Life at WeBuild-AI: meet Rachel O’Keeffe, balancing Chief Morale Officer and Talent Partner duties, with being the office Twix connoisseur

People & Culture

19 Dec

What’s your role here at WeBuild-AI?

I’m the Talent Partner here at WeBuild-AI and self-appointed Chief Morale Officer 😊 I joined in April as the company’s second hire, right after our founders and our Founding AI Engineer, so I’ve had a front-row seat in building things from the ground up.

As the sole Talent Partner, I get to wear all the hats: designing our interview processes, taking roles to market, finding and guiding great candidates through every step, making offers, and onboarding new team members. If it touches hiring or helps us grow, I’m probably involved! For anyone that knows me, they know I love being involved in absolutely everything 😊

It’s been incredibly fun (and pretty inspiring) helping shape the team that’s bringing WeBuild-AI to life. At the point at writing this blog we’re at 22 people with more joining soon - as you can see, I’ve been busy!

What does a typical day look like for you?

As the Talent Partner, my days are a blend of organised chaos and controlled excitement, in the best way. I usually kick off the morning by checking Workable for new applicants, this is a good job that gets me going as I’m not really a morning person. When the coffee has kicked in I’ll then dive into LinkedIn and LinkedIn Recruiter to hunt for the next standout candidate.

From there, it’s a mix of screening calls, coordinating interviews and quick strategy catch-ups with our founders and hiring managers. We’re building so fast, and roles evolve quickly, so I’m constantly fine-tuning our processes and making sure candidates have a smooth, clear experience..

After sharing a chocolate bar with Andrii (Twix is our favourite), I’ll be designing or tweaking interview journeys, speaking to great people and the rest working with the teams to keep everything aligned and moving. Basically, if it helps us find, assess, or welcome amazing talent, it’s on my plate.

Tools-wise, I’m living in Workable, LinkedIn and LinkedIn Recruiter. People-wise, I work with pretty much everyone, from our founders and engineering team to Cat in marketing and Iwona in finance. If you’re helping shape the team, I’m collaborating with you - how lucky would you be to join this company, right?!

Every day feels fast, collaborative and full of those ‘we’re really building something here’ moments, which is why I love it.

What’s your career journey been like so far?

I studied Commerce and German at University College Cork, (and haven’t spoken a word of German since graduation), which gave me a strong business foundation and a real interest in communication and people, even if I didn’t fully know at the time how I’d use it.

After graduating, I packed up and moved to London and jumped straight into agency recruitment, specialising in data and analytics. It was fast-paced, challenging and an incredible place to learn quickly. Over about three years, I worked with a huge range of companies and candidates, built strong recruiting fundamentals, and developed a real understanding of what great talent looks like in competitive markets.

Over time, I realised I wanted to be closer to the impact, not just hiring for companies, but helping build them from the inside. That led me in-house as Talent Partner at a data consultancy, where I got to partner closely with leadership, shape hiring strategies and see the long-term impact of the teams we were building.

In April 2025, I joined WeBuild-AI, and it immediately felt like the perfect next step. Joining early, building from the ground up, and working at the intersection of engineering, AI and people has been incredibly exciting. Every step so far has built on the last and brought me closer to the kind of work I genuinely love doing.

What do you enjoy the most about your job here?

What I enjoy most about my job at WeBuild-AI is, without question, the people. I get to work alongside genuinely smart, thoughtful and driven individuals, which makes every day better. There’s a great energy when we’re in the office, lots of collaboration, problem-solving and plenty of laughs and it really feels like a team pulling in the same direction.

I also love the level of autonomy I have here. There’s a huge amount of trust, which means I can take ownership, move quickly and try things out and you can see the impact of your work almost immediately. Whether it’s bringing someone new into the business, improving a hiring process, or shaping how we grow, the connection between effort and outcome is really clear.

And on a bigger level, being able to help shape the talent and culture of the company from such an early stage is incredibly rewarding. Seeing that impact clearly and quickly, while working with great people, is what makes WeBuild-AI such an enjoyable place to work.