Strategic Projects Lead

🇮🇳India3d ago

Corporate Operations Project Management Operations Management Program Management AI Data Operations Workforce Scaling

Role Snapshot

Strategic Projects Lead driving high-impact initiatives for Handshake AI's expert workforce network, working cross-functionally with AI labs and tech companies to scale data solutions and optimize operations. This role combines project management, customer engagement, and operational strategy in a fast-growing AI data business.

Key Responsibilities: Develop and execute operational strategies to recruit and deploy high-skill talent (PhDs, domain experts) across AI projects, own large-scale customer initiatives, and partner with product/engineering teams to optimize the workforce platform. Manage customer relationships, provide strategic insights to leadership, and identify revenue expansion opportunities.

Skills & Tools: Strong project management, cross-functional collaboration, and customer relationship skills combined with analytical capabilities. Desired technical proficiency in SQL/Python for analytics and experience in AI/ML, workforce management, data labeling, or model evaluation.

Qualifications: Bachelor's degree (CS preferred) with experience in high-growth startups or AI-focused companies, ideally in operations, workforce management, or data operations. Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, execute with urgency, and manage multiple workstreams in parallel.

Location: India

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation for this role is ₹18,00,000 – ₹28,00,000/year based on title, seniority, company stage, and location.

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Job Description

About Handshake

Handshake was founded on a simple belief that everyone deserves a path to a great career, regardless of where they went to school or who they know. Today, we power 25 million job seekers, 1 million+ employers, and 1,600 educational institutions.

In 2025, we started Handshake AI and built the fastest-growing AI data business in history. We work directly with frontier AI lab researchers to create evaluations, publish benchmarks, and push the boundary of data. We’ve grown from $0 to ~$1B run rate and pay ~$60M to over 30K individuals every month.

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
Partner hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions
Work together with engineers, scientists, operators, and more from Palantir, Meta, Scale AI, and former YC founders
Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue

About Handshake AI

Human data is the core infrastructure to AI advancement. Frontier AI labs currently improve model capabilities with various data-intensive post-training techniques. We believe that data spend for AI training will increase by 3-5x in the next few years and continue for much longer as models take on new domains. Handshake AI supports all of the frontier AI labs, working on their most complex data at the largest scale.

We are building our India team to help accelerate the development of frontier models. This team is a critical, strategic investment for us - we have grown the team 3x in the past six months to help fuel our next phase of growth. India-based teammates will work hand-in-hand with US-based teams to scope, execute, and deliver critical human data projects to Frontier Labs and other customers.

The Role

As a Strategic Projects Lead (SPL), you will own the execution of large-scale human data programs that directly power frontier AI model training and evaluation. Working hands-on with leading AI labs and technology companies, you will make real-time decisions that affect revenue, margins, delivery quality, and long-term customer relationships.

This is a high-ownership, outcomes-driven role for operators who thrive in ambiguity, move fast with incomplete information, and are accountable for results at scale. What you'll do:

Own end-to-end execution of multi-week to multi-month AI data programs to deliver double-digit millions in ARR-equivalent impact
Lead and coordinate hundreds to thousands of expert Fellows to meet aggressive delivery timelines while maintaining quality and cost targets
Design and adapt staffing models, incentives, and workflows to improve throughput, margins, and delivery reliability under changing requirements
Partner directly with frontier AI labs and senior stakeholders to shape scope, resolve issues, and expand programs through execution

You Have:

6+ years of experience in technical or analytical roles such as software engineering, data, analytics, or technical product.
A technical degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or similar and/or hands-on experience with coding (Python, SQL, or similar).
Strong analytical and first-principles problem-solving skills applied to scaling operations
Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, including with senior customers
High ownership mindset with pride in end-to-end accountability
Curiosity and ability to quickly learn technical AI concepts and industry trends

Bonus Points:

Experience managing large, distributed workforces or marketplaces
Exposure to AI data, model evaluation, or technical services delivery
Background in productOps, investment banking, private equity, or management consulting

You’ll Thrive Here If You:

Are motivated by solving operational problems that have direct, measurable impact.
Want to be part of a company shaping the future of AI through human data.
Can navigate ambiguity, act with urgency, and keep multiple workstreams moving in parallel.

Perks: