---
title: 'Lead Recruiter, India at Handshake'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-recruiter-india-handshake-india-vsgct8sg58ng'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-16'
---

# Lead Recruiter, India at Handshake

- **Company:** [Handshake](https://feeny.ai/companies/handshake)
- **Location:** India
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-10
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-16
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/handshake/d01f67e7-5658-4b75-a296-9765c708fbab

## 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: 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

## 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/)

## Other roles at Handshake

- [AI Red Teamer (LLM Generalist) - Remote](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-red-teamer-llm-generalist-remote-handshake-united-states-nsv8rhpz17yq) — United States
- [VP of Product, Handshake AI](https://feeny.ai/job/vp-of-product-handshake-ai-handshake-san-francisco-vcwzbdk0rb2x) — San Francisco, CA
- [Director, Central Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/director-central-operations-handshake-san-francisco-06qyp36sb5ym) — San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (Bulgaria)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-forward-deployed-engineer-bulgaria-handshake-sofia-e0j8p06aer33) — Sofia, Bulgaria
- [Senior Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-recruiter-handshake-seattle-rkb3p1en91hq) — Seattle, WA
- [Senior Director - AI Commercial Counsel](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-ai-commercial-counsel-handshake-san-francisco-rr3c2az2ts06) — San Francisco, CA
- [AI Red Teamer (LLM Generalist)](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-red-teamer-llm-generalist-handshake-seattle-nd0pg32zvw43) — Seattle, WA
- [Business Development Representative, Government](https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-representative-government-handshake-united-states-gvy3y01t6jzc) — United States
- [Software Engineer I, Quality](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-i-quality-handshake-san-francisco-a29rs3wtgxng) — San Francisco, CA
- [Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-consumer-experience-handshake-san-francisco-py2m3bwqpbg8) — San Francisco, CA