Job Details

Senior Software Engineer

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Fellows Allocations team, you will architect and scale the systems that power the middle-of-funnel experience for fellows, from project discovery through successful onboarding. You will own the technical vision for our auto-allocations system, which automatically matches fellows to projects based on profiles and project needs, directly impacting fellow volume and quality at scale. This is a high-visibility, customer-facing role with direct exposure to executive leadership, where your work addresses real, urgent needs with an extensive roadmap waiting to be built.

The Fellows Allocations team owns critical user journeys including the landing page experience for project invitations and applications, project onboarding flows (confidentiality agreements, video/camera checks, educational programs, reading materials), project-specific assessments and recordings, and the tools that support our growth team's manual matching efforts.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the architecture and long-term technical vision for scaling our automatic allocations system, designing solutions that match fellows to projects with precision and efficiency.
• Drive engineering excellence by establishing standards and best practices that elevate the team's technical capabilities.
• Build and own the full journey from fellow verification through successful onboarding to the start of tasking.
• Develop high-quality, high-velocity code while maintaining a strong balance between speed and product reliability.
• Partner closely with product managers to deliver seamless user experiences, bringing strong product sense to technical decisions.
• Mentor and grow engineers on the team, fostering a culture of ownership and technical excellence.
• Respond to and resolve emergency situations tied to fellow onboarding volume, quality, and project matching.

Desired Capabilities:

• 5+ years of software engineering experience with a backend-leaning orientation and demonstrated tech lead capabilities.
• Strong proficiency in TypeScript and experience with full-stack development; our stack includes Next.js, TRPC, GraphQL, and PostgreSQL.
• Experience building and scaling larger workflows and asynchronous job orchestration (experience with Temporal or similar systems is a plus).
• Proven ability to architect systems at scale, ideally with experience at larger, more established companies solving complex problems.
• Strong ownership mentality with high availability and dedication to the team's success.
• Product engineer mindset; you think beyond the code to understand user impact and business outcomes.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to partner effectively with product managers and cross-functional teams.
• Opinionated about engineering best practices with the confidence to question existing code structures and drive improvements.

Extra Credit:

• Experience at companies solving similar problems (AI/human data platforms, large-scale matching systems).
• Background at high-growth or established tech companies with exposure to larger-scale engineering challenges.
• Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools like Temporal.

Perks:

Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supportedand 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, wellness stipend Growth: 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