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Replace your missing senior hires.
Live in days, not quarters.

Kernowerk is your fractional, embedded senior team for data, finance, marketing, engineering, AI and strategy. Skip the hiring wait, stop juggling freelancers, and get one contract with one accountable owner. Switch us on like a subscription and scale up or down anytime.

📅  Book a Free 30-Min Call Explore Services
Live in under 7 days Senior-only, no juniors One contract, one owner Scale up/down monthly
One Team 6 Domains · 5+ Areas Each
Data & Analytics
Finance & FP&A
Marketing & Growth
Data Engineering
AI & Automation
Strategy & GTM
Built for
Mittelstand Startups E-Commerce FinTech Healthcare SaaS Scale-ups

The Problem

Most Teams Don't Have a Talent Problem.
They Have an Execution Gap.

1

Data, everywhere

Fragmented across a dozen different tools

2

Slow answers

Reporting takes days, decisions take weeks

3

Manual finance

Still running on spreadsheets

4

Numbers don't match

Marketing and revenue reports disagree

5

Hiring takes too long

3 to 6 months and €90k+ per senior hire

You don't need another hire. You need senior capacity that plugs in this week.

What We Do

Full-Spectrum Expertise,
One Trusted Partner

From raw data to strategic decisions, we cover every layer of your business intelligence, technology, and growth stack.

How We Work

One Contract.
One Program Manager.

Domain experts work in parallel, coordinated by a dedicated Program Manager, so you never have to.

K Kernowerk one senior team · six domains Your Company focuses on core business INCLUDED Program Manager plans, coordinates, reports full-time on this plan Marketing Expert analytics · performance · content Finance Expert FP&A · reporting · cash flow Engineering Expert cloud · software · automation + more senior experts on the bench: data, AI & strategy one brief regular weekly update on progress + one invoice coordinated tasks
An example of the Core Team plan: three domains, one Program Manager coordinating end to end. The PM is dedicated full-time on Core Team and Embedded, and a monthly check-in on Sprint.
1

You brief one person

Tell your Program Manager what the business needs. No juggling three freelancers, no chasing updates across contractors.

2

Your PM builds the plan

Goals become a prioritised weekly plan, split across the right experts from our bench: marketing, finance, engineering, data, AI.

3

Experts work in parallel

Senior specialists execute in their domains while the PM keeps dependencies aligned, quality checked and deadlines on track.

4

Regular updates, one invoice

A regular weekly update on progress and one monthly invoice. Scale hours up or down each month, or shift them freely between your chosen domains.

The Process

Live in Days, Not Months

From first call to first delivery in under a week. No recruitment, no onboarding chaos, no handholding.

1
Day 1

Free Discovery Call

30 minutes. We learn your challenge, your stack, and what "done" means. You walk away with clarity, not a sales pitch.

2
Day 2 to 3

Clear Proposal

Scope, timeline and pricing in your inbox within 48 hours. One page. No ambiguity, no surprise invoices.

3
Day 4 to 7

Kick Off & Deliver

We're in your tools and producing work within days. Async-first, weekly updates, full visibility throughout.

4
Month 2+

Retainer Partner

Most clients expand to a retainer. You get a dedicated Program Manager and a senior team on demand, every month.

✓ First deliverable inside week one, or that week is free.

Why Kernowerk

Senior Expertise. Flexible Terms. Real Accountability.

Not a staffing agency, not a freelancer marketplace: a senior team on demand, one contract for your whole company.

No junior staffing No handover layers No unused advisory time Built for execution speed, not meetings

Cheaper than one full-time hire

A senior specialist in Germany costs €90 to 130k/yr all-in. Our retainers start at €2.5k/mo, and you get a whole team, not one person.

Dedicated Program Manager on retainer

Retainer clients get a named Program Manager who coordinates work across every department: one point of contact, zero dropped balls between teams.

One contract, every department

Data, Finance, Marketing, Engineering, AI: all under one retainer. Freelancers can't do this. Agencies charge for each vertical separately.

Senior from day one, live within days

No 3-month hiring process. No juniors learning on your budget. We onboard fast and deliver from the first week.

No hidden employment costs

No paid vacation, sick leave, social contributions, severance, recruiting fees or equipment. You pay for productive hours only, nothing else ever lands on your invoice.

Why growing companies stop hiring internally

3 to 6 mo.
Average time to source, interview and onboard one senior specialist in Germany.
€90 to 130k
All-in annual cost, salary, employer contributions and recruiting fees, before they've delivered anything.
Weeks
Of ramp-up time after they start, even for a strong hire, before they're fully productive.
1 person
Equals a single point of failure. If they're out sick or leave, the work stops with them.
How We Stack Up
Hire / Freelancer / Agency
Kernowerk
€90 to 130k/yr
Annual cost
From €30k/yr
3 to 6 months
Time to start
Within days
1 specialist
Breadth
6 domains
None
Program Manager
Included
Fixed / risky
Flexibility
Cancel anytime
None: you're the backup
Backup cover
Always covered, no single point of failure
💡
Growing companies save €60 to 80k/year per FTE switching from a full-time senior hire to Kernowerk.

Salary figures based on Stepstone & Gehalt.de 2025 salary reports for senior specialist roles in Germany.

Savings Calculator

The Same Capacity, Priced Three Ways

Choose your capacity. We price it three ways and chart what you accumulate in savings.

1 · Hours per month
2 · Domains covered
e.g. marketing + finance + engineering. Each domain would need its own freelancer or hire.
3 · Market assumptions
Senior freelancer rate€120/hr
Senior gross salary€90k/yr
Senior freelancers in Germany typically charge €100 to €150 per hour. Employees cost salary × 1.30 employer costs + €4k equipment.
Kernowerk
Freelancers
Employees
Accumulated savings with Kernowerk
vs hiring vs freelancers
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Transparent Pricing

One Retainer.
Your Whole Senior Data Team.

From €2,500/mo, less than half of one senior hire, cancel monthly.

Sprint

Sprint

Replaces: ad-hoc freelance support

€2,500

per month · 20 hrs · 1 pillar

A funded trial, not a discount. Upgrade to Core Team within 60 days and your first Sprint month is credited.

Typical outcomes: one dashboard/KPI overhaul · automation of one manual reporting workflow · one decision-ready deep-dive.
  • ✓ 20 hrs / month in 1 domain of your choice
  • ✓ Light monthly PM check-in: every tier is coordinated
  • ✓ Weekly written update, no meetings required
  • ✓ Slack / email support included
Overage: extra hours billed at your tier's ladder rate, always agreed in advance.
Up to 20% of unused hours roll to next month.
Cancel with 1 month's notice · quarterly prepay saves 5%.
Get Started
Most Popular

Core Team

Core Team

Replaces: a senior in-house hire

€5,000

per month · 50 hrs · 3 pillars · dedicated PM

Half the cost of one FTE, below senior freelancer rates, and your dedicated Program Manager coordinates everything.

Rate ladder: first 50 hrs €100/hr → 51–100 hrs €90/hr → 100+ hrs €80/hr
Typical outcomes: end-to-end KPI system · automated finance reporting pipeline · marketing + revenue attribution model · weekly decision support.
  • ✓ 50 hrs / month, flexible across 3 domains
  • ✓ Dedicated Program Manager included
  • ✓ Move hours between domains freely, any month
  • ✓ Weekly sync call + dedicated Slack channel
Overage: extra hours billed at your tier's ladder rate, always agreed in advance.
Up to 20% of unused hours roll to next month.
Cancel with 1 month's notice · quarterly prepay saves 5%.
Book a Call

Embedded

Embedded

Replaces: a full internal department

Custom

from 150 hrs · tailored to your team & scope

Full cross-departmental coverage. We act as your embedded tech and data leadership team.

Also includes: priority execution queue. Adjacent software development available within Embedded engagements.
  • ✓ 150+ hrs / month, all 6 domains, no restrictions
  • ✓ Named Program Manager + team lead
  • ✓ 2-hour SLA on urgent requests
  • ✓ NDA + white-label options available
  • ✓ Weekly executive reporting
Overage: extra hours billed at your tier's ladder rate, always agreed in advance.
Up to 20% of unused hours roll to next month.
Cancel with 1 month's notice · quarterly prepay saves 5%.
Let's Talk

Need a one-off project instead? We also work on fixed-scope engagements. Get in touch →

FAQ

Every Question You're Probably Thinking

Straight answers. No fluff.

How quickly can you actually start?
Typically within 48 to 72 hours of your first call. We don't need onboarding months or a 3-round recruitment process. We scope the work on the call, agree terms, and begin. Most clients receive their first deliverable within the first week.
Can I switch service domains mid-retainer?
Your hours flex freely across the domains in your plan. The domain set itself is fixed at kick-off: Sprint covers 1 domain of your choice, Core Team covers 3, and Embedded covers all 6. Need a different mix later? We simply adjust the set together at your next monthly renewal, so in practice you stay fully flexible.
Do you sign NDAs?
Absolutely, at every tier. We're comfortable signing your NDA before any discovery call if needed, and we include a confidentiality clause as standard in our service agreement. Data security and discretion are non-negotiable for us.
What if I need more hours than my package?
We'll flag it early. If a project requires a burst of extra capacity, we can top up at an agreed hourly rate or discuss upgrading your package. We never silently bill beyond your retainer. Every additional cost is agreed in advance.
What exactly does a "Dedicated Program Manager" do?
Your Program Manager is a named person, not a ticket queue. They coordinate work across every domain we touch for you, keep deliverables on track, translate between your business goals and our technical work, and are your single point of contact. Think of them as your internal tech lead, without the salary. Dedicated full-time on Core Team and Embedded; a monthly check-in on Sprint. Core Team & Embedded
We're not based in Germany. Does that matter?
Not at all. We work fully remotely and serve clients across Europe and beyond. We're Berlin-based but timezone-flexible. All communication, delivery, and collaboration happens asynchronously or over video, wherever your team is.
Why not just hire full-time?
A senior hire costs €90 to 130k/yr all-in and takes 3 to 6 months to find. You also get one skill set, no backup if they're out sick or leave, and a fixed cost whether the workload is high or low. Kernowerk gives you a fractional senior team across multiple domains instead, live within days, for a fraction of that cost, and you scale up or down monthly.
What if I only need a few hours?
Sprint is built for that: 20 hours a month in one domain, from €2,500/mo, plus a light monthly PM check-in. If even that's more than you need, tell us on the discovery call: we're upfront when a fixed-scope project is a better fit than a retainer.
How do multiple pillars work in one retainer?
On Core Team and Embedded, your monthly hours flex freely across every pillar in your chosen set. One month might be 30 hours of finance work and 20 of marketing; the next month it flips. You brief your Program Manager, not each specialist separately.
How do I cancel? Is there a lock-in?
No lock-in. All retainers are monthly and cancel with 1 month's written notice. We don't believe in trapping clients. If we're not delivering value, you should be free to leave. That said, most clients stay because the work speaks for itself.
Do you do fixed-scope one-off projects too?
Yes. While retainers are our primary model, we do take on well-defined fixed-scope projects: a data warehouse migration, an MVP build, a financial model. These are scoped, priced, and delivered against a clear brief. Get in touch and we'll tell you within 24 hours whether it's a fit.
Is Kernowerk right for an early-stage startup?
It depends on the stage. We work best with Series A and beyond, or bootstrapped companies generating revenue. Pre-product, pre-revenue companies usually need a co-founder more than a fractional team. If you're post-revenue and growing, we're almost certainly the most cost-effective way to add senior capacity.
How do you handle our data and systems access?
We follow least-privilege access principles. We only request access to what's strictly needed. All credentials are stored in your own systems (we don't keep copies). We're happy to work within your existing security policies and tools, and our standard contract includes GDPR-compliant data processing terms.
How does billing work?
Monthly invoices, payable within 14 days. We invoice on the 1st of each month for the upcoming period. We accept bank transfer (SEPA & international wire). All tiers can arrange quarterly prepay for 5% off. VAT applies per standard German tax rules for EU clients.
What's the difference between Sprint and Core Team?
Sprint (€2,500/mo) is ideal if you have one focused need: a data pipeline, monthly FP&A support, or a specific marketing analytics project. You get 20 hours and one domain, plus a light monthly PM check-in. Core Team (€5,000/mo) is for companies with cross-functional needs. You get 50 hours, 3 domains, a published volume ladder as you scale hours, and a dedicated Program Manager who coordinates everything. It's half the cost of one senior FTE, with the coverage of a whole team.
What if priorities change mid-month?
Tell your Program Manager. Hours aren't locked to a specific task at the start of the month, so we reprioritize together as your needs shift. That flexibility is a core part of the model, not an exception.
Do hours expire, or roll over?
Up to 20% of a billing period's unused hours roll over to the following month. Anything beyond that is forfeited, so we recommend using your full allocation each month rather than banking it.
Who actually does the work: employees, partners or subcontractors?
A mix of core team members and vetted senior partners we've worked with directly, matched to your domain needs. Everyone on your account is senior-level and known to us personally. We don't route work through anonymous subcontractor marketplaces.
You're a new company. Why should we trust you?
Fair question, so here's a direct answer. Kernowerk as a company is newly formed, but the people doing your work are not new to this: our founders built and scaled products at Zalando, Uber, ImmoScout24, Lotto24 and Wayfair, and every specialist on your account is senior-level and known to us personally, not sourced from an anonymous marketplace. We also back it with a concrete guarantee rather than just a promise: your first deliverable lands inside week one, or that week is free. And every retainer is monthly with 1 month's notice to cancel, so you're never locked into a multi-year bet. You're not trusting a young brand name, you're hiring specific senior people with a track record, on terms that let you leave quickly if we don't deliver.
Still unsure?
Get a straight answer in 30 minutes.
Book a free discovery call. We'll scope your challenge, explain exactly how we'd approach it, and tell you what it would cost. No pitch. No obligation.
Free 30-min video call
Available within 48 hours
Walk away with a clear plan
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Start with a Sprint. Scale into a team.

Tell us your biggest challenge. We'll map out the plan, cost, and savings, no pitch, no obligation.

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