Kevin Gruca

Talent Acquisition Manager @ Haiilo

About

I’m passionate about creating meaningful people experiences and building environments where teams can grow, feel connected, and truly enjoy what they do. What started with a semester abroad in Australia back in 2016 turned into a career path that combines my love for people, technology, and continuous improvement. Over the past years, I’ve grown with a fast-scaling tech company from an 80-person start-up to an international organization, evolving our Talent Acquisition approach and partnering closely with leaders across Product, Tech, GTM, and Corporate teams. I’ve worked on high-impact senior hires, improved recruiting processes, strengthened employer branding, and acted as a trusted advisor to hiring managers throughout hypergrowth, transformation, and now a more selective growth phase. Alongside my TA role, I’ve taken on the responsibility as Diversity & Inclusion Officer, driving our first company-wide D&I strategy, launching awareness initiatives, and helping create a culture where everyone feels valued, safe, and able to thrive. I love connecting with people who are passionate about HR, culture, and the future of work - and I’m always curious to learn from others. With a strong interest in psychology, tech, and human behavior, I strive to bring both empathy and analytical thinking into everything I do. Outside of work, you’ll find me playing basketball, training for Hyrox, running, surfing, or traveling - usually chasing sunshine, discovering new cultures, and learning about people and the places that shape them. If you’re interested in People & Culture topics, TA strategy, or simply want to exchange ideas: I’d love to connect. 🤝

Country

Germany

City

Hamburg

Industry

Information Technology & Services

Skill

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI), Marketing Support, Business Marketing, Advertising, Technical Recruiting, Project Management, Global Talent Acquisition, Candidate Experience, Stakeholder Management, Business partnering, Human Resource Management, Recruiting, People Analytics, IT-Personalbeschaffung, HR-Transformation, Projektmanagement, Employer Branding, Research, People Management, Active Sourcing

Experience

Talent Acquisition Manager

Haiilo

2020-8 - Present · 6 yrs 2 mos

Hamburg, Deutschland

I joined the company as first Full-time Talent Acquisition Manager when it was an 80-person start-up from Hamburg and helped to establish the company as a leading, international B2B SaaS player in this space. Over the years, I helped evolve recruiting into a more structured, strategic, and international function - supporting the shift from rapid scaling to today’s more selective, quality-driven growth. - Managed full-cycle recruiting across all business areas, including Sales, Account Management, Customer Success, Marketing, Finance, Internal IT, People & Culture, InfoSec — with a strong focus on Product & Engineering. - Successfully hired high-impact senior roles (Engineering Managers, Senior Engineers, Senior PMs, Head of InfoSec) across Germany, Finland, the UK and the US. - Acted as a strategic Talent Advisor to hiring managers, consulting on hiring strategies, market data, role scoping, interview processes, and closing approaches. - Evolved and optimized sourcing strategies, pipelines, and interview processes, contributing to a more mature and data-informed recruitment organization. - Ensured an excellent candidate experience from first touchpoint to offer and onboarding, while maintaining high process integrity during hypergrowth. - Supported and co-led employer branding initiatives, strengthening the company’s presence in European tech markets and improving top-of-funnel engagement. - Facilitated interview debriefs, led offer approvals, negotiated offers, and developed tailored closing strategies for senior candidates. - Engaged in company onboarding and collaborated closely with People & Culture on culture-building projects during intense organizational change. - Built strong cross-functional partnerships with leadership teams, enabling efficient and value-aligned hiring in a fast-changing environment.

Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Haiilo

2023-8 - Present · 3 yrs 2 mos

Hamburg, Deutschland

- Developed and drove the company’s D&I strategy, positioning inclusion as a leadership and organizational focus. - Introduced company-wide D&I initiatives (event series, awareness content, education formats) that increased engagement and understanding across teams. - Increased female representation to 33% through inclusive recruiting and targeted guidance to leadership. - Integrated inclusion into everyday People processes, improving both hiring and internal collaboration dynamics. * worked 10% of my time as DIO

Voluntary: Employer Branding & Diversity Management

Dare2Care

2020-6 - 2021-4 · 11 mos

Hamburg, Deutschland

Global Volunteer

AIESEC

2020-1 - 2020-3 · 3 mos

Lima Province, Peru

Participation in the volunteer project "Eco Change - Green Leaders" in Lima (Peru). - Leading workshops and activities related to climate change actions - Participation in the Global Leadership Development Program LEAD (Learn, Engage, Activate, Deliver)

Tech Recruiting (working student)

GULP – experts united

2017-11 - 2019-9 · 1 yr 11 mos

Leipzig und Umgebung, Deutschland

- Active sourcing using various recruiting channels - Accompaniment of telephone, personal and virtual job interviews - Conception and organization of personnel marketing measures (trade fairs, applicant days) as well as participation in recruiting and networking events - Project assistance for the introduction of a company-internal test pilot for Germany-wide use for GULP Recruiter and Sales Manager

Project Assistant

contec GmbH

2017-3 - 2017-8 · 6 mos

Bochum und Umgebung, Deutschland

I started my first business experience in a management consultancy for the healthcare and social service management. - Support in the hiring process from application management, profiling and interviews on management level