About the role
About Handshake Handshake is the career network for the Al economy. 20 million knowledge workers, 1,600 educational institutions, 1 million employers (including 100% of the Fortune 50), and every foundational Al lab trust Handshake to power career discovery, hiring, and upskilling, from freelance Al 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 Al economy, at global scale, with impact your friends, family and peers can see and feel Work hand-in-hand with world-class Al labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world's top educational institutions Join a team with leadership from Scale Al, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir, among others Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue The Role Handshake Al is rapidly building a new generation of human data products—from expert annotation platforms to Al interviewers and seamless payout infrastructure—all designed to accelerate research and improve model performance. As Al models become more sophisticated, the demand for specialized human input continues to grow—and Handshake is uniquely positioned to meet it. We power career platforms at 92% of the top U.S. universities, giving us direct access to verified expert talent across a wide range of domains. We're hiring a strategic, impact-driven UX Researcher to help shape the next frontier of human data. In this role, you'll support the development of platforms used by real human experts to generate data for LLMs at top Al labs. Your role Lead end-to-end UX research that powers Handshake Al's human data products including expert onboarding, annotation workflows, evaluation tools, and the internal operations systems that power and scale these experiences Track and measure user sentiment, usability, and efficiency across systems to drive continuous improvement Extract insights qualitative research and product analytics to inform design and strategy Plan and run evaluative and generative research throughout the product lifecycle-from early concepts to live tools Deliver rapid, actionable insights that improve fellow experience, product quality, and operational performance Recruit participants independently and manage logistics with minimal overhead Produce clear, timely research deliverables and maintain a centralized repository of insights and recommendations Deliver actionable insights that directly impact product improvements Track how research influences key outcomes such as OKRs, engagement, task quality, throughput, and business impact Build deep partnerships with cross-functional stakeholders to align research with strategic goals Champion evidence-based, user-centered practices across product, engineering, design, and operations Prioritize your own research initiatives with design operations and design leadership input You Have Strong understanding of Al systems, LLM development workflows, and the role of human-in-the-loop data in model training and evaluation Demonstrated experience leading UX research for complex, high-impact platforms—ideally across both consumer-facing and internal operations tools Proven ability to deliver fast, high impact insights that accelerate product development and drive measurable impact Experience informing content strategy, design, and workflows through research Experience conducting research that directly improves overall services delivered to external users and operational workflows Deep understanding of usability and design principles, and how UX research directly improves system clarity and efficiency Experience using lean research methods—delivering insights in days, not weeks Ability to synthesize qualitative and quantitative inputs, including product analytics, to tell a compelling user story Highly collaborative, with a history of effective cross-functional work across product, design, engineering, operations, marketing, and leadership Track record of influencing product direction by grounding teams in user needs, pain points, and research-backed opportunities Experience embedding user-centered practices in fast-moving, iterative 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 at joinhandshake.com/careers .