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High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now!

Handshake

High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now!

full-timePosted: Feb 6, 2026

Job Description

Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience at Handshake

Role Overview

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Consumer Experience team at Handshake, you will be at the forefront of shaping how students navigate their career journeys in the AI economy. You will be responsible for designing, developing, and scaling the core experiences that empower students to discover opportunities, from searching for internships to landing their dream jobs. This role offers a unique opportunity to work on high-impact projects, collaborate with world-class engineers and product leaders, and contribute to a platform that is revolutionizing the way students connect with employers.

You will be involved in building and enhancing search functionality, developing AI-powered features, and optimizing the overall user experience. Your work will directly impact millions of students and contribute to Handshake's mission of democratizing opportunity for all.

A Day in the Life

Here's a glimpse into what your day might look like:

  • Morning: Start with a team stand-up to discuss progress, roadblocks, and priorities for the day. Review code from teammates and provide constructive feedback.
  • Mid-day: Participate in a design session with product managers and designers to brainstorm new features for the student search experience. Dive into coding, implementing new features and optimizing existing ones.
  • Afternoon: Collaborate with data scientists to analyze user behavior and identify areas for improvement. Attend a tech talk on the latest advancements in AI and how they can be applied to Handshake's platform. Work on integrating OpenAI APIs to enhance the conversational AI agent.
  • Evening: Monitor the performance of your code in production and address any issues that arise. Document your work and prepare for the next day's tasks.

Why San Francisco?

San Francisco is a global hub for technology and innovation, making it the ideal location for Handshake's headquarters. Being in San Francisco provides access to a vibrant community of engineers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders. The city offers numerous opportunities for networking, learning, and professional growth.

San Francisco also boasts a thriving cultural scene, with world-class museums, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The city's diverse population and progressive values make it a welcoming place for people from all backgrounds.

Career Path

As a Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience, you will have opportunities to advance your career within Handshake. Potential career paths include:

  • Staff Software Engineer: Focus on technical leadership and mentorship, guiding the team on complex projects and setting technical direction.
  • Principal Software Engineer: Drive innovation and strategic initiatives, working across multiple teams to solve challenging problems and shape the future of Handshake's platform.
  • Engineering Manager: Lead and manage a team of engineers, providing coaching, mentoring, and support to help them grow and succeed.
  • Architect: Design and implement the overall architecture of Handshake's platform, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance.

Salary & Benefits

Handshake offers a competitive salary and benefits package to attract and retain top talent. The salary range for this position will depend on experience and qualifications. In addition to salary, Handshake provides:

  • Equity in a fast-growing company
  • 401(k) match
  • Comprehensive health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Parental leave
  • Wellness programs
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Employee resource groups
  • Company-sponsored events

Our Mission

Handshake's mission is to democratize opportunity for all. We believe that every student, regardless of their background or where they go to school, should have access to the resources and connections they need to launch a successful career. As a Senior Software Engineer, you will play a critical role in advancing this mission by building a platform that empowers students to discover and connect with opportunities.

How to Apply

To apply for the Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience position, please submit your resume and cover letter through Handshake's career portal. Be sure to highlight your relevant experience and skills, and explain why you are interested in working at Handshake.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. What is Handshake? Handshake is the career network for the AI economy, connecting students, educational institutions, and employers.
  2. What is the Consumer Experience team responsible for? The Consumer Experience team is responsible for building and enhancing the core experiences that help students find opportunities.
  3. What skills are required for this role? The ideal candidate will have experience in software engineering, proficiency in Python, Java, or JavaScript, and experience with cloud platforms and modern architectures.
  4. What is the interview process like? The interview process typically involves a phone screen, a technical interview, and a behavioral interview.
  5. What is the company culture like at Handshake? Handshake has a collaborative and supportive culture, with a focus on innovation and making a positive impact.
  6. What are the opportunities for professional development at Handshake? Handshake offers a variety of professional development opportunities, including mentorship programs, training courses, and conference attendance.
  7. What is the work-life balance like at Handshake? Handshake values work-life balance and offers flexible work arrangements to help employees manage their personal and professional lives.
  8. What is Handshake's approach to diversity and inclusion? Handshake is committed to diversity and inclusion and has a variety of employee resource groups to support underrepresented communities.
  9. How does Handshake use AI? Handshake uses AI to power features such as personalized job recommendations, resume assistance, and interview preparation tools.
  10. What impact will I have in this role? As a Senior Software Engineer, you will have a direct impact on millions of students by building a platform that empowers them to discover and connect with opportunities.

Locations

  • San Francisco, California, United States

Salary

0

Skills Required

  • Software Engineeringintermediate
  • Pythonintermediate
  • Javaintermediate
  • JavaScriptintermediate
  • Cloud Platformsintermediate
  • AWSintermediate
  • Azureintermediate
  • Google Cloudintermediate
  • Microservicesintermediate
  • Event-Driven Systemsintermediate
  • Distributed Systemsintermediate
  • AIintermediate
  • Chatbotsintermediate
  • Conversational Interfacesintermediate
  • Search Algorithmsintermediate
  • Recommendation Systemsintermediate
  • Ranking Systemsintermediate
  • Technical Mentorshipintermediate
  • Code Reviewintermediate
  • System Designintermediate
  • API Integrationintermediate
  • Scalable Systemsintermediate
  • High-Availability Systemsintermediate
  • Agile Developmentintermediate
  • Product Developmentintermediate

Required Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in software engineering (experience)
  • Experience with consumer platforms, marketplaces, or social apps (experience)
  • Proficiency in Python, Java, or JavaScript (experience)
  • Experience delivering robust, production-quality systems (experience)
  • Strong product sense and user empathy (experience)
  • Experience shaping features that create value for members (experience)
  • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) (experience)
  • Experience with modern architectures (microservices, event-driven systems, or distributed systems) (experience)
  • Ability to break down complex problems (experience)
  • Ability to make pragmatic technical decisions (experience)
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills (experience)
  • Experience mentoring other engineers (experience)
  • Experience contributing to a healthy engineering culture (experience)
  • Experience with AI, chatbots, or conversational interfaces (Extra Credit) (experience)
  • Background working with search, recommendations, ranking systems (Extra Credit) (experience)

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement scalable, high-availability systems for search and discovery experiences
  • Lead the development of agentic AI experiences for students
  • Develop conversational AI agent for resume help, job search, and interview prep
  • Work with OpenAI real-time APIs and agentic frameworks
  • Guide best practices for using OpenAI APIs across teams
  • Collaborate with cross-functional partners (Product, Design, Data, GTM)
  • Define, build, and iterate on features
  • Drive member value and engagement
  • Own projects end-to-end, from technical design to rollout and monitoring
  • Ensure reliability and performance at scale
  • Champion engineering excellence through code reviews
  • Provide technical mentorship to other engineers
  • Improve tooling, standards, and architecture
  • Set technical direction
  • Uplevel engineering quality
  • Play a key role in scaling our platform and AI-powered experiences

Benefits

  • general: Equity in a fast-growing company
  • general: 401(k) match
  • general: Competitive compensation
  • general: Financial coaching
  • general: Comprehensive health insurance
  • general: Paid time off
  • general: Parental leave
  • general: Wellness programs
  • general: Professional development opportunities
  • general: Flexible work arrangements
  • general: Employee resource groups
  • general: Company-sponsored events
  • general: Commuter benefits
  • general: Snacks and drinks in the office
  • general: Generous learning and development budget

Target Your Resume for "High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now!" , Handshake

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Tags & Categories

EngineeringSoftware DevelopmentAISan FranciscoFull-TimeSenior Software EngineerConsumer ExperienceHandshakeCaliforniaArtificial IntelligenceMachine LearningCareer NetworkJob SearchInternshipsStudent OpportunitiesPythonJavaJavaScriptCloud ComputingAWSAzureGoogle CloudMicroservicesAPIOpenAIChatbotsConversational AIEdTechCareer PlatformEngineeringProduct

Answer 10 quick questions to check your fit for High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now! @ Handshake.

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Handshake logo

High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now!

Handshake

High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now!

full-timePosted: Feb 6, 2026

Job Description

Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience at Handshake

Role Overview

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Consumer Experience team at Handshake, you will be at the forefront of shaping how students navigate their career journeys in the AI economy. You will be responsible for designing, developing, and scaling the core experiences that empower students to discover opportunities, from searching for internships to landing their dream jobs. This role offers a unique opportunity to work on high-impact projects, collaborate with world-class engineers and product leaders, and contribute to a platform that is revolutionizing the way students connect with employers.

You will be involved in building and enhancing search functionality, developing AI-powered features, and optimizing the overall user experience. Your work will directly impact millions of students and contribute to Handshake's mission of democratizing opportunity for all.

A Day in the Life

Here's a glimpse into what your day might look like:

  • Morning: Start with a team stand-up to discuss progress, roadblocks, and priorities for the day. Review code from teammates and provide constructive feedback.
  • Mid-day: Participate in a design session with product managers and designers to brainstorm new features for the student search experience. Dive into coding, implementing new features and optimizing existing ones.
  • Afternoon: Collaborate with data scientists to analyze user behavior and identify areas for improvement. Attend a tech talk on the latest advancements in AI and how they can be applied to Handshake's platform. Work on integrating OpenAI APIs to enhance the conversational AI agent.
  • Evening: Monitor the performance of your code in production and address any issues that arise. Document your work and prepare for the next day's tasks.

Why San Francisco?

San Francisco is a global hub for technology and innovation, making it the ideal location for Handshake's headquarters. Being in San Francisco provides access to a vibrant community of engineers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders. The city offers numerous opportunities for networking, learning, and professional growth.

San Francisco also boasts a thriving cultural scene, with world-class museums, restaurants, and entertainment venues. The city's diverse population and progressive values make it a welcoming place for people from all backgrounds.

Career Path

As a Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience, you will have opportunities to advance your career within Handshake. Potential career paths include:

  • Staff Software Engineer: Focus on technical leadership and mentorship, guiding the team on complex projects and setting technical direction.
  • Principal Software Engineer: Drive innovation and strategic initiatives, working across multiple teams to solve challenging problems and shape the future of Handshake's platform.
  • Engineering Manager: Lead and manage a team of engineers, providing coaching, mentoring, and support to help them grow and succeed.
  • Architect: Design and implement the overall architecture of Handshake's platform, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance.

Salary & Benefits

Handshake offers a competitive salary and benefits package to attract and retain top talent. The salary range for this position will depend on experience and qualifications. In addition to salary, Handshake provides:

  • Equity in a fast-growing company
  • 401(k) match
  • Comprehensive health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Parental leave
  • Wellness programs
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Employee resource groups
  • Company-sponsored events

Our Mission

Handshake's mission is to democratize opportunity for all. We believe that every student, regardless of their background or where they go to school, should have access to the resources and connections they need to launch a successful career. As a Senior Software Engineer, you will play a critical role in advancing this mission by building a platform that empowers students to discover and connect with opportunities.

How to Apply

To apply for the Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience position, please submit your resume and cover letter through Handshake's career portal. Be sure to highlight your relevant experience and skills, and explain why you are interested in working at Handshake.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. What is Handshake? Handshake is the career network for the AI economy, connecting students, educational institutions, and employers.
  2. What is the Consumer Experience team responsible for? The Consumer Experience team is responsible for building and enhancing the core experiences that help students find opportunities.
  3. What skills are required for this role? The ideal candidate will have experience in software engineering, proficiency in Python, Java, or JavaScript, and experience with cloud platforms and modern architectures.
  4. What is the interview process like? The interview process typically involves a phone screen, a technical interview, and a behavioral interview.
  5. What is the company culture like at Handshake? Handshake has a collaborative and supportive culture, with a focus on innovation and making a positive impact.
  6. What are the opportunities for professional development at Handshake? Handshake offers a variety of professional development opportunities, including mentorship programs, training courses, and conference attendance.
  7. What is the work-life balance like at Handshake? Handshake values work-life balance and offers flexible work arrangements to help employees manage their personal and professional lives.
  8. What is Handshake's approach to diversity and inclusion? Handshake is committed to diversity and inclusion and has a variety of employee resource groups to support underrepresented communities.
  9. How does Handshake use AI? Handshake uses AI to power features such as personalized job recommendations, resume assistance, and interview preparation tools.
  10. What impact will I have in this role? As a Senior Software Engineer, you will have a direct impact on millions of students by building a platform that empowers them to discover and connect with opportunities.

Locations

  • San Francisco, California, United States

Salary

0

Skills Required

  • Software Engineeringintermediate
  • Pythonintermediate
  • Javaintermediate
  • JavaScriptintermediate
  • Cloud Platformsintermediate
  • AWSintermediate
  • Azureintermediate
  • Google Cloudintermediate
  • Microservicesintermediate
  • Event-Driven Systemsintermediate
  • Distributed Systemsintermediate
  • AIintermediate
  • Chatbotsintermediate
  • Conversational Interfacesintermediate
  • Search Algorithmsintermediate
  • Recommendation Systemsintermediate
  • Ranking Systemsintermediate
  • Technical Mentorshipintermediate
  • Code Reviewintermediate
  • System Designintermediate
  • API Integrationintermediate
  • Scalable Systemsintermediate
  • High-Availability Systemsintermediate
  • Agile Developmentintermediate
  • Product Developmentintermediate

Required Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience in software engineering (experience)
  • Experience with consumer platforms, marketplaces, or social apps (experience)
  • Proficiency in Python, Java, or JavaScript (experience)
  • Experience delivering robust, production-quality systems (experience)
  • Strong product sense and user empathy (experience)
  • Experience shaping features that create value for members (experience)
  • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) (experience)
  • Experience with modern architectures (microservices, event-driven systems, or distributed systems) (experience)
  • Ability to break down complex problems (experience)
  • Ability to make pragmatic technical decisions (experience)
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills (experience)
  • Experience mentoring other engineers (experience)
  • Experience contributing to a healthy engineering culture (experience)
  • Experience with AI, chatbots, or conversational interfaces (Extra Credit) (experience)
  • Background working with search, recommendations, ranking systems (Extra Credit) (experience)

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement scalable, high-availability systems for search and discovery experiences
  • Lead the development of agentic AI experiences for students
  • Develop conversational AI agent for resume help, job search, and interview prep
  • Work with OpenAI real-time APIs and agentic frameworks
  • Guide best practices for using OpenAI APIs across teams
  • Collaborate with cross-functional partners (Product, Design, Data, GTM)
  • Define, build, and iterate on features
  • Drive member value and engagement
  • Own projects end-to-end, from technical design to rollout and monitoring
  • Ensure reliability and performance at scale
  • Champion engineering excellence through code reviews
  • Provide technical mentorship to other engineers
  • Improve tooling, standards, and architecture
  • Set technical direction
  • Uplevel engineering quality
  • Play a key role in scaling our platform and AI-powered experiences

Benefits

  • general: Equity in a fast-growing company
  • general: 401(k) match
  • general: Competitive compensation
  • general: Financial coaching
  • general: Comprehensive health insurance
  • general: Paid time off
  • general: Parental leave
  • general: Wellness programs
  • general: Professional development opportunities
  • general: Flexible work arrangements
  • general: Employee resource groups
  • general: Company-sponsored events
  • general: Commuter benefits
  • general: Snacks and drinks in the office
  • general: Generous learning and development budget

Target Your Resume for "High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now!" , Handshake

Get personalized recommendations to optimize your resume specifically for High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now!. Takes only 15 seconds!

AI-powered keyword optimization
Skills matching & gap analysis
Experience alignment suggestions

Check Your ATS Score for "High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now!" , Handshake

Find out how well your resume matches this job's requirements. Get comprehensive analysis including ATS compatibility, keyword matching, skill gaps, and personalized recommendations.

ATS compatibility check
Keyword optimization analysis
Skill matching & gap identification
Format & readability score

Tags & Categories

EngineeringSoftware DevelopmentAISan FranciscoFull-TimeSenior Software EngineerConsumer ExperienceHandshakeCaliforniaArtificial IntelligenceMachine LearningCareer NetworkJob SearchInternshipsStudent OpportunitiesPythonJavaJavaScriptCloud ComputingAWSAzureGoogle CloudMicroservicesAPIOpenAIChatbotsConversational AIEdTechCareer PlatformEngineeringProduct

Answer 10 quick questions to check your fit for High-CTR: Senior Software Engineer, Consumer Experience Careers at Handshake - San Francisco, California | Apply Now! @ Handshake.

Quiz Challenge
10 Questions
~2 Minutes
Instant Score

Related Books and Jobs

No related jobs found at the moment.