Director of 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, 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 the Role

Handshake is looking for a senior communications leader to own and evolve our corporate communications strategy.

This is not a typical comms role. Handshake operates a complex three-sided marketplace connecting students, employers, and universities, and sits at the center of two of the most consequential conversations in technology today: the future of work and the future of AI. We're looking for someone who can help shape those narratives, elevate Handshake's voice in the market, and build trusted relationships with the media, executives, and cross-functional leaders across the company.

In this role, you'll own corporate positioning, press strategy, inbound media inquiries, and executive visibility. You'll work closely with our CEO, leadership team, marketing, product, policy, legal, and people teams to tell Handshake's story with clarity, credibility, and ambition.

The ideal candidate is a strategic storyteller and experienced operator: someone who can craft nuanced narratives, manage high-stakes moments, build strong press relationships, and execute with speed and judgment in a fast-moving environment.

• Own Handshake's corporate communications strategy and help sharpen our external narrative across company, Careers, EDU, AI, and future-of-work themes.
• Build and manage press relationships within the workforce and AI Industries.
• Proactively pitch stories, announcements, data insights, and thought leadership that build Handshake's brand and support business priorities.
• Partner closely with the CEO/co-founder and leadership team to develop executive narratives, media opportunities, speeches, op-eds, and talking points.
• Partner with the social team on Handshake's corporate LinkedIn presence, providing strategic guidance, content review, approvals, and counsel on voice, tone, messaging, and brand alignment.
• Prepare executives for high-visibility speaking engagements, media interviews, panels, podcasts, and industry events, including narrative development, talking points, briefing materials, Q&A prep, and message coaching.
• Lead reactive and issues communications, partnering with legal, policy, people, product, and leadership teams on sensitive or high-stakes moments.
• Build scalable communications processes for press intake, approvals, messaging, executive prep, launches, and reporting.
• Oversee external communications agency partners and ensure their work is focused, high-quality, and aligned with company priorities.

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

Desired Capabilities

• 7+ years corporate communications, public relations, executive communications, or media relations, ideally in high-growth tech or a top communications agency.
• Strong executive communications experience, including partnering with founders, CEOs, or senior leaders on external narrative, media strategy, and thought leadership.
• Proven ability to build press relationships and secure meaningful earned media coverage across business, technology, workplace, education, or AI press.
• Excellent writing and messaging skills, with the ability to translate complex topics into clear, compelling narratives.
• Strong judgment under pressure, especially in reactive, sensitive, or ambiguous communications moments.
• Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on, from setting the communications strategy to drafting statements, pitches, briefs, and social content.
• Experience managing external communications agencies or consultants.
• Comfort working cross-functionally with leadership, marketing, product, legal, policy, people, and sales teams.
• Bonus: experience with AI, future of work, labor markets, education, marketplaces, HR tech, or enterprise technology.

Perks

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, 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