Talent acquisition partner for digital banks

We are a boutique Financial Services consultancy however we reject the conventional «consultant-client» script, we are partners with a shared responsibility for outcomes. We put focus on cultural transformation within the client's business and put high emphasis on transparency when we disagree. At Ikigai, we specialise in helping clients build, launch, and run successful digital banks. We're looking for someone who's been there, done it and knows what great technical recruitment looks like.

• Own the end-to-end recruitment process for technical roles, with a particular focus on Backend Engineering, Architecture, Platform, Security & Data
• Proactively source, engage and build relationships with exceptional technical talent across international (mainly European) markets.
• Partner directly with engineering leaders and hiring managers to understand their teams, technical challenges and hiring requirements.
• Manage multiple vacancies and priorities independently, keeping recruitment moving without needing constant direction.
• Deliver a great candidate experience, with honest communication, timely feedback and a genuinely human approach.
• Build talent pipelines for future opportunities, not just the roles we're hiring for today.
• Use data and your own judgement to understand what's working, what's not and where we could improve.
• Help shape and improve our recruitment approach as we continue to scale, without introducing processes simply for the sake of having them.

• Strong experience recruiting technical talent, particularly Backend Engineering, Architecture, Platform, Security & Data.
• Experience working in-house within a technology business, ideally a start-up or scale-up.
• Experience working at a top Software Engineering Recruitment Agency.
• A proven track record of managing the full recruitment life cycle, from sourcing through to offer and onboarding.
• Someone who understands technical recruitment beyond simply matching keywords on a CV.
• Confidence working directly with senior engineers, technical leads and other stakeholders.
• A proactive sourcer who knows how to find and engage people who aren't actively looking for a new role.
• Experience working in fast-moving, international and remote scale-up.
• Strong communication skills and the confidence to challenge, influence and make recommendations.
• A self-starter who can prioritise their own workload, solve problems and make decisions without waiting for instructions.
• Most importantly, we want someone who's comfortable being trusted. If something isn't working, you pause, then tell us. If you disagree with an approach, challenge it with your reasons and you’re open to hearing another perception. If you need help, ask for it. We don't expect you to have every answer, but we do expect you to take responsibility for finding them.
• Communication matters. We're a remote business and Slack is a big part of how we work. You need to be comfortable keeping people updated, asking questions and raising issues before they become problems.
• We're still growing. Not everything will be perfect, and sometimes priorities will change quickly. You'll need to be comfortable with ambiguity and enjoy being part of a business that's evolving.

• This isn't a role where you'll be given a script, told how many calls to make or asked to account for every hour of your day. There won't be power hours, unnecessary meetings or someone constantly checking what you're doing. Instead, you'll have genuine autonomy, the tools and support you need, and the freedom to approach recruitment in the way you know works best.
• You'll report to our Head of People, who has a recruitment background and understands the realities of the job. You'll have someone to bounce ideas off, challenge and ask for help, but not someone looking over your shoulder.
• Autonomy is real here. We're not interested in monitoring activity for the sake of it. We care about the quality of your work, the relationships you build and the outcomes you achieve.
• You'll have a manager who understands recruitment. You'll be supported by someone who's done the job, understands its challenges and knows that good recruiters don't need to be micromanaged.
• We’re a remote first company - this allows you to work from wherever you work best but for this role there will be some elements of travel required.
• There’s open ended career progression here and you’ll be given a $2,000 annual budget for personal training, attending conferences, alongside an industry leading benefits package.
• 🏝️Even though we’re remote and we love it, we often meet up when it suits us, when it’s productive and of course when it’s fun! We find it ideal for celebrating our big wins, for team meetings and for social events AND don’t forget our yearly company-wide get-togethers in the sun too! In 2023 we went to Thailand, 2024 we visited Portugal, 2025 was Vietnam and 2026 was Croatia!