---
title: 'Director, Product Marketing at Handshake'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-product-marketing-handshake-san-francisco-x9p5q99fjawd'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-21'
---

# Director, Product Marketing at Handshake

- **Company:** [Handshake](https://feeny.ai/companies/handshake)
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $196k–$245k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-10-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-21
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/handshake/82e17f6f-a13c-41c4-89ce-73b802908f0f

## Job 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 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

As Director, Product Marketing, you will own how the market sees Handshake on the employer side: not as a college job board, but as the career network employers rely on to find and hire talent in the AI economy. You will set the narrative and category strategy that puts Handshake in front of CHROs and talent leaders, and lead a team of product marketers who bring it to life across every launch and channel. You will report to the VP, Marketing and inherit a team of 3-4 product marketers, partnering closely with the EDU-side product marketing lead, Product, Sales, and the executive team.

- Define and own the employer narrative and positioning that shows how the market sees Handshake, so that employers and CHROs see us as a strategic hiring partner rather than a college job board
- Create and evolve the category story for the employer buyer, elevating our message beyond product features to win mindshare in a crowded HR tech landscape
- Build thought leadership and content channels that put Handshake leaders in front of CHROs and senior talent decision-makers, growing executive awareness and pipeline influence
- Lead, coach, and grow a team of 3-4 product marketers, setting a high bar for craft and strategic thinking across employer-side launches
- Partner with Product, Sales, and Marketing leadership to translate roadmap and customer insight into launches and messaging that drive adoption and revenue
- Align with product marketing on the EDU side and adjacent teams, including Handshake AI and our learning offerings, to keep one unified Handshake story across audiences

You Have

- 8+ years in B2B product marketing, including leading a team of product marketers
- A track record of creating or evolving a category, with the vision to reposition a company or product in the market
- Experience elevating a narrative beyond the product, rather than selling primarily on features and specs
- Experience marketing a marketplace or employment-related product, where the value comes from connecting both sides
- Experience building executive-level content and thought leadership that reaches senior buyers such as CHROs
- Strong cross-functional partnership with Product, Sales, and executive leadership on launches and go-to-market
- Exceptional strategic storytelling and writing, with a high bar for craft in your own work and your team's
- Based in the San Francisco Bay Area and able to work from our SF office

Bonus points:

- HR tech or recruiting technology background, or existing relationships with talent and HR leaders
- Experience marketing to both a supply side and a demand side of a two-sided network

## We Offer

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: $2,000 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](http://joinhandshake.com/careers).

## About Handshake

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Handshake is the career network for the AI economy, connecting job seekers with internships, full-time roles, freelance gigs, and AI training work through a three-sided marketplace.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series F; total funding $434M across 6 rounds)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2014
- **Founders**: Garrett Lord (CEO), Ben Christensen, Scott Ringwelski

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Career platform / Job marketplace / AI workforce infrastructure
- **Target customers**: B2C (job seekers, from students to experienced professionals) and B2B (employers including 100% of Fortune 500 and all foundational AI labs; also educational institutions)
- **Mission**: Expand access and improve outcomes for job seekers, helping the workforce stay ahead in the AI economy.

## Products & Services
- **Handshake Core Platform**: A three-sided marketplace connecting 25 million knowledge workers, 1,600+ schools, and 1 million employers. Features dynamic profiles, intelligent job matching, and interactive skill-building.
- **Handshake AI Enterprise**: AI-powered tools for employers and job seekers, including AI-driven matching, safety features, and pay management.
- **AI Trainer Gigs**: Paid, flexible, remote work for individuals to train and evaluate AI models (e.g., AI Evaluation Specialist, up to $40/hr) – no prior AI experience required.
- **Handshake Network**: Community events, career advice, and networking for students, experts, and professionals in AI and other fields.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $434M (6 rounds); annual revenue $56.5M (LinkedIn estimate)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Board includes representatives from General Catalyst, Kleiner Perkins, EQT Ventures, True Ventures, and Niantic. Strategic partners include 100% of the Fortune 500 and foundational AI labs.
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount at 5,272 employees (+708.8% YoY per LinkedIn); 1M+ companies on platform; 25M users; expansion into AI trainer gig economy; new roles in HAI (Handshake AI Enterprise) such as Applied AI Engineer, AI Platform Engineer, and Forward Deployed Engineer.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Network effects**: The only three-sided marketplace linking students, employers, and educational institutions at scale.
- **AI-first positioning**: Deep integration of AI into job matching, skill-building, and new freelance training roles – creating a unique ecosystem for the AI economy.
- **Trusted by elite institutions**: 1,600+ partner schools and every Fortune 500 company provides unparalleled reach into early-career talent.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI economy expansion**: Building the “career network for the AI economy” – expanding beyond college students to all knowledge workers, and adding AI training gigs as a new revenue and engagement stream.
- **Product innovation**: Heavy investment in Handshake AI Enterprise (HAI), including AI matching, safety, and pay infrastructure.
- **Global scaling**: Offices in San Francisco, New York, UK, and Bangalore; operating in 32 countries.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Values include “Students first,” “Leave nothing to chance,” “Own the outcome,” “Invent and reinvent,” and “Olympic pace.” Emphasis on ownership, urgency, and constant evolution.
- **Remote/Hybrid policy**: Many roles are based in San Francisco or New York, but some positions (e.g., Trust & Safety Specialist, Support Specialist) are remote in the US. Recent openings show both office and remote options.
- **Benefits**: Health & wellness support, financial support, time off, modern offices with meals, snacks, and social activities. Strong focus on career growth and learning.
- **Career growth**: Rapid headcount growth suggests ample internal mobility; roles range from engineering (ML, AI, data) to customer success, partnerships, and product management.

## Sources
1. [joinhandshake.com/about](https://joinhandshake.com/about/)
2. [joinhandshake.com/careers](https://joinhandshake.com/careers/)
3. [linkedin.com/company/team-handshake](https://www.linkedin.com/company/team-handshake)
4. [joinhandshake.com](https://joinhandshake.com/)

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