Senior Engagement Manager

Handshake is the career network for the AI economy powering career discovery hiring and upskilling for 25 million job seekers 1600 educational institutions and 1 million employers from first internships to full-time careers to the frontier of AI 2025 we launched Handshake AI on that same network and trust and grew it into the fastest-growing AI data business in history from $0 to a $1B run rate now paying $60M a month to over 30000 experts. Frontier AI labs work directly with us on their hardest highest-scale data problems because our decade of relationships with the worlds most qualified students and experts is a moat no one else has.

Why join now:

• Shape how career and AI intersect at global scale with impact you can see and feel

• Partner hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs Fortune 500 companies and top institutions

• Work alongside operators from Palantir Meta Scale AI and top YC companies

• Build a massive fast-growing business inside a company already serving millions

As a Senior Engagement Manager on Handshake AIs Engagement Management team you own full end-to-end relationships for our largest frontier AI lab customers accounts at $100M run rate from first scope through expansion and renewal. Youre the person these customers call first acting as a thought partner rather than a traditional account manager translating ambiguous high-stakes problems into clear direction while Strategic Project Leads and Operations execute delivery. Youll sit at the intersection of customer product and engineering making fast high-judgment tradeoffs under pressure and protecting both the relationship and the quality bar.

• Own full end-to-end relationships across a portfolio of $100M frontier AI lab accounts serving as the first call in high-stakes moments and the single throughline for value.

• Translate messy evolving client goals into sharp requirements and priorities partnering closely with Strategic Project Leads & Operations to turn strategy into delivery.

• Make fast high-conviction tradeoffs on speed quality and cost knowing when to commit push back or escalate to protect the relationship and the outcome.

• Partner with Sales to identify and help close expansion opportunities growing account value and deepening Handshake AIs role in customers model development.

• Define and report on success metrics (KPIs SLAs model quality) that keep leadership and clients aligned on whats working and what needs to change.

• 8 years in high-ownership customer-facing or high-stakes leadership roles engagement management management consulting strategy & ops elite military leadership or founder/operating roles ideally with exposure to AI data or complex operational products

• Meaningful time at a top-tier consulting firm (McKinsey BCG Bain or equivalent) or an equivalent mix of consulting elite institutional leadership and high-intensity startup or operating experience

• Currently in an external customer-facing role or have held one within the last two years

• Genuine demonstrated curiosity about AI excited to learn from frontier researchers and build deep technical fluency in the space not just drawn to the opportunity

• A track record leading complex multi-stakeholder engagements to measurable outcomes for demanding enterprise customers

• Experience working directly with VP- and C-level stakeholders and navigating complex political organizations while still getting to an answer fast

• Comfort making high-judgment decisions with incomplete information and shifting fluidly between executive relationship management and detailed data review

• Strong instincts for when to push back on a client ask versus when to flex with the communication skill to do either without damaging trust

• Genuine energy for high-intensity fast-changing environments including periods that call for significant time investment this isnt a fixed-hours narrow-scope role

Bonus points:

• Technical or STEM background (engineering computer science or related) alongside your customer-facing experience

• Prior experience in AI data or frontier model development

• Investment banking private equity or GM/BizOps background with strong analytical range

• Experience negotiating with sophisticated technical buyers across multiple vendors

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 $500 wellness stipend

Growth: $2000 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 Experience:

Senior IC