Seattle Site Lead

Handshake•Seattle, WA

1d•$153,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

Handshake is seeking an experienced Site Lead to oversee day-to-day operations, workforce management, and workplace standards for its AI Trust & Safety operation in Seattle. The role initially supports approximately 200 employees through 3–4 Area Managers, with the potential to scale over time. The Site Lead is accountable for maintaining a secure, efficient, and wellbeing-first workplace, building a strong management culture, and continuously improving operating standards. The position oversees facility security and compliance, people leadership and hiring, workplace culture and employee wellbeing, employee relations in partnership with HR and Legal, and operational excellence. The Site Lead develops site-level metrics and reporting, partners with technical and cross-functional teams to improve workforce visibility and processes, and helps ensure the site is prepared for customer visits, audits, and inspections.

Requirements

Demonstrated success managing managers and leading large, operationally complex teams.
Working knowledge of employment and labor laws, with sound judgment to resolve routine employee-relations matters independently and recognize when HR or Legal expertise is required.
Comfort with reporting tools, analyzing operational data, developing metrics, and partnering with technical teams to implement improvements.
Strong attention to security, compliance, process consistency, and accountability.
A people-first leadership approach committed to a safe, respectful, and supportive workplace, particularly in environments involving sensitive or potentially distressing content.
Ability to collaborate effectively with Security, Workplace Experience, HR, Legal, Recruiting, and senior operations leadership.

Responsibilities

Ensure adherence to facility security protocols, including clean-room check-in and check-out procedures.
Oversee compliance among employees and third-party security contractors, proactively identifying and addressing gaps.
Maintain operational readiness for customer visits, audits, and inspections in partnership with the Workplace Experience Manager.
Directly manage and develop 3–4 Area Managers overseeing an initial workforce of approximately 200 people.
Serve as the hiring manager for multiple functions across the AI Trust & Safety portfolio.
Build leadership capabilities, accountability, and consistent management practices across teams.
Uphold and improve workplace norms that prioritize employee safety, wellbeing, operational efficiency, and professionalism.
Establish consistent workforce management standards across the site and Seattle-based teams.
Identify opportunities to improve employee experience, engagement, and workplace effectiveness.
Serve as the primary operational point of contact for HR and Legal partners on employee conduct matters and workplace investigations.
Ensure workplace issues are escalated appropriately, handled consistently, and addressed in accordance with company policies and applicable employment laws.
Develop and refine site-level performance metrics, reporting, and operational standards.
Partner with cross-functional teams to implement reporting tools, improve visibility into workforce performance, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Use data and operational insights to improve decisions, management practices, and scalable processes.