About the Role

The Senior Engineering Manager of Growth Engineering at Handshake owns one of the most strategically important growth levers and platforms in the company — the systems that power how we acquire, activate, and retain users across the entire Handshake ecosystem.

This isn't a single-product role. You'll lead a platform that cuts across every surface of Handshake, serving as a foundational lever for company growth. You'll partner closely with Product, Data, and Marketing to define what the growth loop looks like at scale — and then build the infrastructure and product capabilities to make it real. You'll lead a growing team of engineers and are expected to uplevel and build leadership capacity as the team scales.

Location: San Francisco, CA. This is an in-office role, 5 days/week (no remote/hybrid).

What You'll Do

• Lead and grow a high-performing Growth Engineering team — hire, develop, and retain strong engineers; build the leadership layer needed to scale

• Own the full growth funnel — acquisition, activation, retention, and notification systems that move the needle on Handshake's core growth metrics

• Build a scalable, extensible growth platform — modular infrastructure that enables rapid experimentation, personalization, and lifecycle targeting across the product

• Drive architecture and technical strategy — design systems for reliability, performance, and speed-to-ship, balancing platform investments with high-impact product bets

• Partner cross-functionally — work shoulder-to-shoulder with Product, Data Science, and Marketing to align on growth strategy and execution

• Raise the engineering bar — champion strong fundamentals: observability, experimentation rigor, data integrity, and engineering quality at scale

• Operate with ownership and velocity — set the standard for a team culture that moves fast, takes accountability, and delivers in ambiguous, high-stakes environments

What We're Looking For

• Engineering leader + builder: 4+ years managing engineering teams, 5+ years of hands-on engineering experience

• Growth or platform background: Experience owning systems that drive user acquisition, activation, or retention — or platform infrastructure that powers growth at scale

• Strong people leadership: Track record of developing senior engineers; experience managing managers or equivalent scope is a strong plus

• Execution in ambiguity: Able to align cross-functionally, build clarity from ambiguity, and deliver iteratively in fast-moving environments

• Balanced product + systems mindset: Can translate business and growth goals into technical roadmaps, ship with urgency, and measure outcomes rigorously

Nice to Have

• Experience building experimentation platforms, A/B testing infrastructure, or personalization systems

• Background in lifecycle marketing infrastructure (notifications, email, push, in-app messaging)

• Familiarity with growth analytics, funnel instrumentation, or event tracking at scale

• Experience in two-sided marketplace or consumer/prosumer products

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.