Head of Talent Acquisition

Handshake • San Francisco, CA

1d

About The Position

As the Head of Talent Acquisition at Handshake, reporting to the Head of People, you will own how we find and hire the people building the career network for the AI economy. This is a dual-mandate role: you'll lead full-cycle recruiting across the business while serving as a strategic advisor to the Growth team that recruits fellows for our HAI (Handshake AI) business. It requires both strategic vision and operational rigor: the ability to shape a talent brand that competes with the best companies in tech, while running a recruiting engine that actually delivers.

Requirements

• 15+ years in talent acquisition, with 3+ years leading recruiting teams across multiple business functions in a high-growth, VC-backed, or pre-IPO company
• Proven track record building and scaling recruiting functions in fast-moving environments: you've built systems, not just filled reqs
• Deep expertise recruiting across both technical and non-technical roles, with strong judgment on leveling, compensation, and candidate quality
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and operate as a true thought partner to leadership, not just an executor
• AI fluency that goes beyond curiosity: you have meaningfully changed how you recruit because of AI in sourcing, screening, pipeline analytics, or team productivity; you can speak to it specifically
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills; you can hold a strategic conversation with a CEO and a detailed operational one with a sourcer in the same afternoon

Nice To Haves

• Experience advising on or building fellowship, research, or academic recruiting programs
• Familiarity with modern recruiting tech stacks (ATS platforms like Ashby, sourcing tools, AI-powered screening tools)
• Previous experience at a high-growth AI or tech company

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy and execution of talent acquisition across Handshake's business functions aligned to our hypergrowth trajectory and long-term hiring goals
• Build scalable recruiting infrastructure: sourcing strategies, assessment frameworks, offer processes, and team structures that hold up as we scale fast
• Bring strong program management to talent acquisition: pipelines, headcount plans, and key initiatives are clearly tracked and delivered with precision
• Partner closely with executive, business, and hiring leaders to provide high-context guidance on hiring strategy, offers, leveling, and org design
• Lead executive searches for senior and critical roles in close partnership with the VP of People and CEO
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the HAI Growth team responsible for fueling our fellow engine, sharing frameworks, tooling, and best practices that sharpen how they recruit fellows for the HAI program
• Build and evolve our employer brand so that the best people in the world know who Handshake is and want to be part of it
• Own talent acquisition metrics and use the data to drive decisions, not just report them
• Build and scale a high-performing TA team by developing talent, deploying the right tools, and expanding impact without expanding headcount unnecessarily
• Coach hiring managers and the broader People team on AI-augmented recruiting and interviewing: you'll help set the standard for what modern, responsible AI use in talent looks like at Handshake
• Bring big ideas and the hunger to act on them: we have a strong appetite to experiment and rewrite how talent works in the AI economy. We are not looking to do recruiting slightly better than everyone else. We want to change the industry, and we want a talent leader who is genuinely energized by that possibility and will push us toward it

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
• 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: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees