Senior Software Engineer, Handshake AI

Handshake; California; On-site; USD 190,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking a Software Engineer to join their AI research team, focusing on building impactful products that enhance research workflows and model evaluation. This role offers a unique opportunity to work closely with leading AI labs and tech companies, driving AI innovation. You'll be responsible for architecting and developing features that support a network of expert Fellows, ensuring they have the necessary tools to excel. Join a vibrant team dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive culture where your contributions will shape the future of AI applications.

Benefits

Equity and ownership

16 Weeks paid parental leave

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies

$500 home office stipend

$2,000 annual learning stipend

Monthly internet stipend

Free lunch 3x a week

401k Match

Flexible time off policy

Lifestyle Savings Account

Qualifications

• Experience as a full stack engineer with frontend focus.
• Strong ownership mentality and accountability for work.
• Experience leading large projects from idea to delivery.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to build features.
• Lead projects and provide mentorship to engineers.
• Maintain high standards of quality in work and feedback.

Skills

Full Stack Development

Frontend Development

Backend Development

Architectural Decision-Making

Mentorship

Collaboration

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

ReactJS

TypeScript

PostgreSQL

Job description

Everyone is welcome at Handshake. We know diverse teams build better products and we are committed to creating an inclusive culture built on a foundation of respect for all individuals. We strongly encourage candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, historically marginalized or underrepresented groups to apply.

Your impact

Handshake is expanding into AI research and development, building a world-class network of expert Fellows - PhDs, researchers, and subject matter specialists - who contribute to cutting-edge AI through specialized research, model evaluation, and domain-specific applications. We’re looking for a Software Engineer to build high-impact products that support our Fellows in their work, ensuring they have the tools and infrastructure needed to drive AI innovation.

This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in a fast-growing space, working directly with leading AI labs and tech companies to develop solutions that enhance research workflows, model evaluation processes, and domain-specific AI applications. You will build critical features for products from the ground up, collaborating closely with product, design, and engineering teams to create seamless and effective experiences.

Location: San Francisco, CA | In-person - 5 days/week required

Your role

• Day-to-day work will feature regular collaboration on a cross-functional team with a designer, product manager and other engineers. You will also engage frequently with engineers, support, marketing and data analysts across the organization.
• Architect and build features that our SMB employers will use daily.
• Lead by example in maintaining a high standard of quality in your own work and in the feedback provided to peers in code review and architecture discussions.
• Lend your technical knowledge and experience to influence the team’s roadmap and prioritization of innovation and operational health initiatives such as quality control and on-call.
• Provide mentorship to engineers and unblock and support your team to meet deliverables.
• Lead sizable individual projects and projects that require multiple engineers.

Your experience

• Experience as a full stack engineer with a focus on frontend, and are confident driving architectural decisions on both frontend and backend.
• Thrive in a high-velocity environment and can execute quickly while maintaining high standards, adapting seamlessly as priorities shift and new challenges emerge.
• Demonstrate ownership-mentality and maintain a high degree of accountability for your work.
• Demonstrated success collaborating with partners in product, design and analytics to define, build, and ship great products and experiences.
• Experience leading large projects from idea to high quality delivery.
• Act with empathy when working with fellow engineers and coworkers, and enjoy providing mentorship and guidance to enable and support your team.
• Strive for individual and team growth, proactively seeking feedback and identifying areas of the code, processes or procedures that need improvement.
• Strong communicator and can articulate technical concepts and rationale to audiences of varying technical knowledge levels.

Bonus areas of expertise

• Worked with ReactJS, Typescript and PostgreSQL.
• Worked on LLM products in production.

Compensation range

$190K-$300K
Compensation and level will be based on experience.

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.

About us

Handshake is the career platform for Gen Z. With a community of over 17 million students, alumni, employers, and career educators, Handshake’s network is where career advice and discovery turn into first, second, and third jobs. Nearly 1 million companies use Handshake to build their future workforce—from Fortune 500 to federal agencies, school districts to startups, healthcare systems to small businesses. Handshake is built for where you’re going, not where you’ve been.

When it comes to our workforce strategy, we’ve thought deeply about how work-life should look at Handshake. With our hybrid-work model, employees benefit from collaboration and shared team experiences three days per week in our vibrant offices, and enjoy the flexibility of remote work two days per week (unless noted in the specific job posting). Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London, and Berlin.

What we offer

At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.

Benefits below apply to employees in full-time positions.

• Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company.
• 16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGTBQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support.
• Handshake offers $500/£360 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.
• Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000/£1,500/€1,850 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
• Financial coaching through Origin to help you through your financial journey.
• Monthly internet stipend and a brand new MacBook to allow you to do your best work.
• Monthly commuter stipend for you to expense your travel to the office (for office-based employees).
• Free lunch provided 3x a week across all offices.
• Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.

(US-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)

• 401k Match: Handshake offers a dollar-for-dollar match on 1% of deferred salary, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.
• All full-time US-based Handshakers are eligible for our flexible time off policy to get out and see the world. In addition, we offer 13 standardized holidays, and 2 additional days of flexible holiday time off. Lastly, we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off.
• Family support: Parental leave coaching and support provided by Parentaly. We partner with Maven Clinic to provide a lifetime coverage up to $15K for expenses related to fertility and family forming!
• Lifestyle Savings Account: We offer you an annual stipend of $500 to use for purchases such as fitness classes, gym memberships, work-from-home setup, and more.

(UK-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)

• Pension Scheme: Handshake will provide you with a workplace pension, where you will make contributions based on 5% of your salary. Handshake will pay the equivalent of 3% towards your pension plan, subject to qualifying earnings limits.
• Up to 25 days of vacation to encourage people to reset, recharge, and refresh, in addition to 8 bank holidays throughout the year.
• Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco.
• ️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake UK employees.

(Germany-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)

• 25 days of annual leave + 5 days of a winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off across the company.
• Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco once a year.
• Urban sports club membership offering access to a diverse network of fitness and wellness facilities.
• ️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake Germany employees.

Looking for more? Explore our mission, values and comprehensive US benefits atjoinhandshake.com/careers.

Handshake is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation, please let your recruiter know during initial communications.