Software Engineer I, Handshake AI

About Handshake 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 feelPartner hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutionsWork together with engineers, scientists, operators, and more from Palantir, Meta, Scale AI, and former YC foundersBuild a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenueAbout 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 II at Handshake, you'll own meaningful pieces of our core product—building the systems that power how millions of users discover opportunities, connect with employers, and launch their careers. You're past the fundamentals and ready to take on more: driving features end-to-end, contributing to technical design, and raising the bar for the engineers around you.You'll work closely with product managers, designers, and senior engineers to ship full-stack experiences that are reliable, scalable, and user-obsessed. This is a role for someone who wants real ownership, not just tickets.Location: San Francisco, CA | 5 days/week in-officeOwn features end-to-end across frontend and backend, from technical design through production and iterationBuild scalable full-stack systems powering core user journeys—search, discovery, matching, and onboarding flowsShip backend APIs, async workflows, and frontend experiences with a high bar for reliability and performanceContribute meaningfully to architecture discussions, helping establish patterns the team can build onWrite clean, well-tested, maintainable code and actively participate in code reviewsPartner with product and design to translate ambiguous requirements into polished user experiencesIdentify and address technical debt, system reliability gaps, and performance bottlenecks proactivelyDesired Capabilities1-5 years of professional software engineering experience building full-stack applicationsStrong proficiency in TypeScript across frontend and backend surfacesHands-on experience with modern web stacks (React, Next.js, GraphQL, Ruby on Rails)Solid command of relational databases (PostgreSQL) and thoughtful data modelingTrack record of owning features independently and driving them to completionStrong communicator who collaborates well with product, design, and cross-functional partnersComfortable navigating ambiguity and making sound tradeoffs in a fast-paced environmentExtra CreditExperience building AI-powered products, conversational interfaces, or agentic frameworks (e.g., OpenAI APIs)Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools like Temporal or async job systemsExposure to marketplaces, matching systems, or multi-step onboarding flowsExperience with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP) and deployment pipelinesBackground at high-growth or scaling technology companiesFamiliarity with design systems and component libraries for rapid deploymentPerks 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 companyFinancial Wellness : 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coachingFamily Support:Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coachingWellbeing:Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, $500 wellness stipendGrowth:$2,000 learning stipend, ongoing developmentRemote & Office:Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF officeTime Off:Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex daysConnection:Team outings & referral bonusesExplore our mission, values, and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.#J-18808-Ljbffr