Staff Software Engineer, RLE

Edtech.com's Summary

Handshake is hiring a Staff Software Engineer, RLE to lead the architecture and development of their Reinforcement Learning Environments platform that enables AI models to learn real-world tasks. This role involves setting the long-term technical direction, coordinating cross-team strategies, and designing scalable, reliable systems and data pipelines.

Highlights

Lead architecture and evolution of scalable, extensible Reinforcement Learning Environments (RLE) systems and data pipelines
Develop platform capabilities to enable rapid creation of new domains
Collaborate with Research, Product, and Operations teams to drive strategy and execution
Set standards for system reliability, observability, performance, and data quality
Mentor engineers and promote engineering excellence across teams
Identify and resolve bottlenecks in scaling environments and data generation
Strong proficiency required in TypeScript, backend systems, and modern web stacks
Experience operating high-scale production systems in cloud environments
Minimum 8 years of experience in distributed systems, backend infrastructure, or machine learning platforms
Equity, competitive compensation, 401(k) match, parental leave, wellness benefits, learning stipend, and other full-time employee perks

Staff Software Engineer, RLE 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

Weâre hiring a Staff Software Engineer to lead the architecture and evolution of our Reinforcement Learning Environments (RLE) platformâthe systems that define how frontier AI models learn real-world work.

This is a high-impact, technical leadership role responsible for system design, cross-team alignment, and setting the long-term technical direction of RLE.

Location: San Francisco, CA (in-office, 5 days/week)

What Youâll Do

Define and drive architecture for scalable, extensible RLE systems and data pipelines
Lead development of platform capabilities enabling rapid domain creation
Partner with Research, Product, and Ops to shape strategy and execution
Set standards for reliability, observability, performance, and data quality
Mentor engineers and elevate engineering excellence across the team
Identify and solve systemic bottlenecks in scaling environments and data generation

What Weâre Looking For

8+ years of experience in distributed systems, backend infrastructure, or ML platforms
Deep expertise in system design, data modeling, and scalable architectures
Strong proficiency with TypeScript, backend systems, and modern web stacks
Proven experience operating high-scale production systems in cloud environments
Track record of technical leadership and cross-functional influence

Nice to Have

Experience with RL infrastructure, simulation systems, or evaluation frameworks
Background supporting applied AI/ML research teams
Experience building platform-level abstractions used across multiple teams

What Success Looks Like

RLE becomes a foundational, trusted platform across teams and use cases
New domains scale rapidly with minimal engineering overhead
Systems demonstrate step-function improvements in model quality and reliability
Engineering velocity and system robustness increase across the organization

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, $500 wellness stipend

ð Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development

ð» Office: Commuting support, free lunch, and gym in our SF office

ð Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days

ð¤ Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses

Original Job Description