Senior Internal Communications Strategist

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

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