Associate Software Engineer, RLE

Job Description

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 revenueAbout the Role

We’re hiring an Associate Software Engineer to help build our Reinforcement Learning Environments (RLE) platform—the systems where frontier AI models learn to complete real-world work.

This is a hands-on, growth-oriented role where you’ll contribute to building core systems, learn quickly from senior engineers, and gain exposure to cutting-edge AI infrastructure.

Location: San Francisco, CA (in-office, 5 days/week)

What You’ll Do

Contribute to building RLE environments and supporting infrastructure

Implement features across backend systems and frontend interfaces

Work with senior engineers to improve system reliability and performance

Help build modular workflow domains (e.g., engineering, finance, legal)

Support data pipelines that power model training and evaluationWhat We’re Looking For

0–2 years of experience (internships or full-time) in software engineering

Familiarity with backend development and APIs

Working knowledge of ReactJS and TypeScript

Understanding of databases (e.g., PostgreSQL) and basic system design

Eagerness to learn and operate in fast-paced environmentsNice to Have

Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, GCP)

Experience with data pipelines or ML-adjacent systems

Interest in AI/ML or simulation systemsWhat Success Looks Like

Ships reliable features that improve RLE functionality

Grows into owning small components independently

Contributes to faster iteration and better developer velocityPerks

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 coachin

Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, $500 wellness stipend

Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development

Office: Commuting support, free lunch, and gym in our SF office

Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days

Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses

Compensation Range: $135K - $150K

Full-time

Hybrid remote