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 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
The Role:
Handshake is hiring a Lead Recruiter to support hiring across business, operations, and technical roles as we continue to scale our India presence. Reporting to the Sr. Manager of Recruiting, you’ll partner closely with stakeholders across functions while helping build and evolve recruiting processes locally.
You’ll work closely with senior stakeholders to build our India team from zero to scale and help define how we hire as the office grows. This is a unique opportunity to join a fast-growing team and play a foundational role in building and scaling Handshake AI’s India office.
This role is based in our Bangalore office and requires 3 days per week onsite. While the majority of the office will work 4 PM - 4 AM, this role will work 11 AM - 8 PM to better accommodate candidate schedules.
Partner with hiring managers and senior stakeholders across business, operations, and technical teams to understand hiring needs, shape role scope, and align on priorities
Own the end-to-end recruiting process for a diverse set of roles, from intake and sourcing through interviews, offers, and close
Lead candidate scheduling, interview ops, and candidate logistics for evening and overnight interviews (core ownership of 4pm–2am).
Build and maintain strong pipelines for hard-to-fill business, operations, and technical roles across India and other regions. Proactively engage passive talent and develop long-term candidate relationships
Provide insights on local and global talent markets, compensation expectations, and competitive dynamics to inform hiring decisions
Own interview scheduling, candidate logistics, and cross-time-zone coordination, ensuring a smooth, timely, and consistent candidate experience
Contribute to building recruiting processes, norms, and ways of working as the India office continues to grow
Deliver a thoughtful, high-quality candidate experience that reflects Handshake AI’s values and standards
You Have:
7+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience supporting business, operations, and/or technical roles
Experience recruiting in a startup or fast-scaling environment, with comfort operating in ambiguity and evolving processes is a must
Strong experience partnering with hiring managers and senior stakeholders, with the ability to set expectations and communicate clearly
Experience recruiting for technical or specialized roles, with the ability to assess skill requirements and partner effectively with technical interviewers
Hands-on experience sourcing across multiple role types using LinkedIn Recruiter, Boolean search, CRM tools, and referrals
Comfortable supporting recruiting operations and coordination while maintaining ownership of individual requisitions
Ability to track recruiting metrics, identify trends, and adjust approach as needed
Clear written and verbal communication skills, especially across teams and time zones
