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 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
We’re hiring a Senior HR Business Partner to support our Sales, Marketing, and Education teams across both of Handshake’s business units - Careers and Handshake AI. You’ll work closely with leaders and employees to help scale our culture, processes, and people programs as we grow. This role will be part traditional HRBP work (performance management, HR support, etc.) and part building processes and systems to help scale the business. We're looking for someone who is comfortable with ambiguity, rapidly changing priorities, and intense operational cultures.
Partnering & Advisory
Act as a trusted partner to managers on day-to-day people topics — performance, growth, engagement, and team dynamics
Support business leaders in building high-performing, inclusive teams through thoughtful people programs and data-driven insights
Help identify org design and talent needs as the team scales
Develop the leadership bench across Sales, Marketing, and EDU
People Programs & Operations
Drive execution of core people processes (performance, compensation, promotions, headcount planning)
Support onboarding, learning, and development initiatives
Collaborate with People Ops, Recruiting, and Total Rewards to ensure smooth employee experiences
Employee Experience
Help managers and employees navigate employee relations topics with judgment and care
Gather feedback and insights to inform improvements to our people programs and tools
Design and manage in-person programs and events for the team
4+ years of HR experience, ideally in a tech or growth-stage environment
Strong foundation in core HRBP functions (employee relations, performance, org changes, comms planning, manager coaching)
Comfort operating in ambiguity and shifting priorities
Clear, empathetic communication and an instinct for balancing people and business needs
Strong independent judgement - makes the right calls for the team and business the majority of the time
Collaborative working style - enjoys partnering across teams
Experience supporting a high-intensity, operational environment
Experience working with Sales or go-to-market orgs
Familiarity with compensation frameworks and people analytics tools
Exposure to scaling teams and org change
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.
Skills Required
- 4+ years of HR experience in a tech or growth-stage environment
- Strong foundation in core HRBP functions
- Clear, empathetic communication
- Collaborative working style
Handshake Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Handshake and has not been reviewed or approved by Handshake.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off practices include flexible/unlimited PTO, companywide recharge weeks in summer and winter, plus additional volunteer and personal holiday time. Feedback suggests sabbaticals and coordinated breaks help people actually use rest time.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental leave is described as extended for primary and secondary caregivers, and family-oriented policies are highlighted. Fertility and family-support resources are referenced in public materials.
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Healthcare Strength — Core coverage spans medical, dental, and vision, with added mental-health resources and wellness programming. Feedback suggests these supports contribute meaningfully to overall wellbeing.
Handshake Insights
What We Do
Handshake is the #1 place to launch a career with no connections, experience, or luck required. The platform connects up-and-coming talent with 650,000+ employers - from Fortune 500 companies like Google, Nike, and Target to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, and nonprofits. Earlier this year, we announced our $200M Series F funding round. This Series F fundraise and new valuation of $3.5B will fuel Handshake’s next phase of growth and propel our mission to help more people start, restart, and jumpstart their careers.
Why Work With Us
How someone builds their career is foundational. We believe in working with the higher education community to help students build meaningful careers. We are at the nexus of universities, students and employers— and we’re able to connect the very best pieces of each side. We’re proud to create a community where students can be more successful.
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