Strategic Projects Lead, India

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 expanding into AI research and development, building a world-class network of expert Fellows - PhDs, researchers, and subject matter specialists - who contribute to cutting-edge AI through specialized research, model evaluation, and domain-specific applications. We’re looking for a Strategic Projects Lead to drive high-impact initiatives, working across product, operations, and customer engagement to scale and optimize our expert workforce.

This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in a fast-growing space, working directly with leading AI labs and tech companies to deliver high-quality data solutions. You will work cross-functionally to execute large-scale projects, improve internal processes, and drive revenue growth by ensuring a seamless experience for both customers and Fellows.

• This position is located in Bangalore, India and is 5 days in office

• Develop and implement operational strategies to recruit, manage, and deploy high-skill talent (PhDs, domain experts) across AI data projects.

• Own and drive large-scale projects for AI labs and tech companies, ensuring exceptional execution and customer satisfaction.

• Partner with product and engineering teams to optimize and enhance our workforce platform for scalability and efficiency.

• Manage customer relationships, understanding their evolving needs and expanding project scope where possible.

• Provide regular progress updates and strategic insights to Handshake’s leadership team to refine our long-term data strategy.

• Identify opportunities for process automation and workflow improvements to increase efficiency in expert recruitment and deployment.

• Lead cross-functional projects, collaborating with Engineering, Operations, and Go-to-Market teams to execute high-priority initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• 4+ years of experience in a generalist or operational role, such as strategy & operations, product, management consulting, finance, or startups.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience tackling operational and scaling challenges.

• Strong sense of ownership and pride in their work

• Entrepreneurial mindset - comfortable with ambiguity, self-directed, and excited to build and iterate quickly.

• Ability to learn complex concepts rather quickly, bonus points for learning technical concepts

• High degree of agency - ideal candidate can thrive in ambiguity

• Analytical mindset with comfort using spreadsheets (Excel/Google Sheets) and project management tools (Notion, Asana, Jira, etc.).

• Thoughtful about making decisions - doesn’t jump to conclusions without considering all potential variables/curve balls

• Clear communicator with excellent written and verbal English.

• Passionate about / interested in AI (super user of LLMs, up-to-date on latest AI trends)

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and driven to deliver outcomes rather than just complete tasks.

Desired Capabilities

• Technical background (CS degree or proficiency in SQL/Python for analytics).

• Experience in AI, ML, or data operations, particularly in workforce management, data labeling, or model evaluation.

• Previous experience in a high-growth startup or an AI-focused company.

You’ll Thrive Here If You:

• Are motivated by solving operational problems that have direct, measurable impact.

• Want to be part of a company shaping the future of AI through human data.

• Can navigate ambiguity, act with urgency, and keep multiple workstreams moving in parallel.

• Are ambitious and looking for a stepping stone into leadership roles in operations or client strategy

Perks

• Generous Equity Grant vested over 4 years

• Housing Bonus: 1.3 Lakhs spread throughout the first year

• Well Defined Performance Bonus ranging between 10 - 100% of base

• Medical Insurance Coverage

• Food credit for every in person day