Everyone is welcome at Handshake. We know diverse teams build better products and we are committed to creating an inclusive culture built on a foundation of respect for all individuals. We strongly encourage candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, historically marginalized or underrepresented groups to apply.
Want to learn more about what it's like to work at Handshake? Check out these interviews from our team members!
What does a Backend Software Engineer do at Handshake?
Handshake is building a diverse team of dynamic engineers who value creating a high-quality, high-impact product. We are looking for a Backend Engineer with demonstrated experience shipping high-quality and accessible user experiences. You will be supporting a team of talented engineers and designers by contributing to tools and libraries that are used by development teams and shipped to our users. You will work on a small multi-functional team with other engineers, designers and product managers.
Here are some projects we're excited for you to work on at Handshake:
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Consult, educate, and empower engineers as they build & ship innovative software.
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Research, prototype and develop solutions in support of the adoption of new technologies.
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Build tools to optimize the developer backend work experience.
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Develop libraries and contribute in ways that impact every engineer and our customers.
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Working with Designers to create a Component Library that services other teams.
Your role
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Your day-to-day work will feature regular collaboration on a cross-functional team with a designer, product manager and other engineers. You will also engage frequently with engineers, support, marketing and additional functions across the organization.
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You will architect and build features that our education partners use daily to engage with job seekers and guide them in their career journeys.
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You will lead by example in maintaining a high standard of quality in your own work and in the feedback provided to peers in code review and architecture discussions.
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You will lend your technical knowledge and experience to influence the team’s roadmap and prioritization of innovation and operational health initiatives.
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You will provide mentorship to engineers and unblock and support your team to meet deliverables.
About you:
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You have experience as a full stack engineer with a focus on Backend, and are confident driving architectural decisions on both frontend and backend.
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You have demonstrated success collaborating with partners in product and design to define, build, and ship great products.
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You have experience leading large projects from idea to high quality delivery.
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You act with empathy when working with fellow engineers and coworkers, and enjoy providing mentorship and guidance to enable and support your team.
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You strive for individual and team growth, proactively seeking feedback and identifying areas of the code, processes or procedures that need improvement.
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You are a strong communicator and can articulate technical concepts and rationale to audiences of varying technical knowledge levels.
Bonus ares of expertise
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You have worked with PostgressDB, Firestore, or MongoDB.
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You have worked with React, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Go, or Java.
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You have experience creating and working with GraphQL and RESTFul APIs.
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You have experience creating, observing, and maintaining microservices.
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You have worked on enterprise features at scale.
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You have participated in an on-call rotation or incident response.
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You demonstrate ownership-mentality and maintain a high degree of accountability for your work.
Compensation range
$140,000 -$180,000
For cash compensation, we set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. In order to be compliant with local legislation, as well as to provide greater transparency to candidates, we share salary ranges on all job postings regardless of desired hiring location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including geographic location as well as candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.
About us
Handshake is the #1 place to launch a career with no connections, experience, or luck required. The platform connects up-and-coming talent with 750,000+ employers - from Fortune 500 companies like Google, Nike, and Target to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, and nonprofits. In 2022 we announced our $200M Series F funding round. This Series F fundraise and valuation of $3.5B will fuel Handshake’s next phase of growth and propel our mission to help more people start, restart, and jumpstart their careers.
When it comes to our workforce strategy, we’ve thought deeply about how work-life should look here at Handshake. With our Hub-Based Remote Working strategy, employees can enjoy the flexibility of remote work, whilst ensuring collaboration and team experiences in a shared space remains possible. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, New York, London, and Berlin and teammates working globally.
Check out our careers site to find a hub near you!
What we offer
Benefits below apply to employees in full-time positions.
At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.
- 💰 Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company.
- 🍼 16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents.
- 💝 Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGTBQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support.
- 💻 Handshake offers $500/£360 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.
- 📚 Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000/£1,500 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
(US Handshakers)
- 🏦 401k Match: Handshake offers a dollar-for-dollar match on 1% of deferred salary, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.
- 🏝 All full-time US-based Handshakers are eligible for our flexible time off policy to get out and see the world. In addition, we offer 8 standardized holidays, and 2 additional days of flexible holiday time off. Lastly, we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off.
(UK Handshakers)
- 🏦 Pension Scheme: Handshake will provide you with a workplace pension, where you will make contributions based on 5% of your salary. Handshake will pay the equivalent of 3% towards your pension plan, subject to qualifying earnings limits.
- 🏝 Up to 25 days of vacation to encourage people to reset, recharge, and refresh, in addition to 8 bank holidays throughout the year.
For roles based in Berlin and Romania: Please ask your recruiter about region specific benefits.
Looking for more? Explore our mission, values and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.
What We Do
Handshake is the #1 place to launch a career with no connections, experience, or luck required. The platform connects up-and-coming talent with 650,000+ employers - from Fortune 500 companies like Google, Nike, and Target to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, and nonprofits. Earlier this year, we announced our $200M Series F funding round. This Series F fundraise and new valuation of $3.5B will fuel Handshake’s next phase of growth and propel our mission to help more people start, restart, and jumpstart their careers.
Why Work With Us
How someone builds their career is foundational. We believe in working with the higher education community to help students build meaningful careers. We are at the nexus of universities, students and employers— and we’re able to connect the very best pieces of each side. We’re proud to create a community where students can be more successful.
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