How to Apply to Axel Springer SE

10 min read Last updated April 20, 2026 1 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Axel Springer SE is a Berlin-headquartered European digital media group of roughly 16,000 employees, anchored by German titles Bild and Welt and US digital brands including Politico, Business Insider, Morning Brew, and Bisnow.
  • CEO Mathias Doepfner has led the company since 2002 and has driven its transformation from a print publisher into a digital, subscription, and classifieds business with major US expansion.
  • The company restructured in 2024 with majority owner KKR and Friede Springer to separate the news media business from the classifieds business, focusing news investment on editorial growth and AI-driven journalism.
  • Most applications flow through the central career portal at career.axelspringer.com into SmartRecruiters, which is integrated with SAP HCM and SSO; tailor each application to the specific brand and complete the structured profile fields.
  • Expect a four to eight week hiring process with recruiter screen, craft-specific assessment, hiring manager interview, peer loop, and senior leader conversation, with prompt feedback windows.
  • Interviews are values-forward: candidates will be asked to engage with the published Axel Springer corporate principles, and surface-level answers are filtered out.
  • Editorial roles screen hard for digital-first audience instinct and brand fit, while product, engineering, and data roles screen for measurable publishing impact and comfort working alongside newsrooms.
  • German plus English bilingualism is a real advantage for Berlin-based group roles, and additional European languages help for Politico Europe, classifieds, and Brussels and London bureaus.
  • The Berlin headquarters, a 13-story Rem Koolhaas-designed cube that opened in 2020, is the cultural and operational center of the group and the most likely interview location for senior German and group hires.

About Axel Springer SE

Axel Springer SE is a Berlin-headquartered European digital media and technology group with roughly 16,000 employees across more than 40 countries, and it is the largest publishing house in Europe by reach. The company was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by Axel Springer himself and has since transformed from a traditional print publisher into a digital-first media and classifieds powerhouse under the long-running leadership of CEO Mathias Doepfner, who has been at the helm since 2002. Its portfolio anchors around two halves: a German-language news media business that includes the mass-market tabloid Bild and the broadsheet Welt, both of which remain politically influential brands in Germany, and a rapidly expanding international media business built primarily around US assets. On the US side, Axel Springer acquired Business Insider (now Insider Inc.) in 2015 for roughly 343 million dollars, took a majority stake in the newsletter publisher Morning Brew in 2020, completed the acquisition of Politico for over one billion dollars in 2021, and added the B2B real-estate media company Bisnow to its Brew Media Group. The company also operates classifieds and marketing platforms and has been one of the most aggressive European media groups in pushing into AI-based journalism, paid digital subscriptions, and reader-revenue models. In 2024, Axel Springer agreed a structural reorganization with majority owner KKR and Friede Springer that separated the news media business from the classifieds business, allowing the news properties to be reinvested in editorially while the classifieds units pursue independent growth. Culturally, Axel Springer is unusually explicit about its values: every employee is expected to support the company's published principles, which include freedom, the rule of law, democracy, a united Europe, free-market economics, and reconciliation between Germans and Jews including support for Israel's right to exist. These values are not decorative; they are referenced in onboarding, internal communications, and editorial decisions. The Berlin headquarters, a striking 13-story Rem Koolhaas-designed cube on Zimmerstrasse that opened in 2020, houses staff from Bild, Welt, and many group functions in an open vertical atrium, and it sits next to the historic Springer high-rise that anchored the company on the former Berlin Wall border. Candidates evaluating Axel Springer should expect a company that operates simultaneously as a serious German publisher, a venture-style acquirer of US digital media, and an increasingly engineering-driven product organization.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Search and apply through the central career portal at career

    Search and apply through the central career portal at career.axelspringer.com, which routes most German and group roles into SmartRecruiters; create a single SmartRecruiters profile so you can track multiple applications and reuse documents across requisitions.

  2. 2
    Roles at portfolio brands such as Politico, Business Insider, Morning Brew, and

    Roles at portfolio brands such as Politico, Business Insider, Morning Brew, and Bisnow are usually posted on the brand's own careers page in addition to the group portal, so check the brand site directly for editorial and US-based product roles.

  3. 3
    Expect an initial recruiter or HR business partner screen within one to two week

    Expect an initial recruiter or HR business partner screen within one to two weeks of a shortlisted application; for German roles this conversation is often in German, while group, tech, and US roles are conducted in English.

  4. 4
    Editorial candidates typically complete a writing assessment, headline test, or

    Editorial candidates typically complete a writing assessment, headline test, or pitch exercise as the second step, while product, engineering, and data candidates complete a take-home or live technical exercise calibrated to the team.

  5. 5
    A hiring manager interview follows, focused on relevant craft depth and on motiv

    A hiring manager interview follows, focused on relevant craft depth and on motivation for the specific brand within the group, since Bild, Welt, Politico, Business Insider, and Morning Brew each have distinct editorial identities.

  6. 6
    Final loops include three to five interviews covering team fit, cross-functional

    Final loops include three to five interviews covering team fit, cross-functional collaboration, and a values conversation that explicitly references the Axel Springer corporate principles candidates will be asked to uphold.

  7. 7
    Offers are typically extended within one to two weeks of the final interview; th

    Offers are typically extended within one to two weeks of the final interview; the SmartRecruiters to SAP HCM integration means contract preparation begins automatically once a candidate is moved into the offer stage, and German contracts are issued under works council and collective agreement terms where applicable.

Resume Tips for Axel Springer SE

recommended

Tailor each application to the specific brand inside the group rather than to Ax

Tailor each application to the specific brand inside the group rather than to Axel Springer in the abstract; a resume aimed at Politico Europe should read very differently from one aimed at Bild, Welt, or Morning Brew, and recruiters explicitly screen for brand fit.

recommended

For editorial roles, lead with measurable journalism outcomes such as scoops bro

For editorial roles, lead with measurable journalism outcomes such as scoops broken, investigations published, audience growth driven, newsletter open rates, podcast download figures, or paywall conversion lifts you contributed to, with the publication and date attached.

recommended

For product, engineering, and data roles, quantify business impact in publishing

For product, engineering, and data roles, quantify business impact in publishing terms: subscriber acquisition, churn reduction, page-view or session lift, ad-yield improvement, CMS performance gains, and time-to-publish reductions all read clearly to hiring managers.

recommended

Mirror the language of the job description, including named tools and platforms

Mirror the language of the job description, including named tools and platforms such as SmartRecruiters, SAP, Adobe Experience Manager, Piano, Google Ad Manager, AWS, and brand-specific stacks; the SmartRecruiters parser scores keyword overlap and structured field completeness.

recommended

Demonstrate digital-first thinking explicitly: SEO performance, social distribut

Demonstrate digital-first thinking explicitly: SEO performance, social distribution, video and short-form work, newsletter craft, and paid-product instinct are stronger signals than traditional masthead prestige, especially for roles in the international and digital units.

recommended

Show language range when relevant

Show language range when relevant. German-English bilingualism is a real advantage for Berlin-based group roles, and additional European languages help for Politico Europe, classifieds units, and the Brussels and London bureaus.

recommended

Keep the document to one or two pages, save as PDF or DOCX, avoid columns and gr

Keep the document to one or two pages, save as PDF or DOCX, avoid columns and graphical sidebars that confuse the SmartRecruiters parser, and complete the structured profile fields fully rather than relying only on the uploaded file.

recommended

Reference the Axel Springer corporate values authentically in your cover letter

Reference the Axel Springer corporate values authentically in your cover letter or summary if they genuinely match your views, since hiring managers do raise the published principles in interviews and look for candidates who can engage with them honestly.

ATS System: SmartRecruiters

Axel Springer SE uses SmartRecruiters as its primary applicant tracking system across the group, integrated with SAP HCM through middleware and with single sign-on for internal users. When an HR business partner opens a requisition in SAP HCM, the job is sent to SmartRecruiters with structured data, and once a candidate is moved into the offer stage SmartRecruiters triggers a connection back to the HCM to alert the hiring manager and prepare the contract. The company also uses SmartCRM to maintain a pipeline of interested talent and to send newsletters and job updates, which means a complete SmartRecruiters profile keeps you visible to recruiters even when no role is open. Jobs at Axel Springer News Media National and other group entities are searchable directly at jobs.smartrecruiters.com under the relevant company entity, in addition to the central career.axelspringer.com portal.

  • Create one SmartRecruiters profile and reuse it across all Axel Springer applications so recruiters can see your full history with the group.
  • Fill out the structured profile fields completely, including work authorization, language proficiency, and notice period, since recruiters filter on these fields before reading the resume.
  • Save your resume as PDF or DOCX with clear section headers and avoid columns, tables, or heavy graphics that the SmartRecruiters parser can mis-read.
  • Mirror the keywords from the job description, especially named tools, platforms, brand names, and language requirements, to improve keyword scoring.
  • Opt in to the SmartCRM talent community so you receive job alerts and stay visible for future openings even if your current application is not advanced.
  • Apply through the brand-specific SmartRecruiters company entity (for example AxelSpringerNewsMediaNational) when targeting Bild or Welt, in addition to the central portal.

Complete SmartRecruiters Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

Axel Springer interviews are noticeably more values-forward than most European media employers, and candidates who treat the published corporate principles as a formality tend to be filtered out quickly. Expect the conversation to move between three registers: craft depth in your specific discipline, cultural and values alignment with the Axel Springer principles, and brand fit with the specific title you would join. For editorial roles at Bild, Welt, Politico, or Business Insider, interviewers are working journalists and editors who will ask you to walk through specific stories you wrote or edited, defend story selection and headline choices, and pitch follow-ups in real time. They listen for instincts about audience, news judgment, and digital distribution rather than for academic framing. For product, engineering, and data roles, the interview style is closer to a modern European tech employer: a recruiter screen, a take-home or pair-programming exercise, a system-design or architecture discussion, and behavioral rounds that probe collaboration with editorial stakeholders, since news organizations have a tighter loop between newsroom and product than most pure-tech companies. The German interview style, especially in Berlin and Hamburg, is direct, structured, and punctual; vague answers and inflated ownership claims are caught quickly, and candidates are expected to speak plainly about what they did versus what their team did. US-based interviews at Politico and Business Insider feel more conversational on the surface but probe similarly hard on output and metrics. Across all units, interviewers will at some point reference the published corporate principles, sometimes explicitly asking how you feel about supporting a united Europe, the free-market economy, and Israel's right to exist; this is not a trick question, but it is a real screen, and candidates who cannot engage with it sincerely are typically passed over. Onsite or video loops usually include a hiring-manager interview, two or three peer interviews, and a senior leader or department head conversation. For senior roles a final discussion in Berlin or Brussels with a member of the executive team is common. Across the process, expect prompt scheduling, structured feedback windows of two to three weeks, and a relatively transparent calibration on compensation, level, and start date once you reach the offer stage.

What Axel Springer SE Looks For

  • Digital-first instincts grounded in measurable audience and revenue outcomes, rather than legacy print prestige or platform-agnostic theory.
  • Genuine alignment with the published Axel Springer corporate principles, including freedom of the press, democracy, a united Europe, free-market economics, and support for Israel's right to exist.
  • Strong craft depth in the relevant discipline, whether that is investigative reporting, newsletter writing, video production, product management, software engineering, data science, or ad technology.
  • Brand-specific fit: tabloid news instinct for Bild, policy and political access for Politico, business and tech narrative skill for Business Insider, conversational newsletter voice for Morning Brew, and broadsheet editorial judgment for Welt.
  • Comfort working across newsroom and product disciplines, since Axel Springer expects engineers and product managers to engage directly with editorial stakeholders and journalists to engage directly with data and product.
  • Multilingual capability where relevant, particularly German plus English for Berlin-based group roles and additional European languages for Politico Europe and continental classifieds units.
  • Pragmatism about commercial realities of journalism, including subscriber funnels, ad yield, partnerships, and AI-assisted production, balanced with strong editorial ethics.
  • Cultural maturity to operate inside a values-explicit institution that takes positions publicly, and to engage with debate about those positions internally without disengaging from the work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Axel Springer headquartered, and where are most jobs located?
Axel Springer SE is headquartered in Berlin, in a 13-story Rem Koolhaas-designed cube on Zimmerstrasse that opened in 2020. Most German jobs are based in Berlin or Hamburg, while international roles are concentrated at Politico (Arlington, Brussels, London, and other capitals), Business Insider (New York), Morning Brew (New York), and Bisnow (Washington and other US hubs). Classifieds and marketing units have additional sites across Europe.
What ATS does Axel Springer use, and how should I optimize my application?
Axel Springer uses SmartRecruiters as its primary applicant tracking system, integrated with SAP HCM and single sign-on so that requisitions and offers flow back and forth automatically. To optimize your application, create a complete SmartRecruiters profile, fill out structured fields rather than relying only on the uploaded resume, mirror keywords from the job description, save documents as PDF or DOCX, and avoid heavy graphical layouts that confuse the parser.
Do I need to speak German to work at Axel Springer?
It depends on the role. Editorial and many commercial roles at Bild, Welt, and German group functions require fluent German, since the work is in German. Group, tech, product, data, and US-based brand roles at Politico, Business Insider, Morning Brew, and Bisnow are typically conducted in English. Berlin-based group roles often prefer German plus English bilingualism even when not strictly required, and the recruiter will confirm language requirements in the initial screen.
Does Axel Springer sponsor work visas?
Yes, Axel Springer sponsors work permits and EU Blue Cards in Germany for hard-to-fill technical and senior editorial roles, and the US brands sponsor visas selectively for specialized journalism, product, and engineering hires. Sponsorship is less common for entry-level or generalist commercial roles. Always confirm sponsorship explicitly with the recruiter during the initial screen, since policies vary by team, country, and seniority.
How long does the Axel Springer hiring process take?
Most processes take four to eight weeks from application to offer, with an average of around 26 days reported by candidates. Recruiter screens typically happen within one to two weeks of a shortlisted application, the craft-specific assessment runs over the following one to two weeks, and the final loop and offer usually conclude within another two to three weeks. Senior roles requiring an executive interview in Berlin or Brussels can extend the timeline.
What are the Axel Springer corporate principles, and will they come up in interviews?
The published principles include support for freedom, the rule of law, democracy, a united Europe, the principles of a free-market economy and its social responsibility, reconciliation between Germans and Jews, and support for Israel's right to exist. They will come up in interviews, often explicitly, and candidates are expected to engage with them sincerely. This is not a trick question, but it is a real screen, and the company is transparent that all employees are expected to uphold these principles.
Do Politico, Business Insider, and Morning Brew operate independently from the German parent?
Editorially, yes. The US brands operate independently of the German titles and of each other, with their own editors-in-chief, audience strategies, and revenue models. Operationally, they sit within the broader Axel Springer group structure, share certain back-office and technology resources, and align on the corporate principles. For candidates this means the day-to-day culture and editorial process will feel like the specific brand you join, not like a generic German publisher.
What is the work culture really like at Axel Springer?
Culture varies meaningfully by brand and country. The Berlin group culture is direct, structured, punctual, and explicitly values-driven, with clear hierarchies softened by the open architecture of the headquarters. Bild is fast-moving and tabloid-paced, Welt is more analytical, Politico is intense and politics-obsessed, Business Insider is digital-native and metrics-driven, and Morning Brew is conversational and brand-led. Across all units the company is comfortable taking public positions and expects employees to engage with that posture rather than treat journalism as neutral.
Does Axel Springer offer remote or hybrid work?
Most roles are hybrid rather than fully remote, with two to three days per week typically expected on site at the relevant hub: Berlin, Hamburg, Arlington, Brussels, London, or New York depending on the brand. Editorial roles tied to a specific newsroom or political beat lean more on-site because access and presence matter, while product, engineering, and data roles at the US digital brands have more flexibility. Fully remote roles exist but are uncommon and usually tied to a specific market or beat.
How should I prepare for an Axel Springer interview?
Research the specific brand you are interviewing for and read its recent coverage closely; generic Axel Springer answers fall flat. Prepare two or three case studies from your own work with measurable outcomes attached, in audience, revenue, or product terms. Read the published Axel Springer corporate principles and prepare to discuss them honestly. For tech roles, refresh fundamentals and be ready for a take-home or live exercise. For editorial roles, be ready to pitch specific stories, defend headline and angle choices, and discuss the brand's audience strategy.

Open Positions

Axel Springer SE currently has 1 open positions.

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 1 open positions at Axel Springer SE

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