Staff Forward Deployed Engineer at Handshake - San Francisco, CA

Role Overview

As a Staff Forward Deployed Engineer at Handshake, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the technical strategy and execution for delivering engineered solutions to our most strategic customers, including leading AI labs. This is a unique opportunity to combine your deep technical expertise with direct customer impact, establishing the playbook for how Handshake's most critical partnerships are built, delivered, and scaled. You will be a trusted technical advisor to both customers and internal leadership, driving the vision for scaling forward-deployed engineering as a function while remaining hands-on in solving complex deployment challenges.

Day in the Life

Your day-to-day activities will be diverse and challenging, encompassing a range of responsibilities:

• Technical Strategy & Architecture: Defining the technical strategy and architectural vision for forward-deployed engineering, ensuring solutions are scalable, repeatable, and aligned with Handshake's platform roadmap.
• Customer Engagement: Serving as the senior technical point of contact for complex and high-value customer engagements, translating strategic business needs into engineering direction.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Driving alignment between forward-deployed engineering, product, platform, and customer-facing teams to ensure deployed solutions inform and improve the core product.
• System Design & Development: Architecting and delivering production-grade systems for novel, high-ambiguity customer challenges, setting the standard for quality, reliability, and performance.
• Best Practices & Standardization: Establishing engineering best practices, design patterns, and reusable frameworks that enable the forward-deployed team to scale output without sacrificing quality.
• Mentorship & Development: Mentoring and developing senior and mid-level engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and customer empathy across the team.
• Process Improvement: Identifying systemic gaps in tooling, infrastructure, or process and leading initiatives to address them, reducing friction for future deployments.

Why San Francisco, CA?

San Francisco is a global hub for technology and innovation, making it the ideal location for Handshake's headquarters and this role. Being based in San Francisco offers several advantages:

• Access to Talent: San Francisco is home to a highly skilled and diverse talent pool of engineers, designers, and product managers.
• Networking Opportunities: The city provides unparalleled networking opportunities with other tech companies, startups, and investors.
• Innovation Ecosystem: San Francisco is at the forefront of technological advancements, fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation.
• Proximity to Customers: Being located in San Francisco allows for close collaboration with leading AI labs and Fortune 500 companies that are shaping the future of technology.
• Quality of Life: San Francisco offers a vibrant cultural scene, diverse culinary experiences, and access to outdoor activities.

This position requires 5 days a week in office, enabling in-person collaboration and relationship building.

Career Path

The Staff Forward Deployed Engineer role offers significant opportunities for career advancement within Handshake. Potential career paths include:

• Principal Engineer: Focusing on the most complex technical challenges and providing technical leadership across the organization.
• Engineering Manager: Leading and managing a team of forward-deployed engineers, responsible for their growth and development.
• Architect: Defining the overall architecture of Handshake's platform and ensuring its scalability and reliability.
• Director of Engineering: Overseeing multiple engineering teams and driving the overall engineering strategy for Handshake.

Salary & Benefits

Handshake offers a competitive salary and benefits package, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Specific details will be discussed during the interview process. However, you can expect:

• Competitive base salary
• Equity in the company
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous paid time off policy
• Paid parental leave
• 401k plan with company match
• Professional development opportunities
• Wellness programs
• Commuter benefits
• In-office perks (e.g., free snacks, drinks)

Handshake's Mission

Handshake is the career network for the AI economy. We empower 20 million knowledge workers, 1,600 educational institutions, 1 million employers (including 100% of the Fortune 500), and every foundational AI lab to power career discovery, hiring, and upskilling, from freelance AI training gigs to first internships to full-time careers and beyond.

How to Apply

If you are a highly motivated and experienced software engineer with a passion for solving complex customer challenges, we encourage you to apply for the Staff Forward Deployed Engineer position at Handshake. To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter through our online application portal. Be sure to highlight your relevant experience and skills, and explain why you are a good fit for this role.

FAQ

1. What is Handshake's culture like?

   Handshake fosters a collaborative, innovative, and customer-centric culture. We value teamwork, open communication, and a commitment to excellence.

2. What opportunities for professional development are available?

   We offer a variety of professional development opportunities, including training programs, mentorship opportunities, and conference attendance.

3. What is the work-life balance like at Handshake?

   We strive to provide a healthy work-life balance for our employees, offering flexible work arrangements and generous time off policies.

4. What are the key challenges in this role?

   The key challenges include solving complex technical problems for demanding customers, driving cross-functional alignment, and scaling the forward-deployed engineering function.

5. What is the interview process like?

   The interview process typically involves a phone screening, a technical interview, and an on-site interview with the team.

6. What technologies does Handshake use?

   Handshake primarily uses ReactJS and TypeScript for the frontend, and various backend technologies, including PostgreSQL, AWS, and GCP.

7. What are the performance expectations for this role?

   Performance expectations include delivering high-quality solutions, driving customer satisfaction, and contributing to the growth of the forward-deployed engineering team.

8. How does Handshake support diversity and inclusion?

   Handshake is committed to diversity and inclusion, fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees.

9. What impact will this role have on Handshake's business?

   This role will have a significant impact on Handshake's business by enabling us to deliver exceptional value to our most strategic customers and drive revenue growth.

10. What does Handshake do to encourage innovation?

    We have regular hackathons, encourage employees to pursue side projects, and give employees opportunities to attend industry conferences.