Everyone is welcome at Handshake. We know diverse teams build better products and we are committed to creating an inclusive culture built on a foundation of respect for all individuals. We strongly encourage candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, historically marginalized or underrepresented groups to apply.
Design at Handshake
At Handshake we create opportunities for all college students and recent graduates to have equal access to meaningful jobs and internships, and we believe design plays a crucial role in the pursuit of this mission. We work collaboratively as designers and user experience researchers to help students, employers, and career centers.
We take a student-first approach to how we design and build products, and we strive to deeply understand our users and their true goals. We believe that great products and experiences are made great by the combination of how they work and how they look. One without the other is not enough, and while we're not perfect, we strive to excel in both and are committed to going the extra mile.
Great products are built by teams — and teams are built by people who communicate and collaborate well. A culture of openness, honesty, and the ability to provide and receive constructive feedback is important to us.
We also believe that great teams are inclusive. Being surrounded by a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives brings out the best in everyone, and leads to higher quality products and experiences.
Your impact
Handshake is hiring a Director, Product Design to focus on the core employer experience and monetization. This individual will be critical to the strategy and execution of Handshake’s Employer product used by 900k companies, overseeing the design of the employer experience for both free and self-service products. More specifically, they will be a lynchpin in up-leveling and transforming the employer experience for small- and medium-size businesses to drive rapid business growth in a market segment with massive upside.
This role is a unique opportunity to help accelerate Handshake’s growth in a way that drives Handshake’s mission and our business. Today, the biggest employers have access to the most powerful tools in the recruiting journey. This role will be critical to making those powerful tools more accessible to small- and medium-size businesses, and therefore expand access to opportunity for more students. And this role will help drive massive business value. Our initial venture into self-service doubled run-rate revenue in the past quarter—now, it’s time to scale.
The company will look to you to take the lead in developing these products into beautiful, well-crafted, and high performing experiences that users love and that perform well for the business. You’ll work closely with senior R&D leadership to create and execute strategic plans and the tactical efforts required to achieve them—and you’ll work with your team to motivate and inspire them and the broader team of designers, writers, and ux researchers, while holding a high bar for performance and design quality.
This position is open for candidates in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be onsite 3 days a week in our San Francisco office.
Your role
- Work from concept to delivery, informing product strategy and shaping how Employers can create authentic connections with students
- Develop the skills, talents, and careers of the designers and design managers on your team by finding the right opportunity at the right time and coaching them to success and impact
- Lead with user empathy for students but also employers and universities
- Set high-level and detailed product design direction in collaboration with other design leaders and cross-functional peers
- Partner with product, research, content, data science and engineering to ensure projects are well-defined, high impact, and successfully executed
- Partner with product and engineering peers in strategic planning and decision making for product development
- Develop and improve a shared product design language across all student surfaces reflective of our brand
- Hold a high quality bar for all work and help set the standard for our product experience
- Be a strong and influential advocate for design influence and design priorities
Your experience
- Leadership: 5+ years of experience as a people manager at a similar or later-stage tech company; proven ability to effectively manage people, including developing talent on your teams and recruiting a diverse team that reflects the audience of our products
- Team builder: Experience sourcing, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding for your team, and the ability to spot promising design talent;
- User-focused: You deeply understand and advocate for your users, grounding your approach in data and research.
- Craft leader: Your expertise in visual and interaction design transforms the products you touch, resulting in high-quality experiences that resonate with users; you have a portfolio of you and/or your teams’ work that demonstrates the ability to create work that is both beautiful, effective, and impactful
- Detail-oriented: You strive for perfection in every aspect, delivering a flawless and user-friendly product.
- Complex problem solver: You navigate, define, and drive complex design challenges, balancing user needs with business goals.
- Data-informed: Comfortable using quantitative and qualitative data for tactical and strategic decision-making, as well as rapid iteration.
Compensation range
For cash compensation, we set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. In order to be compliant with local legislation, as well as to provide greater transparency to candidates, we share salary ranges on all job postings regardless of desired hiring location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including geographic location as well as candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.
About us
Handshake is the #1 place to launch a career with no connections, experience, or luck required. The platform connects up-and-coming talent with 750,000+ employers - from Fortune 500 companies like Google, Nike, and Target to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, and nonprofits.
In 2022 we announced our $200M Series F funding round. This Series F fundraise and valuation of $3.5B will fuel Handshake’s next phase of growth and propel our mission to help more people start, restart, and jumpstart their careers.
When it comes to our workforce strategy, we’ve thought deeply about how work-life should look at Handshake. With our hybrid-work model, employees benefit from collaboration and shared team experiences three days per week in our vibrant offices, and enjoy the flexibility of remote work two days per week. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London, and Berlin.
What we offer
At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.
Benefits below apply to employees in full-time positions.
- Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company.
- 16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents.
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGBTQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support.
- Handshake offers $500/£360 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.
- Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000/£1,500/€1,850 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
- Financial coaching through Origin to help you through your financial journey.
- Monthly internet stipend and a brand new MacBook to allow you to do your best work.
- Monthly commuter stipend for you to expense your travel to the office (for office-based employees).
- Free lunch provided twice a week across all offices.
- Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.
(US-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 401k Match: Handshake offers a dollar-for-dollar match on 1% of deferred salary, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.
- All full-time US-based Handshakers are eligible for our flexible time off policy to get out and see the world. In addition, we offer 8 standardized holidays, and 2 additional days of flexible holiday time off. Lastly, we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off.
- Lactation support: Handshake partners with Milk Stork to provide a comprehensive 100% employer-sponsored lactation support to traveling parents and guardians.
(UK-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- Pension Scheme: Handshake will provide you with a workplace pension, where you will make contributions based on 5% of your salary. Handshake will pay the equivalent of 3% towards your pension plan, subject to qualifying earnings limits.
- Up to 25 days of vacation to encourage people to reset, recharge, and refresh, in addition to 8 bank holidays throughout the year.
- Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco.
- ️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake UK employees.
(Germany-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 25 days of annual leave + 5 days of a winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off across the company.
- Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco once a year.
- Urban sports club membership offering access to a diverse network of fitness and wellness facilities.
- ️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake Germany employees.
For roles based in Romania: Please ask your recruiter about region specific benefits.
Handshake is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at
people-hr@joinhandshake.com.
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