Director of Internal Communications

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 that belief has a bigger job. We think intelligence comes from people and weve built a company around it.

Handshake is the career network for the AI economy connecting 25 million job seekers more than a million employers and 1600 educational institutions.

Handshake AI puts the expertise of that network to work at the frontier of AI. We work directly with frontier lab researchers to author evaluations publish benchmarks and build the training environments models cant create on their a year weve gone from $0 to a $1B run rate and pay $60M a month to more than 30000 experts. Now were bringing that same expertise to enterprises building AI on their own knowledge.

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 worlds 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 the Role

Handshake is looking for a builder to own and run our internal communications function.

This is not a typical comms role. Handshake has grown from one business into two Careers and Handshake AI which spans human data Labs and Enterprise AI in under two years tripling headcount opening offices in New York and India and acquiring companies along the way. That growth creates a real opportunity to build a clear consistent internal story from the ground up in close partnership with our leadership team.

Youll report to our Chief Communications Officer and work daily with Careers and Handshake AI business unit leadership and our People team. Your job is to make sure every employee in San Francisco New York Bangalore or remote hears one Handshake story on a rhythm they can predict in a voice that still sounds like us.

There is no existing playbook team or tooling for this function today. Youll design the systems select the tools and earn a seat at the leadership table as an embedded partner rather than a service desk. Youll be measured first on whether leadership communication is clearer more consistent and more trusted because you exist and second on whether the company stays one company as it scales.

• Own the internal communications strategy calendar and operating rhythm across Careers and Handshake AI

• Serve as the C-suite internal communications partner

• Run All Hands on one standard across the company and extend it to the departmental tier

• Partner with the People team on people communications and key lifecycle moments

• Design and run recognition and culture programs with the People team

• Build and edit the companys core internal channels and select the tools to run them

• Translate technical work into clear plain-language stories every employee can follow

• Connect the internal and external narrative so employees hear Handshakes news first

• Measure understanding not just reach and report the results back to leadership

Please note this is a Senior IC role and does not manage a team.

Desired Capabilities

• 812 years in internal/employee or executive communications including a tour scaling internal comms through rapid company growth

• Exceptional writer able to write convincingly in a founder-CEOs voice

• Proven ability to build communications systems and processes from scratch

• Skilled at translating complex technical work into clear plain-language narratives

• Trusted advisor to senior leadership comfortable giving candid counsel

• AI-native working style using AI to gather draft and measure communications work

• Strong judgment and discretion with sensitive or high-stakes material

• Data-literate comfortable setting benchmarks and reporting results to executives

• Comfortable working cross-functionally across People Legal Marketing and Product/Engineering

• Bonus: experience at an AI company post-acquisition integration employer brand or event production

Perks

Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supportedand 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 wellness stipend

Growth: 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 Experience:

Director