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
We are building the operational engine required to scale the Fellow Experience organization as we expand to serve hundreds of thousands of Fellows across dozens of AI projects and frontier lab customers. We are seeking a Senior Manager of Operational Excellence and Strategy to architect the systems, models, enablement frameworks, and performance infrastructure that enable consistent execution and predictable scale across multiple teams.
You will design the operating model for a large, people-intensive function at the intersection of AI project delivery, workforce experience, and customer impact. The environment is high volume, high complexity, highly cross-functional, and constantly evolving. This includes ensuring that new processes, tools, and standards are clearly documented, adopted, and embedded across teams.
This role is ideal for a former consultant or strategy operator who is eager to move from advising to building. You will move beyond analysis to implement the systems and structures that power a global team operating across several geographies at scale.
What You’ll Own
Operating Model & Cross-Functional Strategy
Design and improve the operating model that supports a large global support team and scaled community and program delivery
Work closely with Engineering, Product, and Design to ensure tools and workflows support evolving AI projects and Fellow needs
Identify breakdowns in the Fellow lifecycle and implement process improvements
Translate strategic changes into clear operational guidance for frontline teams
Workforce & Capacity Planning
Build forecasting and staffing models across geographies and projects
Translate growth plans into hiring, coverage, and workforce allocation decisions
Track productivity, ramp time, and cost efficiency
Partner on onboarding and ramp frameworks to improve time to productivity
Systems, Workflow, & Enablement
Own support platform configuration and workflow design
Improve routing, escalation paths, and automation
Ensure reporting is accurate and usable for decision-making
Performance & Continuous Improvement
Define and track clear performance metrics across teams
Build dashboards used by team and executive leadership
Standardize QA and documentation practices
Lead ongoing process reviews to improve quality and efficiency
Establish documentation standards and change management processes to support adoption of new tools and workflows
What We’re Looking For
4–6 years of experience in management consulting, business operations, CX strategy, or operations roles in fast-scaling environments
Strong analytical skills with experience building forecasting models, capacity plans, and performance dashboards
Comfort working directly with data, including advanced Excel or Google Sheets; SQL or similar experience preferred
Demonstrated ability to design and implement operational systems
Experience working cross-functionally with Engineering, Product, and Design teams
Ability to structure ambiguous problems and translate them into clear execution plans
Experience supporting or optimizing large frontline or workforce-driven teams is a strong plus
Comfortable influencing senior stakeholders without formal authority
High ownership, low ego, and willingness to operate at both strategic and detailed levels
Experience driving process adoption, documentation standards, or operational enablement in scaling environments
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.
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