Fast Facts

Handshake is seeking a Talent Brand Manager to elevate its reputation as a top destination for talent, working closely with executives and recruiters to create compelling narratives and campaigns.

Responsibilities: Define and execute the talent brand strategy, develop impactful content, manage recruiting campaigns, integrate brand messaging into processes, and track brand health and impact.

Skills: 5+ years in talent branding or recruiting communications, strong storytelling skills, experience with digital sourcing channels, and data-driven thinking.

Qualifications: Ideal candidates should have experience in fast-growing tech environments and partnering closely with recruiting teams.

Location: San Francisco, California, United States

Compensation: $150000 - $185000 / Annually

About Handshake & Handshake AI:

Handshake is building the career network for the AI economy. Our three-sided marketplace connects 18 million students and alumni, 1,500+ academic institutions across the U.S. and Europe, and 1 million employers to power how the next generation explores careers, builds skills, and gets hired.

Handshake AI is a human data labeling business that leverages the scale of the largest early career network.We work directly with the world’s leading AI research labs to build a new generation of human data products. From PhDs in physics to undergrads fluent in LLMs, Handshake AI is the trusted partner for domain-specific data and evaluation at scale.

This is a unique opportunity to join a fast-growing team shaping the future of AI through better data, better tools, and better systems—for experts, by experts.

About the Role:

We’re seeking a Talent Brand Manager to own and elevate Handshake’s reputation as a destination for top talent. Sitting within the Recruiting team, this role will partner closely with executives, recruiters, and marketing to craft compelling narratives, campaigns, and experiences that attract world-class candidates across both Handshake and Handshake AI.

This is a highly visible, cross-functional role where you’ll set the pace for how Handshake shows up as an employer of choice. This role will report directly into the Sr. Director, Talent with a dotted line to the VP People & Talent.

• Employer Branding Strategy: Define and execute Handshake’s talent brand strategy to differentiate us in a competitive market.
• Content & Storytelling: Develop high-impact content (blogs, social posts, video, career site updates, recruiter toolkits) that tells the story of our mission, people, culture, and growth.
• Recruiting Campaigns: Partner with recruiters and hiring managers to design targeted campaigns for priority roles and hard-to-fill pipelines (e.g., engineering, AI, design, GTM).
• Recruiting Operations Integration: Collaborate closely with Recruiting Operations to embed brand messaging into candidate communications, interview workflows, and recruiting processes, ensuring a consistent and authentic candidate experience.
• Talent Nurture & ATS Campaigns: Leverage our ATS (Ashby) to segment and build campaigns for passive talent across key talent pools.
• Digital Channel Management: Manage all digital channels (Handshake Career Site, LinkedIn, Handshake platform, Indeed, etc.), identify new ones, and optimize the mix of candidate sources.
• Employee Advocacy: Launch initiatives that empower employees to share their stories—highlighting Handshake’s mission, impact, and culture.
• Events & Partnerships: Support events (career fairs, university partnerships, AI research showcases, DEI initiatives) that amplify Handshake’s presence in the market.
• Measurement & Insights: Track brand health, engagement, and pipeline impact to continuously improve efforts.

Desired Capabilities:

• 5+ years of experience in talent branding, employer marketing, or recruiting communications, ideally at a fast-growing tech company.
• Strong storytelling and content creation skills across written, visual, and social channels.
• Experience partnering closely with recruiting teams and understanding candidate funnels.
• Experience with recruiting tools (Ashby) and digital sourcing channels.
• Creative thinker with a data-driven approach—you know how to measure impact and refine strategies.
• Comfortable working in a high-growth, fast-paced environment with evolving priorities.

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, $500 wellness stipend

📚 Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development

💻 Remote & Office: Stipends for home office setup, internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office

🏝 Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days, winter #ShakeBreak where our whole office closes for a week!

🤝 Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses

Explore our mission, values, and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.