Strategic Projects Lead, Coding

About this job

Handshake is powering millions of job seekers, employers, and educational institutions globally, and has recently established a fast-growing AI data business supporting frontier AI labs. The Strategic Projects Lead, Coding role within the India team involves running multi-week to multi-month coding data initiatives for top AI and platform teams. In this position, you will coordinate skilled software engineering fellows, design technical evaluation and annotation workflows, and ensure accountability for delivery, margins, quality, and customer relationships. A normal day involves writing and validating coding assessments, building rubric-driven code review processes, instrumenting quality signals, and automating QA, analytics, and reporting using Python, TypeScript, or SQL. You will bridge machine learning, product, engineering, and operations while working hand-in-hand with US-based teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage multi-million ARR-equivalent program scope and delivery metrics.
• Handle end-to-end delivery of coding-data programs from scoping to customer feedback.
• Design and run technical screens including take-homes, unit-test driven tasks, and live coding.
• Create rubrics, audit processes, and tooling to ensure annotations and labels meet production quality.
• Write scripts and build infrastructure using Python, TypeScript, or SQL to automate QA and reporting.
• Coordinate hundreds to thousands of skilled software engineering fellows.
• Adapt workflows quickly to meet tight deadlines and maintain high operational standards.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in technical or analytical roles like software engineering, data, analytics, or technical product.
• A technical degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or similar and/or hands-on coding experience.
• Strong coding skills in Python, TypeScript/Node, Java, or equivalent with unit test and CI experience.
• Strong analytical and data-driven problem-solving abilities with a first-principles approach.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills to work with technical teams and customers.
• Entrepreneurial, high-ownership mindset with comfort navigating ambiguity.
• Fast learner with a deep curiosity about AI, LLMs, and technology trends.

Good to have

• Technical background with a CS degree or proficiency in SQL/Python for analytics.
• Experience in AI, ML, or data operations involving workforce management or model evaluation.
• Previous experience working in a high-growth startup or an AI-focused company.

Who should apply

This role suits individuals with a strong technical and analytical background who possess an entrepreneurial mindset and high agency. Candidates should be comfortable managing multiple parallel workstreams in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment while bridging engineering, operations, and client strategy. If you have experience in technical roles, enjoy solving complex operational problems, and want to help shape the future of AI at Handshake, you will thrive in this position.

Frequently asked questions