Director of Communications, Careers

Handshake; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in a fast-growing company

401(k) match and financial coaching

Paid parental leave and fertility/fert

Parental coaching

Medical, dental, and vision

Mental health support

Wellness stipend

Learning stipend and ongoing dev

Remote & Office: internet, commuting,

Free lunch/gym in SF office

Flexible PTO

10+ holidays + 2 flex days

Team outings and referral bonuses

Job summary

Handshake is seeking a senior communications lead to own the Careers story—covering 30 million students, graduates and professionals, 1,600 institutions, and partner employers. You’ll report to the Chief Communications Officer and collaborate with the President, COO, and other leaders to shape press strategy and executive voice.

You’ll turn research and data into compelling narratives, lead product launch communications, and manage university and employer partnerships.

Qualifications

• 8–12 years in communications, with substantial media relations and executive communications experience
• Working relationships with reporters on the careers, workplace, higher-education and future-of-work beats
• Exceptional writer and editor who can write in an executive's voice across formats
• Comfortable with data
• Judgment under pressure
• Builds systems, not just stories
• AI-native working style, using AI to research, draft and measure
• Bonus: higher-education or workforce-policy background

Responsibilities

• Own the Careers communications strategy integrated with the company-wide comms calendar and set the priorities each quarter, tied to the business unit's growth goals, and measure impact against clear KPIs
• Run media relations for Careers: build relationships with reporters covering careers, workplace, higher education, workforce policy and AI's effect on jobs
• Serve as executive communications partner to the President and COO and the Chief Education and Workforce Officer
• Turn our research and data (Network Trends, the Class of 2026 series, monthly labor-market data) into stories, with our in-house economist and research team
• Lead launch communications for Careers products and partnerships, with product marketing
• Own communications to and about our university and employer partners, with the education and employer teams
• Handle Careers inbound inquiries and issues with Legal and the CCO
• Support the Careers story in international markets as the business grows

Skills

Communications leadership

Media relations

Executive communications

Writing skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in communications or related field

Tools

AI writing tools

Job description

About Handshake

Handshake was founded on a simple belief: everyone deserves a path to a great career, regardless of where they went to school or who they know. Today Handshake is the career network for the AI economy, connecting 30 million job seekers, more than a million employers and 1,600 educational institutions. Handshake AI puts the expertise of that network to work with leading AI labs and enterprises, and Handshake's learning products help people build the skills the AI economy demands.

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 the Role

We're looking for a communications lead to own the story of our Careers business: the network 30 million students, graduates and professionals start on, the 1,600 institutions and million employers who rely on it, and the learning products we're building on top of it.

You’ll report to the Chief Communications Officer and work directly with the President and COO, who runs Careers, and with our Chief Education and Workforce Officer, our research and economics team, and Careers product and marketing. You’ll be the single owner of how Careers shows up in the press, in our executives' voices, in our research, and with the universities, employers and policymakers who work with us.

• Own the Careers communications strategy integrated with the company-wide comms calendar and set the priorities each quarter, tied to the business unit's growth goals, and measure impact against clear KPIs

• Run media relations for Careers: build relationships with reporters covering careers, workplace, higher education, workforce policy and AI's effect on jobs

• Serve as executive communications partner to the President and COO and the Chief Education and Workforce Officer

• Turn our research and data (Network Trends, the Class of 2026 series, monthly labor-market data) into stories, with our in-house economist and research team

• Lead launch communications for Careers products and partnerships, with product marketing

• Own communications to and about our university and employer partners, with the education and employer teams

• Handle Careers inbound inquiries and issues with Legal and the CCO

• Support the Careers story in international markets as the business grows

This is a senior individual-contributor role to start. It may grow into a people-manager role as the function scales.

Desired Capabilities

• 8–12 years in communications, with substantial media relations and executive communications experience; consumer, marketplace, education, workforce or HR-technology background is a plus

• Working relationships with reporters on the careers, workplace, higher-education and future-of-work beats, and a record of tier-one placements

• Exceptional writer and editor who can write in an executive's voice across formats, from a short LinkedIn post to a 1,200-word op-ed to an all-hands script

• Comfortable with data

• Judgment under pressure

• Builds systems, not just stories

• AI-native working style, using AI to research, draft and measure, while owning every word that leaves the building

• Bonus: higher-education or workforce-policy background

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.