Director of Internal Communications

Handshake•San Francisco, CA

6d•$174,400 - $255,000•Hybrid

About The Position

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 CEO and leadership team. You'll report to our Chief Communications Officer and work daily with our CEO, 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. You'll design the systems, select the tools, and earn a seat at the leadership table as an embedded partner rather than a service desk. You'll 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.

Requirements

8–12 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-CEO's 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

Nice To Haves

experience at an AI company
post-acquisition integration
employer brand
event production

Responsibilities

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 company's 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 Handshake's news first
Measure understanding, not just reach, and report the results back to leadership