Senior Software Engineer, Operator Tooling

HandshakeSan Francisco, CAEngineering

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Opens the official Handshake careers page

Salary

$225K - $250K USD

Job type

Full-time

Posted

8 Jul 2026

Status

Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Role Overview

Handshake is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for Operator Tooling in San Francisco, California, to build internal products and automation that accelerate business operations. This full-time position suits an experienced technologist with strong engineering fundamentals and high emotional intelligence who thrives in a collaborative, communication-heavy environment.

Key Responsibilities

Work alongside internal operators to discover workflow pain points, metrics, and processes, translating them into concrete technical requirements.

Design and develop internal tools, automation scripts, and workflows to boost operational speed, precision, and visibility.

Manage initiatives from initial discovery and technical design through implementation, rollout, and post-launch iteration.

Balance execution speed with engineering quality to construct maintainable, highly reliable operational systems.

Work cross-functionally with product teams, engineers, and operators to encourage system adoption and drive measurable business results.

Guide and mentor fellow engineers while setting robust engineering standards for internal tooling.

Requirements

Minimum of 5 years of professional software engineering experience, including end-to-end ownership of production systems.

Exceptional communication skills and stakeholder management capabilities, with the ability to empathize and partner closely with non-technical teams.

Demonstrated background in creating internal tools, workflow automation, or systems for operations-intensive groups or similar customer-embedded roles like solutions engineering.

Sound engineering judgment to design scalable architectures, select appropriate abstractions, and prevent over-engineering.

Proven history of delivering iterative, high-impact improvements amidst ambiguous conditions.

Nice to Have

Familiarity with operational analytics, dashboards, quality assurance instrumentation, intake processes, and workflow backlog systems.

Experience working in a hybrid individual-contributor and mentorship capacity as a player-coach.

Prior history developing tooling dedicated to knowledge-work operations, such as review flows, case management, and data quality tools.

Skills and Tools

End-to-end system ownership

Internal tooling and workflow system development

Stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration

Technical design and architecture

Process automation and operational analytics

Salary and Benefits

Annual salary ranging from $225,000 to $250,000 USD

Company equity providing ownership in a rapidly scaling business

Comprehensive financial wellness options including a 401(k) match and financial coaching

Family support features such as paid parental leave, fertility benefits, and parental coaching

Medical, dental, vision coverage, mental health resources, and a wellness stipend

Professional growth stipends and ongoing development opportunities

Office perks including free lunch and a gym in San Francisco, alongside internet and commuting subsidies

Flexible time off with 15 holidays, 2 flex days, team outings, and referral bonuses

About the Company

Handshake launched with the mission to give everyone access to a quality career path regardless of background or network. The platform currently connects over 25 million job seekers, 1,600 educational institutions, and more than 1 million employers. Expanding into the AI economy, Handshake AI partners directly with frontier AI lab researchers to publish benchmarks, build datasets, and shape the future of machine learning.

How to Apply

Candidates should visit the official Handshake careers page to review the mission, values, and submit an application for this role.

Questions candidates ask

What is the salary range for the Senior Software Engineer, Operator Tooling role?

The annual salary for this position is between $225,000 and $250,000 USD.

Is this position remote?

No, this role is located in San Francisco, California.

How many years of experience are required?

Applicants must have 5 or more years of software engineering experience.

What kind of team will I be embedding with?

You will embed directly with company operators to understand their daily workflows and build internal tooling and automation for them.

What benefits are included for full-time US employees?

Full-time US employees receive equity, a 401(k) match, medical/dental/vision coverage, paid parental leave, wellness and learning stipends, flexible PTO, and free gym and lunch in the San Francisco office.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Handshake careers page.

Apply on company site