Software Engineer I, Annotations

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 The Role

Handshake AI is building the infrastructure that powers how AI work gets delivered at scale. Every project our operators launch, every fellow who works on those projects, and every task that flows through our platform relies on systems built by the HAI Annotation team.

As a Software Engineer I on this team, you'll build the core platform that enables operators to configure customer projects, manage complex tasking workflows, and ensure work moves reliably through our delivery pipelines. You'll work on foundational systems that are used across the organization and serve as building blocks for other engineering teams.

This is a highly cross-functional role where you'll partner closely with operators, product managers, product designers, and engineers across Handshake AI to create scalable, extensible solutions that improve both fellow and operator experiences.

What You’ll Do

• Build and maintain backend systems that power project configuration and delivery workflows

• Develop tools that operators use to set up and manage customer projects

• Create scalable tasking and pipeline systems that support complex data generation processes

• Improve fellow tasking experiences through automation and workflow enhancements

• Design extensible platform capabilities that can be leveraged by multiple teams across Handshake AI

• Collaborate closely with operators to understand pain points and translate operational needs into durable, efficient software solutions

• Partner with engineers across the organization to ensure platform systems are reliable, flexible, and easy to build upon

• Contribute to system architecture, technical design reviews, and engineering best practices

You Have

• 1+ years of professional software engineering experience through internships, full-time roles, research, or significant project work

• Strong programming fundamentals and experience building production software

• Experience with backend development and distributed systems concepts

• Familiarity with modern web technologies and APIs

• Experience working with databases and data modeling

• Ability to break down complex problems and develop scalable solutions

• Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset

• Excitement about working closely with operational stakeholders and solving workflow challenges

Bonus Points

• Experience with TypeScript

• Experience building internal tools, workflow systems, or platform infrastructure

• Exposure to workflow orchestration, pipeline systems, or task management platforms

• Experience designing systems that support multiple teams or stakeholders

• Familiarity with AI, annotation, or human-in-the-loop workflows

• Experience working in fast-moving startup environments

We Offer

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: 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 joinhandshake.com/careers.