Fellow Experience Manager

About Handshake

Handshake is the career network for the AI economy. 20 million knowledge workers, 1,600 educational institutions, 1 million employers (including 100% of the Fortune 50), and every foundational AI lab trust Handshake to power career discovery, hiring, and upskilling, from freelance AI training gigs to first internships to full-time careers and beyond. This unique value is leading to unparalleled growth; in 2025, we tripled our ARR at scale.

Why Join Handshake Now

• Shape how every career evolves in the AI economy, at global scale, with impact your friends, family and peers can see and feel
• Work hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions
• Join a team with leadership from Scale AI, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir, among others
• Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue

About the Role

Handshake AI is scaling rapidly to support hundreds of thousands of Fellows working across high-volume, fast-evolving AI projects and frontier lab customers. The Fellow Experience (FEXP) team is the frontline engine that ensures Fellows receive timely, accurate, and high-quality support.

We are seeking a Fellow Experience Manager to lead a US-based team of Fellow Experience Specialists (support agents) responsible for reactive ticket support. This role owns team performance, quality, and health within a high-volume, SLA-driven environment.

FEXP operates across three geographies — the United States, India, and Guatemala — and requires tight coordination across time zones to ensure continuous coverage and consistent standards. This manager will play a critical role in maintaining operational stability, driving accountability, and leading through ambiguity as product changes and volume spikes occur.

This is a hands-on people leadership role in a fast-paced AI environment. You will ensure your team consistently meets SLAs, quality standards, and CSAT targets while maintaining morale and resilience during rapid change. This role requires 5 days a week onsite in our New York or San Francisco office.

What You’ll Own

Team Performance & SLA Accountability

• Own your team’s delivery against SLAs, quality standards, and CSAT targets
• Ensure tickets are handled accurately, efficiently, and with strong Fellow communication
• Monitor productivity, quality scores, backlog, and coverage daily
• Proactively adjust staffing and coverage during volume spikes
• Maintain operational stability during incidents or product changes

Coaching, Development & Team Health

• Coach Fellow Experience Specialists on performance fundamentals, documentation hygiene, and escalation judgment
• Run consistent 1:1s, performance reviews, and structured feedback cycles
• Identifies team health issues early and intervenes proactively
• Manage underperformance, including structured improvement plans
• Maintain morale and psychological safety within a high-intensity environment

Escalations & Incident Stabilization

• Handle complex or high-risk Fellow escalations independently
• Provide structured updates during operational disruptions
• Stabilize team performance during periods of chaos or unclear product direction
• Ensure escalation paths are clear and followed

Documentation & Change Readiness

• Ensure SOPs, macros, and internal documentation are updated rapidly as product changes occur
• Identify documentation gaps and close them quickly
• Drive team adoption of new workflows within hours or days — not weeks
• Reinforce documentation discipline as a core operating principle

Cross-Geo & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate closely with other FEXP managers in the US, India, and Guatemala to ensure global coverage continuity
• Partner with other teams on training updates and workflow adjustments
• Surface recurring Fellow pain points and product inconsistencies
• Provide structured, actionable insights (not just updates) to stakeholders

What We’re Looking For

Experience

• 5+ years in high-volume customer support startup environments
• 3+ years managing frontline support agents (FTE and/or contractors)
• Experience in fast-scaling, rapidly changing product environments (AI or technical experience preferred)
• Calm and decisive in high-volume, high-pressure environments
• Demonstrated ownership of SLAs, CSAT, and QA performance
• Deep working knowledge of support tooling (Zendesk or similar)
• Exceptional EQ with a strong sense of empathy with both team members and Fellows
• Strong judgment under ambiguity
• Bias toward action and operational clarity

We Offer Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supported—and thrive at work and in life. 

 The below benefits are for full-time US employees. 

 🎯 Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company 

 💰 Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching 

 🍼 Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching 

 💝 Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, $500 wellness stipend 

 📚 Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development 

 💻 Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office 

 🏝 Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days 

 🤝 Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses 

 Explore our mission, values, and comprehensive US benefits atjoinhandshake.com/careers .