackwave family. What We're Looking For US HR & Employment Law: Deep working knowledge of US federal and Texas state employment law — FLSA, ADA, FMLA, EEO, and beyond. You know what compliance looks like in practice, not just on paper.

Full-Cycle Recruiting Ownership: You''ve owned hiring end-to-end before — not just screened CVs. You know how to build a pipeline, run a process, and close the right people. ATS experience required; TeamTailor a strong plus.

US Payroll (Gusto preferred): Hands-on experience running US payroll. Gusto experience is strongly preferred. You''re comfortable with the details — tax setup, benefits deductions, off-cycle runs — and you get things right first time.

Builder Mindset: You''ve been the first or only HR person in a startup or scale-up before. You don''t wait for processes to exist — you create them, document them, and make them stick. Cross-Cultural Collaboration: You''re comfortable working with a European HQ across time zones.

Strong async communication, cultural empathy, and the ability to translate between contexts — not just languages. Health & Safety (OSHA): Working knowledge of OSHA requirements for an office and/or light industrial environment in Texas. (nice-to-have) Culture & Workplace Experience Design: Experience shaping company culture — onboarding programmes, team rituals, office environment, engagement initiatives. You understand that culture is built in the details. (nice-to-have) Location & Travel Our current facility is located in Lockhart, Texas (near Austin/San Antonio) In Q3-2026, Blackwave will relocate to a new site in the Port San Antonio aerospace hub As a key cultural multiplier, we expect this role to be on-site as often as possible Travel required for industry events and potential trips to Blackwave Germany Equal Opportunity Employer Blackwave Texas Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected characteristics under applicable law. ITAR Requirement This position requires eligibility under U.S. export regulations (ITAR). Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or otherwise authorized to access export-controlled information. #J-18808-Ljbffr