Talent manager
Bending Spoons · Spain
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- €75,000 / year
- Spain
Job highlights
- Manage end-to-end hiring using AI and modern tools.
- Identify and engage exceptional global talent proactively.
- Design structured assessments for confident hiring decisions.
- Uphold a high talent bar with rigorous evaluation.
- Enhance recruiting processes for speed and scalability.
About the role
About Bending Spoons
At Bending Spoons, we’re striving to build one of the all-time great companies. A company that serves a huge number of customers, where team members grow to their full potential, functions at unparalleled levels of effectiveness and efficiency, creates value for shareowners at an extraordinary rate, and adheres to high ethical standards.
We acquire and improve digital businesses to own and operate them for the long term. Our transformations are deep—designed to speed up innovation, benefit customers, and strengthen business performance. We operate with minimal hierarchy, small, talent-dense teams, and the ambition, agility, and urgency of a startup. We deeply integrate AI into our work, reinforcing human judgment with machine intelligence.
For a talented, driven, and collaborative individual, working at Bending Spoons is an opportunity to learn, make an impact, and progress their career at an exceptionally high rate.
Responsibilities
- Own hiring end-to-end: Run the full recruiting loop from sourcing to final decision, leveraging AI and modern tooling for efficiency while applying human judgment.
- Find exceptional talent: Proactively identify and engage top candidates across multiple channels, using outreach, data, and technology.
- Build high-signal evaluations: Design and run structured assessments (tests, interviews) to produce clear signals and support confident hiring decisions.
- Maintain a high talent bar: Assess candidates rigorously to ensure every hire meets company standards.
- Continuously upgrade the system: Improve recruiting workflows for faster, more scalable, and consistent hiring.
What We Look For
- Reasoning ability: Solve complex problems, think from first principles, structure ideas sharply, resist biases, and attend to important details.
- Drive: Be extremely ambitious, possess initiative, effort, and tenacity, feel deeply responsible for work, and maintain a high, rising bar.
- Team spirit: Give generously, support the best idea, be willing to get hands dirty, and be reliable, honest, and transparent.
- Proficiency in English: Read, write, and speak proficiently.
What We Offer
- Incredibly talented, entrepreneurial teams: Work in small, result-oriented, autonomous teams with bright minds.
- Exceptional opportunity for growth: We prioritize your growth, enabling Spooners in their 20s to lead significant projects.
- Competitive pay and equity: Attractive salary (e.g., £56,345 in London for early career), potential for equity, and a 50% tax cut in Italy.
- Comprehensive benefits: Flexible hours, remote working, unlimited learning support, top-tier health insurance, relocation package, generous parental support, and a yearly retreat.
Commitment & Contract
Permanent or fixed-term. Full-time or part-time.
Selection Process
We prioritize verifiable signals of excellence. Don't self-reject if you feel you lack experience. If you pass screening, challenging tests may follow. We extend offers only when confident in the right candidate.
Before You Apply
If you've applied before without an offer, wait at least one year. Bending Spoons is a demanding, ambitious environment requiring significant commitment for extraordinary growth. We recommend spending your first few months in our Milan office for rapid culture absorption and team building, with relocation support provided. Long-term work can be from Milan, London, or approved remote countries.
Key skills/competency
- Talent Management
- Recruiting
- Hiring
- Talent Acquisition
- Candidate Sourcing
- Assessment Design
- AI in Recruitment
- Data-Driven Hiring
- Team Leadership
- English Proficiency
Skills & topics
- Talent Manager
- Recruiting
- Hiring
- Talent Acquisition
- HR
- Human Resources
- Recruitment Specialist
- Talent Sourcer
- Employee Relations
- People Operations
How to get hired
- Research Bending Spoons culture: Understand their focus on building a great company, AI integration, and high standards.
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your end-to-end hiring experience, AI/tool proficiency, and ability to identify exceptional talent.
- Showcase your drive and reasoning: Emphasize your ambition, problem-solving skills, and team spirit in your application and interviews.
- Prepare for challenging assessments: Be ready for rigorous tests that may involve unfamiliar problems, demonstrating your capabilities.
- Demonstrate English proficiency: Ensure your communication skills are sharp, as this is a key requirement.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the typical career progression for a Talent Manager at Bending Spoons?
- Bending Spoons offers exceptional growth opportunities. Individuals can progress rapidly, taking on significant responsibilities and leadership roles. Spooners in their 20s often lead major projects, indicating a fast-paced and impactful career path for high performers in the Talent Manager role.
- How does Bending Spoons use AI in its hiring process for the Talent Manager position?
- Bending Spoons integrates AI deeply into its recruiting workflows to accelerate processes and enhance efficiency. As a Talent Manager, you'll leverage AI and modern tooling for sourcing, screening, and assessment, while applying human judgment where it's most critical.
- What is the salary range for a Talent Manager at Bending Spoons?
- Salaries vary by location and experience. In London, early-career roles might start around £56,345, with experienced candidates potentially earning between £68,579 and £151,436. Similar competitive ranges exist in other European locations like Milan, Madrid, and Warsaw, with potential for compensation beyond usual ranges for exceptional candidates.
- Does Bending Spoons offer remote work for the Talent Manager role?
- Yes, Bending Spoons offers remote working in selected countries. However, they recommend spending the first few months in their Milan office to quickly absorb the company culture and build team trust, with relocation support provided. The long-term arrangement can be remote, depending on the offer stage.
- What kind of assessment can I expect during the Talent Manager hiring process at Bending Spoons?
- The selection process includes challenging tests that may involve unfamiliar problems and can take several hours. Bending Spoons prioritizes verifiable signals of excellence and sets a high bar, ensuring they find the right candidate through rigorous evaluation.
- What does Bending Spoons mean by 'high talent bar' for the Talent Manager role?
- A 'high talent bar' means Bending Spoons rigorously assesses candidates to ensure every hire meets their exceptionally high standards for reasoning ability, drive, team spirit, and performance. The goal is to build a company of highly capable individuals who contribute to extraordinary value creation.
- Can I apply for the Talent Manager role at Bending Spoons if I have a non-traditional background or experience?
- Absolutely. Bending Spoons encourages applications from individuals who believe they can excel, even if they feel they lack traditional experience or have an 'imperfect' CV. They prioritize verifiable signals of excellence and encourage you not to self-reject.