Growth Operations Lead

Handshake • San Francisco, CA

4d

About The Position

About Handshake Handshake is building the career network for the AI economy—a next-generation platform where opportunity, talent, and intelligence converge. Today, we connect 20M+ students and early-career professionals with 750K+ employers across more than 1,500 universities, creating one of the largest and most diverse talent ecosystems in the world. Our platform brings every part of the career journey together: the network generates high-quality recruiting matches, which in turn produce rich, real-world career data. That data then powers AI systems that make the experience even smarter and more personalized. Each component strengthens the others, creating a continuous cycle of compounding value for students, employers, and institutions. The Role As Handshake AI rapidly expands in the generative AI space, we’re looking for a Growth Operations Lead to architect and scale strategic growth initiatives that drive revenue, product adoption, and long-term market leadership. This role is both hands-on and highly strategic - you’ll lead cross-functional efforts to define and execute our growth roadmap. Your work will directly shape how students, employers, and institutions experience our next generation of AI-driven products.

Requirements

• 3-4+ years of experience in growth, product, or operations.
• 1+ year of experience leading a team.
• A background in strategy- and operations-heavy environments such as marketplaces, logistics, or on-demand services.
• Experience in Business Operations, Strategy, or Growth teams at a tech company.
• Strong technical acumen, including the ability to perform data analysis using SQL or Python.
• Educational or professional background in Business Intelligence, Data Analytics, or related fields, with a strong grasp of turning data into actionable insights.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a data-first approach to testing and decision-making.
• Familiarity with BI tools and methodologies (e.g., dashboards, KPI tracking, data visualization) to support operational and strategic decisions.
• An entrepreneurial mindset—comfortable with ambiguity, fast execution, and building from zero to one.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead critical growth initiatives from strategy through execution, collaborating deeply with teams across Product, Engineering, Operations, and Go-to-Market.
• Design and implement scalable growth systems, pipelines, and processes tailored to evolving customer needs and market demands.
• Oversee and optimize the entire growth funnel - from acquisition to activation - for key generative AI products and experiments.
• Synthesize insights across product usage, market dynamics, and operational performance to surface opportunities and drive prioritization.
• Partner closely with Handshake AI’s leadership to shape strategic direction, define success metrics, and drive accountability across growth workstreams.
• Solve ambiguous, high-priority challenges with a structured, data-driven approach - helping define what “great” looks like as we scale new products and markets.

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees