Handshake
Staff Software Engineer, Consumer Experience
Edtech.com's Summary
- Lead design and development of features that enhance user engagement and streamline student-employer connections
- Architect and scale distributed systems ensuring high availability and performance
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align engineering efforts with business goals
- Mentor senior engineers and foster a culture of technical growth
- Champion engineering best practices to improve product quality and efficiency
- Requires 8+ years of software engineering experience with large-scale systems ownership
- Expertise in Go, Python, or JavaScript and familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Strong communication skills to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
- Preferred experience with search, recommendations, personalization, and AI-powered systems including LLM applications
- Beneficial prior work in high-growth, rapidly scaling environments
Staff Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Full Description
About Handshake
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 worldâs 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 a Staff Software Engineer on the Consumer Experience team, you'll build the products that connect millions of students with employers. You'll drive meaningful technical initiatives, shape the technical direction of the team, and deliver high-quality, scalable solutions that directly impact one of the fastest-growing career platforms in the world.
Your Role
Lead the design and development of consumer-facing features that enhance user engagement and streamline the student-employer connection process
Architect and scale distributed systems to support millions of users, ensuring high availability and performance
Influence technical direction by collaborating with cross-functional teams to align engineering efforts with business goals
Mentor and elevate engineers across the team, fostering a culture of growth and technical excellence
Champion engineering best practices that raise the bar on product quality and team efficiency
Desired Capabilities
8+ years of software engineering experience with a proven track record of owning and delivering large-scale, complex systems
Demonstrated experience operating at a staff-level scope, influencing technical direction across multiple teams
Expertise in building and scaling distributed systems, preferably within consumer platforms or social products
Strong proficiency in Go, Python, or JavaScript with a focus on maintainable, high-quality production systems
Solid understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and modern system design principles
Exceptional communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences
Experience mentoring senior engineers and elevating engineering culture
Extra Credit
Background in search, recommendations, ranking systems, or personalization at scale
Experience with user identity knowledge graphs, including entity resolution and real-time inference
Experience building AI-powered systems, including LLM-based applications
Prior experience in high-growth or rapidly scaling environments
Perks
Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supportedâand thrive at work and in life.
The below benefits are for full-time US employees.
ð¯ Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company
ð° Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching
ð¼ Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching
ð Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, wellness stipend
ð Growth: Learning stipend, ongoing development
ð» Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office
ð Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days
ð¤ Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses
Explore our mission, values, and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.
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