Role Overview
Handshake is hiring a Senior Software Engineer for the Backend Platform team, focusing on Handshake AI and internal artificial intelligence initiatives in San Francisco, California. This full-time position suits an experienced developer with a strong background in backend systems and practical knowledge of large language models and agentic workflows.
Key Responsibilities
Design, build, and operate backend services and application programming interfaces supporting Handshake AI products and internal artificial intelligence initiatives using a full-stack TypeScript repository.
Develop shared libraries, architectural patterns, and services to eliminate duplicate work and streamline backend system operations.
Enhance the performance, scalability, reliability, and observability of backend systems.
Lead database design initiatives, including schema development, query optimization, indexing, caching, and data model evolution.
Transform recurring engineering challenges into reusable platform capabilities and maintainable patterns.
Make strategic architectural decisions that balance speed, maintainability, and operational costs across new and mature systems.
Contribute to internal artificial intelligence initiatives, building shared capabilities for agentic and language model operations.
Collaborate with machine learning and cloud engineering teams on service integration, orchestration, evaluation, and monitoring.
Participate in technical planning, code reviews, design reviews, and operational incident response.
Mentor fellow engineers and establish practical backend engineering standards.
Requirements
Minimum of 5 years of professional software engineering experience centered on backend or platform engineering.
Proven history of designing, building, and operating production services and application programming interfaces.
Strong grasp of distributed systems, service boundaries, data modeling, and performance tradeoffs.
Deep professional experience with TypeScript and Next.js for navigating full-stack repositories.
Substantial relational database expertise, particularly with PostgreSQL schema design, transactions, indexing, and query optimization.
Familiarity with cloud and containerized environments such as Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes, Docker, and Terraform.
Practical understanding of large language model systems, including retrieval-augmented generation, agent orchestration, and tool integration.
Demonstrated ability to independently drive ambiguous projects from initial definition to production rollout.
Sound technical judgment prioritizing maintainable systems over unnecessary complexity.
Nice to Have
Direct production experience building product features powered by machine learning, large language models, or autonomous agents.
Background using language model orchestration frameworks for multi-step workflows, tool use, and memory management.
History of creating internal developer platforms, paved paths, or self-service tools.
Experience modernizing mature backend systems during active product development.
Familiarity with high-throughput data systems or event-driven architectures.
Skills and Tools
TypeScript
Next.js
PostgreSQL
Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Kubernetes
Docker
Terraform
Large Language Models (LLMs)
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
Salary and Benefits
Annual base salary ranging from $208,000 to $260,000 in USD
Company equity ownership
Competitive compensation with financial coaching and a 401(k) match
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance alongside mental health support
Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, and parental coaching
$500 wellness stipend and a $2,000 learning stipend
Flexible paid time off, 15 holidays, and 2 flexible days
Internet and commuting stipends, plus free lunch and gym access at the San Francisco office
About the Company
Handshake powers millions of job seekers, employers, and educational institutions with the shared belief that everyone deserves a path to a great career. The organization launched Handshake AI to build data solutions alongside frontier artificial intelligence lab researchers, creating evaluations and publishing industry benchmarks.
How to Apply
Visit the official Handshake careers page online to submit an application for this position.
