Manager, A&R

A&R Manager

Department: Creative
Location: Berlin, Germany
Territory: Germany, Austria & Switzerland
Hybrid Working: 3 days in your local office
Full-time | Permanent

The Role

We’re looking for an experienced A&R Manager to join our Creative team in Berlin, with responsibility for identifying, signing and developing songwriters, artists and producers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

You’ll be well connected across the music industry, with a strong understanding of the local creative landscape and a track record of identifying and developing talent. You’ll combine creative instinct with commercial judgement and data to build a strong pipeline of signing opportunities and develop trusted relationships with talent, managers, lawyers and other industry partners.

Beyond signing talent, you’ll work closely with Kobalt’s existing roster to understand their creative ambitions, identify opportunities and connect them with the right collaborators. As part of our global A&R team, you’ll also work with colleagues across Europe, the US and APAC to create opportunities for our writers and artists internationally.

What You’ll Do

• You proactively identify and build relationships with songwriters, artists and producers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, developing a strong pipeline of potential signings.
• You use your network, live music, data, digital platforms and creative judgement to identify emerging talent, trends and opportunities.
• You develop signing opportunities from initial conversations through to proposal, working closely with Business Affairs on deal structures and negotiations.
• You build trusted, long-term relationships with Kobalt’s existing roster, understanding their creative ambitions and identifying opportunities to support their development.
• You organise writing sessions, introductions and collaborations and proactively create opportunities for our writers, artists and songs.
• You work closely with Kobalt’s international A&R teams to connect talent with opportunities across Europe, the US and APAC.
• You maintain a strong understanding of the local and international music landscape, sharing relevant market intelligence, emerging trends and talent opportunities with the wider Creative team.
• You represent Kobalt credibly within the creative community and continue to build our relationships and presence across the region.

What You’ll Bring

Preferred:

• Proven A&R experience within music publishing, recorded music or a closely related creative role.
• A strong and established network across the German music industry, with relationships across talent, management, legal and the wider creative community.
• A track record of identifying, signing and/or developing songwriters, artists and producers.
• Strong A&R judgement and the ability to identify talent and opportunities with long-term creative and commercial potential.
• Deep knowledge of the German music market and a strong understanding of the wider European and international music landscape.
• Experience developing signing opportunities and working with Business Affairs through deal evaluation and negotiation.
• The ability to combine creative instinct with commercial judgement, data and market insight.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the credibility to represent Kobalt with talent and their teams.
• A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively with A&R colleagues across an international network.
• Strong ownership and organisation, with the ability to manage multiple relationships, opportunities and priorities.

Additional Skills That Could Add Value:

• An established network across Austria and/or Switzerland.
• Experience working across multiple European markets.
• Experience developing international opportunities for songwriters, artists or producers.
• Strong knowledge of streaming, social and digital platforms and how they influence talent discovery and audience development.
• German and English language fluency.

What Success Looks Like

By Month 3: You’ll have built strong relationships across the Berlin team and wider global A&R network, developed a clear understanding of Kobalt’s roster and deal process, and established an active pipeline of talent and signing opportunities across the region.

By Month 6: You’ll be progressing credible signing opportunities, building trusted relationships with Kobalt’s roster and actively creating collaborations and opportunities for our writers and artists both locally and internationally.

By Year 1: You’ll have established yourself as a trusted representative of Kobalt across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, contributed meaningful new signing opportunities and demonstrated a clear impact on the development and opportunities of our existing roster.

Key Behaviours for Success

A&R Judgement: You have a strong instinct for talent and can form a clear point of view on the creative and commercial potential of writers, artists and producers.

Relationship Building: You build genuine, trusted relationships with talent and their teams and maintain a strong network across the wider music community.

Commercial Judgement: You understand the commercial considerations behind signing decisions and can balance creative conviction with data, market insight and deal economics.

Interview Process

• Introductory call with a member of our Recruitment Team
• Interview with the hiring manager
• Final interview with members of the Creative team
• Feedback at each stage

We aim to complete the full interview process from initial application to offer within three to four working weeks. While we do our best to meet this timeline, there may be occasional delays. If that happens, our Recruitment Team will keep you updated every step of the way.

Why Choose Us

At Kobalt, we’ve championed creators since 2000. Our technology and music services are built to make the industry more transparent, fair and rewarding for artists, songwriters and rights holders.

We’re trusted by some of the world’s most influential talents, including Doja Cat, Kali Uchis, Phoebe Bridgers and Sam Fender. Our GSA team works with an exciting roster of artists, producers and songwriters including Hitimpulse/bees & honey, Keinemusik, DECCO, Tobias Kuhn, LUNA, Boys Noize and Chris de Sarandy.

We’re a company that thrives on creativity, collaboration and progress. Our values — Music First, Transparent, Tech Powered and Transformative — shape how we work, build and grow together.

Kobalt is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in equitable access to opportunities and are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and supportive workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and identities. If you need any adjustments during the hiring process, please let us know — we’re happy to help.