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 is hiring a Machine Learning Engineer I for the Network & Core Relevance team. AI is transforming how students navigate their careers, and we're committed to providing innovative, responsible AI-powered solutions that guide students from educational aspirations to meaningful career opportunities. In this role, you will contribute directly to this mission by owning the development, deployment, and improvement of machine learning systems that power core relevance signals — including network-aware ranking, graph-based recommendations, and personalized discovery experiences.

You'll join a high-impact team leveraging cutting-edge ML infrastructure, including embedding-based retrieval, Graph Neural Networks, and multi-stage rankers built upon a robust data platform with billions of data points. Your work will directly influence how students discover opportunities and how employers find the right talent, contributing to responsible AI practices around explainability, fairness, and quality. 

Your Role

• Owner:Take end-to-end ownership of ML models and features — from problem framing and experimentation through deployment and production monitoring — with growing autonomy over time.
• Innovator:Develop and iterate on machine learning models that improve core relevance and network-driven signals, including graph-based and embedding-based approaches.
• Collaborator:Partner closely with senior engineers, data scientists, and product managers to design experiments, interpret results, and translate findings into product impact.

Desired Capabilities

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• 1–3 years of industry or research experience in machine learning or a related area.
• Proficiency in Python and hands-on experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Solid understanding of core ML concepts: ranking, classification, regression, model evaluation, and validation.
• Familiarity with software engineering best practices including version control, testing, and code reviews.
• Experience with SQL and data analysis techniques.

Extra Credit

• MS or PhD degree in a relevant field.
• Experience in applied ML in domains such as recommendations, personalization, NLP, search, or graph-based learning.
• Exposure to Large Language Models, generative recommendation approaches, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
• Hands-on experience with Graph Neural Networks or other graph-based ML approaches.
• Familiarity with ML lifecycle management including experiment tracking, feature engineering pipelines, and production monitoring.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure such as GCP, AWS, or Azure in the context of ML workflows.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present technical work clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Perks

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 at joinhandshake.com/careers .