Vertical Builder (m/f/d)

About Buena

Buena is developing the core technology layer for real estate. The company aims to make the full property journey—discovering, financing, purchasing, and managing homes—simpler and more transparent. Its approach is to buy property management businesses across Germany and rebuild them as technology-driven companies. In less than three years, and with a HQ team of under 25 people, Buena has already grown into Germany’s second-largest property manager. The company believes the next trillion-dollar real estate business will not sell software; it will operate the industry.

About the Role

Buena is looking for a Vertical Builder to create and own one of its next revenue lines from the ground up. Property management is the starting point, but each unit under management opens the path to additional businesses that broaden the end-to-end real estate experience for customers. These opportunities include brokerage, energy and metering services, insurance, and financing. In this role, you will be responsible for the P&L, strategy, partnerships, and product direction of your vertical.

What You Will Do

• Take full ownership of the vertical’s P&L, including revenue, margin, and payback.
• Shape the product yourself rather than waiting for one to be built for you. You will define the requirements your vertical needs, draft the specification, work directly with product managers and engineers, and help deliver the solution. If a feature is required, you effectively act as the product manager until it is implemented.
• Launch the vertical across all portfolio companies. One strong deal can impact 60,000+ units. You will design the rollout, track results, and create a repeatable playbook so the model works consistently across every portfolio company.

What Makes You a Strong Fit

This role suits someone who has built something before—whether that is a company, a product you created and sold, or a freelance business you scaled. You should naturally think in commercial terms, with a strong grasp of unit economics, margin, payback, and deal structure. You do not need to become an expert in brokerage or banking on day one; instead, you are expected to become highly capable quickly through research and sharp thinking. Speed matters here: reversible decisions should be made without endless meetings, with course corrections made as new information comes in. You should also be comfortable selling, whether that means closing deals, securing partners, or persuading people to invest.

Working Requirements

Native-level German is mandatory, since many partners, regulators, and customers work in German, sometimes with strong regional accents. This is a hard requirement. The role is based in the Prenzlauer Berg office in Berlin and is not remote or hybrid in any form.

Your First 90 Days

Days 1–14: Learn property management first. Before building the vertical, you will work inside the property management operation. Your tasks will include handling tickets, speaking with customers and tenants, onboarding new owners, digitizing documents, carrying out cost audits in portfolio companies, and resolving whatever issues arise each day. This period is designed to help you understand the systems, economics, and operational realities that your vertical will rely on. You will meet most of the HQ team on your first day, have morning and evening check-ins with Jan for the first two weeks, and receive an initial book to read and discuss.

Days 14–30: Start building. You will begin shaping your 90-day plan, including the key bets, metrics, and resources needed. You will visit your first portfolio company in person, and Buena will register you for the WEG Verwalter examination at IHK. By day 30, your plan is finalized and you begin execution.

Days 30–60: Deliver early wins. Weekly ops sessions with peers and a monthly Portfolio Review will replace the daily check-ins. This phase is focused on tangible outcomes such as revenue, signed partners, or a closed pilot that can stand on its own without a presentation deck.

Days 60–90: Take full ownership. By day 90, you are expected to be a certified WEG Verwalter, with all vertical-related requests and issues routed to you. You should also have first profits on the board and a clear roadmap for the following 90 days that goes beyond simply scaling what already exists. By then, you will also have read three books together.

Benefits

• An office-proximity bonus of up to €500 if you choose to live within a 10–20 minute walk of the office.
• A lunch allowance of €110 per month.
• A fitness contribution of €50 per month.
• An annual education budget of €1,200.
• Company-paid books, with no limit on the titles you want to read.

Why Apply

• The company is growing quickly while still remaining a small, close team, with around 25 full-time employees at HQ and a position as Germany’s second-largest property manager in under three years.
• Strong performance is recognized fast. Several leaders at Buena started in junior roles and progressed into senior positions within a short period.
• The work environment is personal and office-based, with a strong emphasis on knowing your colleagues well.
• The company is focused on outcomes and wants to help raise homeownership rates in Germany and support wealth creation for more people.