---
title: 'Senior Software Engineer - AI Data (USA) at Handshake'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-ai-data-usa-handshake-united-states-wm7e4hjw9ed7'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-11'
---

# Senior Software Engineer - AI Data (USA) at Handshake

- **Company:** [Handshake](https://feeny.ai/companies/handshake)
- **Location:** United States
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-11-10
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/handshake/420831b7-9ce4-4940-9810-fc919a20e182

## Job description

## About the role

Frontier AI labs are building coding agents that do real engineering work. Before these coding agents ship, Senior Engineers have to work a real problem from a codebase they know, step by step, to identify where a frontier model goes wrong then correct it. Not just anyone can do this. It takes a select group of engineers with experience and taste. Engineers who qualify join a fixed-pay contract: earn $6,000/wk for 40hrs of work ($150/hr). Work on your own schedule, paid weekly.

## What you'll do

- Judge the AI's work. Give an agent a real ticket, then review its output like a teammate's pull request: run it, evaluate it.
- Pair with the AI on your own task. Work a real problem from a codebase you know, step by step, and flag where the model goes wrong.

## What's in it for you

- Senior-engineer pay. A weekly contract paying $6,000 for a 40-hour week. Work from anywhere, any time.
- Work that lasts. This is not a two-week gig. The work is here month after month, and the 40 hours are yours every week you're on the team.
- An elite, hand-picked team. You’ll have priority access to the projects frontier labs trust us with, the ones every engineer wants a seat on.
- Problems that are actually hard. Your work on difficult tasks goes straight back to the labs training the next best-in-class models.
- A seat at the table. You'll work directly with project leads from day one. Your read on where models fail and where the bar should sit shapes how we run these programs.
- Ongoing, on your schedule. The contract renews every week while you meet quality standards. You set your hours. Exceptional engineers may be approved for additional hours, paid at $150/hr on top of your base earnings.
- Support that meets your needs. A dedicated team, fast answers, and real feedback on your work.

How it works

- Pass a proctored coding assessment, without the use of AI tools. You’ll earn $100 when you pass. About 2 hours.
- Complete one paid trial task. You’ll earn $40 when you submit your first stage and $1,100 once it's approved through every review cycle. About 10 hours total.
- Join the team and continue working. We’ll provide 40 hours of work every week, totalling $6,000.

You're a fit if you have

- 4+ years of professional software engineering experience
- A Bachelor's or Master’s degree in computer science or a related field
- US work authorization
- Strong written English and 40 hours a week to give during your contract
- No AI background needed. Your software engineering skills are the whole job.

## About Handshake

Handshake was founded on a simple belief that everyone deserves a path to a great career, regardless of where they went to school or who they know. Today, we power 25 million job seekers, 1 million+ employers, and 1,600 educational institutions. In 2025, we started Handshake AI and built the fastest-growing AI data business in history. We work directly with frontier AI lab researchers to create evaluations, publish benchmarks, and push the boundary of data. We’ve grown from $0 to ~$1B run rate and pay ~$60M to over 30K individuals every month. 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
- Partner hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions
- Work together with engineers, scientists, operators, and more from Palantir, Meta, Scale AI, and former YC founders
- Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue

## About Handshake AI

Human data is the core infrastructure to AI advancement. Frontier AI labs currently improve model capabilities with various data-intensive post-training techniques. We believe that data spend for AI training will increase by 3-5x in the next few years and continue for much longer as models take on new domains. Handshake AI supports all of the frontier AI labs, working on their most complex data at the largest scale.

## 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

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- [Strategic Projects Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/strategic-projects-lead-handshake-san-francisco-2bbs1yr7bkwf) — San Francisco, CA
- [Enterprise Customer Success Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/enterprise-customer-success-manager-handshake-united-states-ax6vbza9k46a) — United States
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- [Strategic Projects Lead, STEM](https://feeny.ai/job/strategic-projects-lead-stem-handshake-san-francisco-2dm2gq0e5vfc) — San Francisco, CA
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