Director of Internal Communications

Handshake; San Francisco (CA); Remote; CAD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

401(k) match

Parental leave

Wellbeing benefits

Learning stipend

Remote office stipend

Flexible PTO

Team outings

Job summary

Handshake is seeking a Senior IC to own and run internal communications across Careers and Handshake AI. You will design systems, establish cadence, and partner with the leadership for a clear, trusted one-story narrative as the company scales.

Reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, you’ll work with People, Legal, Marketing, and Product/Engineering teams, translating complex technical work into plain language and driving engagement across San Francisco, New York, Bangalore, and remote

Qualifications

• 8–12 years in internal/executive communications, scaling during rapid growth.
• Exceptional writer capable of founder-CEO voice.
• Proven ability to build communications systems from scratch.
• Able to translate complex, technical work into clear narratives.

Responsibilities

• Own the internal communications strategy, calendar, and operating rhythm across Careers and Handshake AI.
• Serve as the C-suite internal communications partner.
• Run All Hands on one standard across the company and extend to the departmental tier.
• Partner with the People team on people communications and lifecycle moments.
• Design and run recognition and culture programs with the People team.
• Build and edit the company’s core internal channels and select the tools to run them.
• Translate technical work into plain-language stories every employee can follow.
• Connect the internal and external narrative so employees hear Handshake’s news first.
• Measure understanding and report results back to leadership.

Skills

Internal comms

Executive comms

Copywriting

Communications systems

Plain-language storytelling

Executive advisory

AI-native workflow

Cross-functional collaboration

Event production

Job description

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 that belief has a bigger job. We think intelligence comes from people, and we’ve built a company around it.

Handshake is the career network for the AI economy, connecting 25 million job seekers, more than a million employers, and 1,600 educational institutions.

Handshake AI puts the expertise of that network to work at the frontier of AI. We work directly with frontier lab researchers to author evaluations, publish benchmarks, and build the training environments models can’t create on their own. In a year we’ve gone from $0 to a ~$1B run rate and pay ~$60M a month to more than 30,000 experts. Now we’re bringing that same expertise to enterprises building AI on their own knowledge.

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

Handshake is looking for a builder to own and run our internal communications function.

This is not a typical comms role. Handshake has grown from one business into two — Careers, and Handshake AI, which spans human data, Labs, and Enterprise AI — in under two years, tripling headcount, opening offices in New York and India, and acquiring companies along the way. That growth creates a real opportunity to build a clear, consistent internal story from the ground up, in close partnership with our leadership team.

You’ll report to our Chief Communications Officer and work daily with Careers and Handshake AI business unit leadership, and our People team. Your job is to make sure every employee — in San Francisco, New York, Bangalore, or remote — hears one Handshake story, on a rhythm they can predict, in a voice that still sounds like us.

There is no existing playbook, team, or tooling for this function today. You’ll design the systems, select the tools, and earn a seat at the leadership table as an embedded partner rather than a service desk. You’ll be measured first on whether leadership communication is clearer, more consistent, and more trusted because you exist, and second on whether the company stays one company as it scales.

• Own the internal communications strategy, calendar, and operating rhythm across Careers and Handshake AI
• Serve as the C-suite internal communications partner
• Run All Hands on one standard across the company and extend it to the departmental tier
• Partner with the People team on people communications and key lifecycle moments
• Design and run recognition and culture programs with the People team
• Build and edit the company’s core internal channels and select the tools to run them
• Translate technical work into clear, plain-language stories every employee can follow
• Connect the internal and external narrative so employees hear Handshake’s news first
• Measure understanding, not just reach, and report the results back to leadership

_ Please note, this is a Senior IC role and does not manage a team. _

Desired Capabilities

• 8–12 years in internal/employee or executive communications, including a tour scaling internal comms through rapid company growth
• Exceptional writer, able to write convincingly in a founder-CEO’s voice
• Proven ability to build communications systems and processes from scratch
• Skilled at translating complex, technical work into clear, plain-language narratives
• Trusted advisor to senior leadership, comfortable giving candid counsel
• AI-native working style, using AI to gather, draft, and measure communications work
• Strong judgment and discretion with sensitive or high-stakes material
• Data-literate, comfortable setting benchmarks and reporting results to executives
• Comfortable working cross-functionally across People, Legal, Marketing, and Product/Engineering
• Bonus: experience at an AI company, post-acquisition integration, employer brand, or event production

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.

Compensation

$174.4K – $255K Offers Equity

For cash compensation, we set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. In order to be compliant with local legislation, as well as to provide greater transparency to candidates, we share salary ranges on all job postings regardless of desired hiring location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including geographic location as well as candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.