Partner – Head of Data & AI

Advise. Invest. Build. Meet ALAIKA — the new kind of Financial Services firm — globally scaling, headquartered in Munich. This is a partner seat: you don't just join ALAIKA, you co-build it. Meaningful equity, real ownership, a practice you shape from day one.

About ALAIKA

At ALAIKA, our vision is to build the future of Financial Services withthree brands under one roof — Advisory (Strategy Consulting), Capital (Private Equity), Building (Company Builder). Right now, we are in the midst of building our trojan horse ALAIKA Advisory.

The ambition: building the leading Financial-Services-specific entrepreneurial holding — Fortune 500 access, PE discipline, Silicon Valley technology-depth and thinking. Three networks that compound and multiply.

• One industry. Financial Services. Nothing else.

• One focus. The intersection of business and technology — across Strategic Transformations, AI & Data Intelligence, and Cybersecurity.

• One goal. Being the go-to partner for the world's leading Fortune 500 financial services companies — and the ones we might help build into that.

Founded in October 2022 by Johanna von Geyr(build-up and led Financial Services Practice for a NASDAQ-listed strategy consultancy) and Harald Braunstein(serial entrepreneur with exits incl. IPO), we bring together deep functional domain expertise and networks in global Financial Services, with a proven track record in building, scaling, and investing in leading software product companies. 

Curious what ALAIKA is all about? Explore our websiteand introduction deck.

Join the movement — apply now.

The role and what you will work on

• Lead. Run the Data & AI practice as a whole — strategy, structure, hiring, IP, and P&L. Build the leadership team and develop the next generation of partners. Set the bar for what Data & AI advisory looks like in Financial Services.

• Build. You are not joining a practice; you are building one. Shape what ALAIKA’s Data & AI franchise becomes — and co-build the firm around it.That is not a slogan — it is your Tuesday.

• Sell. Originate at the highest level. Personally close ALAIKA’s biggest Data & AI mandates. Set the sales strategy — the book you build is the book the practice grows on.

• Connect. Industry-shaping relationships. C-suite at the leading Financial Services firms. Your network walks in with you, extends with the role, and becomes the platform for everything the practice does next.

• Represent. Be the public face of ALAIKA’s Data & AI practice — industry speaking, publishing, public IP. The market should know your name, and through you, ours.

When you are a fit

“Show me an athlete who did well academically. An athlete because they know what it takes to win and they have had to experience loss.”

— Kenneth C. Griffin, Founder of Citadel

You'll set the bar — and lead a team that meets it. Intrinsically driven people, who do "what it takes." Your job is to shape them, sharpen them, and prove that ALAIKA is where the best go next.

• Book-smart. Strong academic foundation. Think in structures, not gut feel.

• Street-smart. Read the room fast. Prioritise ruthlessly. Grasp commercial reality.

• People-smart. Communicate with precision — clear, direct, persuasive. Build trust across functions and seniority.

• Athlete performance mindset. High aspirations. Grit. Learn faster than the environment changes.

• Entrepreneurial guts. You have built something, owned something, or bet on yourself at some point — and it shows in how you operate. P&L is not an abstraction. Ambiguity is not a problem. You move.

Whatyou bring

• Track Record. A track record of building — a Data & AI practice, a Data & AI-native company, or a senior data and AI function at a majorstrategic consultancy or Financial Services firm. 

• Senior Network. Established relationships across data, AI, and Financial Services — C-suite, technical leadership, regulators, and the broader ecosystem. Your network walks in with you.

• Sales Track Record. Proven ability to originate and close mandates at €3m+ scale. You have built a book before.

• Market Authority. Deep domain credibility — named deployments, published thinking, conference and keynote presence. The market should know who you are before we introduce you.

• People Leader. You have hired, developed, and graduated, as well as made the hard calls on people. You understand that it is your task to build the best sports team — not a family. 

• Languages. Fluent in English and German. Additional languages are a plus.

Why join ALAIKA

• Equity & ownership. A partner seat with meaningful equity. You own a piece of what you build — and you gain access to the full ALAIKA ecosystem: Advisory, Capital, Building, and the network behind it. Not just a seat at the table. A platform to build from.

• Compensation. Above market with very entrepreneurial-driven bonus structures. 

“My biggest economic misunderstanding was that people got rich from high salary, but almost no one on Forbes got there through salary but only with equity.” 

— Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI 

• Stellar Network. Shoulder-to-shoulder with financial services executives running today’s giants and the founders building tomorrow’s.

• Offices. Munich and Barcelona. More coming.

Plus: the essentials done right — EGYM Wellpass, bike leasing, a kitchen stocked with healthy food and team events worth showing up for: Oktoberfest, team dinners, and more.

Advise the leaders. Build what comes next.Invest in the future of Financial Services.

Apply with CV, transcripts, and references. Let’s see if you are the one.

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