Handshake was founded on a simple belief that everyone deserves a path to a great career, regardless of where they went to school or who they know. Today, we power 25 million job seekers, 1 million+ employers, and 1,600 educational institutions.
In 2025, we started Handshake AI and built the fastest-growing AI data business in history. We work directly with frontier AI lab researchers to create evaluations, publish benchmarks, and push the boundary of data. We’ve grown from $0 to ~$1B run rate and pay ~$60M to over 30K individuals every month.
Why join Handshake now:
Shape how every career evolves in the AI economy, at global scale, with impact your friends, family and peers can see and feel
Partner hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions
Work together with engineers, scientists, operators, and more from Palantir, Meta, Scale AI, and former YC founders
Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue
About Handshake AI
Human data is the core infrastructure to AI advancement. Frontier AI labs currently improve model capabilities with various data-intensive post-training techniques. We believe that data spend for AI training will increase by 3-5x in the next few years and continue for much longer as models take on new domains. Handshake AI supports all of the frontier AI labs, working on their most complex data at the largest scale.
About the Role
As a Software Engineer, you will play a critical role in building the core experiences that help students find opportunities, spanning search, discovery, jobs, and job search.
In this role, you will:
Design and implement scalable systems powering search and discovery experiences across our platform.
Build agentic AI experiences for students, including our conversational AI agent for resume help, job search, and interview prep.
Work with OpenAI real-time APIs and agentic frameworks to deliver intelligent, conversational features.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate new features that drive member value and engagement.
Contribute to code reviews to maintain high code quality standards and mentor teammates to foster continuous learning.
2+ years of experience in software engineering, ideally with consumer platforms or social apps.
Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, or JavaScript to deliver robust solutions.
Strong product sense with a focus on building features that create real value for members.
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) to optimize system performance.
Excellent communication skills to collaborate within a diverse team environment.
Experience with AI, chatbots, or conversational interfaces.
Perks
Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supported—and thrive at work and in life.
The below benefits are for full-time US employees.
🎯 Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company
💰 Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching
🍼 Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching
💝 Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, wellness stipend
📚 Growth: Learning stipend, ongoing development
💻 Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office
🏝 Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days
🤝 Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses
Explore our mission, values, and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.
Handshake San Francisco, California, USA Office
We're located right in the center of everything in the financial district of downtown San Francisco. We're just 1 block from Montgomery St Bart!
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