Handshake is the career network for the AI economy. 20 million knowledge workers, 1,600 educational institutions, 1 million employers (including 100% of the Fortune 50), and every foundational AI lab trust Handshake to power career discovery, hiring, and upskilling, from freelance AI training gigs to first internships to full-time careers and beyond. This unique value is leading to unparalleled growth; in 2025, we tripled our ARR at scale.
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
Work hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions
Join a team with leadership from Scale AI, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir, among others
Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue
About the Role
As an Engagement Management Lead, Handshake AI, you will own our most critical Frontier AI lab customer relationships from first scope through production deployments, expansions, and renewals. You are the person these customers call first, in both high stakes moments and day to day decision making, and you are comfortable operating in environments with high expectations, high visibility, and high pressure.
You will sit at the intersection of customers, operations, product, and engineering, turning ambiguous, high stakes problems into clear programs, making hard tradeoffs at speed, and orchestrating cross functional teams to deliver outsized results while maintaining exceptional, executive level relationships.
You will be responsible for:
Owning a high impact book of business for Handshake AI, leading strategic implementations for flagship accounts from scope and milestones through on time, successful go live.
Running the full engagement lifecycle (onboarding, delivery, QBRs, expansions, renewals) as the single threaded owner of value for a portfolio of strategic, often multi million dollar customers.
Turning messy, evolving customer goals into sharp programs and requirements, pushing back where needed, and influencing product, operations, and roadmap decisions.
Defining and reporting on success metrics (business KPIs, SLAs, model quality) and using data to make fast, high conviction calls on where to double down, pivot, or sunset.
Partnering with Sales on aggressive expansion strategies, identifying, shaping, and helping close upsell and cross sell opportunities across your accounts.
What success looks like in the first 6–12 months:
Multiple high priority implementations are live in production with clear, referenceable wins and expansion in motion.
Your accounts show deep adoption and material revenue growth, with Handshake AI embedded in core model development and evaluation workflows.
Sales, Ops, and Product leaders consistently treat you as the owner of outcomes for your accounts and pull you into the most strategic, time sensitive opportunities.
You will work closely with:
Sales on deal shaping, scoping, handoffs, and expansion strategy.
Operations on aggressive yet realistic resourcing, training, and quality for Fellows and domain experts.
Product and Engineering on roadmap, integrations, and new capabilities needed to unlock step function value for your customers.
What You Will Bring
Experience:
6+ years in customer facing, high ownership roles (engagement management, management consulting, customer success, strategy and operations, or similar) with AI, data, or complex operational products.
4+ years at a top tier management consulting firm (for example McKinsey, BCG, Bain, or equivalent) and/or a mix of that background plus startup operating experience in high intensity environments.
Proven track record leading complex, multi stakeholder implementations and driving measurable business outcomes for demanding enterprise customers.
Experience working directly with senior stakeholders (VP or C level) and navigating complex, political organizations while still getting to an answer fast.
This role works well for people who:
Want to own a book of business and are comfortable being directly accountable for customer outcomes and revenue
Can make high judgment decisions with incomplete information and move fast without perfect data
Enjoy switching between executive level relationship management and detailed project and data reviews
Are comfortable working directly with senior leaders at Handshake and demanding VP and C level customers
It is not a good fit if you need fixed hours, narrow scope, or heavy structure. There are periods of high intensity, including occasional early or late calls across time zones. Priorities can change quickly and you will often be the person asked to solve the hardest customer problems.
People in this role often come from:
Management consulting at top tier firms, with significant client leadership and project ownership
Strategy and operations or bizops roles at early stage or high growth startups
Customer facing leadership roles in SaaS or AI / data companies (engagement management, customer success, solutions, or similar)
Investment banking or private equity backgrounds that transitioned into operating or client facing roles
Prior experience in AI is helpful but not required.
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.
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