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.
Your impact
Handshake is hiring a Sr. Director, Consumer Growth Marketing reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer. In this role you will develop and lead our consumer growth strategy to acquire, engage, and retain job seekers on the best career network for Gen Z. You will partner closely with cross-functional leaders in product, engineering, and data science, as well as your fellow Marketing leaders in reaching, acquiring, engaging, and retaining our consumer users. You will build and lead a full-funnel/end-to-end B2C growth team, ensuring our top of funnel efforts lead to quality, engaged, and successful users. This role will touch paid media, acquisition/demand, SEO, affiliate and channel marketing programs, as well as lifecycle, retention, and referral marketing strategies.
Your role
- Grow top of funnel awareness across for our Gen Z/consumer audience of job seekers via paid and owned channels (paid media, consumer social, SEO, content distribution)
- Drive student (consumer) marketing attributable logins and MAU via performance and lifecycle programs
- Manage the channels that feed the growth strategy, including consumer content and editorial that makes Handshake a “must have” resource for job seeking Gen Z, and our community and content ambassador ecosystem
- Develop growth initiatives that leverage PMM insights into target segments to bring the right consumers into Handshake’s marketplace
- Work together with Product, BizOps, and Marketing teams to improve CAC, LTV, and ROI by setting shared goals and creating cross-functional programs that drive new consumer user acquisition, engagement, and retention
- Manage analytics (and partner with product analytics) to measure and understand Handshake’s consumer funnels, as well as identify opportunities for optimization
- Build a culture of experimentation, optimizing growth levers to improve performance throughout the funnel, including A/B tests, creative and messaging tests, and exploring new growth channels.
- Partner with the Brand teams to bring Handshake’s brand to market consistently and cohesively across all student and employer touchpoints
- Build, coach, and grow a high performing team that elevates those around you
- Work with agency partners to scale our efforts across channels
Your experience
- 10+ years of growth marketing experience spanning the full funnel on a consumer product
- Proven track record successfully developing and executing B2C growth marketing strategies, ideally in multi-sided marketplace business.
- A builder, excited to work in a fast-paced startup environment and craft a playbook to scale all facets of Handshake’s engine (strategy, team, and infrastructure)
- Deep understanding of unit economics (CAC/LTV, CAC payback), sales cycles, customer journeys, acquisition metrics (CPA, CPC, CPM)
- Data driven with strong quantitative and analytical skills
- Experience creating effective, multi-channel segmentation and targeting programs to drive engagement and customer success
- Track record of building, managing, and scaling high-performing teams of marketers across a range of growth marketing specialties and building strong cross-functional partnerships to boot
Compensation range
- $287,500 - $322K OTE
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 career platform for Gen Z. With a community of over 17 million students, alumni, employers, and career educators, Handshake’s network is where career advice and discovery turn into first, second, and third jobs. Nearly 1 million companies use Handshake to build their future workforce—from Fortune 500 to federal agencies, school districts to startups, healthcare systems to small businesses. Handshake is built for where you’re going, not where you’ve been.
When it comes to our workforce strategy, we’ve thought deeply about how work-life should look at Handshake. With our hybrid-work model, employees benefit from collaboration and shared team experiences three days per week in our vibrant offices, and enjoy the flexibility of remote work two days per week. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London, and Berlin.
What we offer
At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.
Benefits below apply to employees in full-time positions.
- 💰 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/€1,850 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
- 💰 Financial coaching through Origin to help you through your financial journey.
- 🛜 Monthly internet stipend and a brand new MacBook to allow you to do your best work.
- 🚃 Monthly commuter stipend for you to expense your travel to the office (for office-based employees).
- 🥗 Free lunch provided twice a week across all offices.
- 🤝 Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.
(US-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏦 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.
- 🍼 Family support: We partner with Milk Stork to provide comprehensive 100% employer-sponsored lactation support to traveling parents and guardians. Parental leave coaching and support provided by Parentaly.
(UK-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏦 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.
- 🤝 Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco.
- 🛍️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake UK employees.
(Germany-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏝 25 days of annual leave + 5 days of a winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off across the company.
- 🤝 Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco once a year.
- 🧘 Urban sports club membership offering access to a diverse network of fitness and wellness facilities.
- 🛍️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake Germany employees.
Looking for more? Explore our mission, values and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.
Handshake is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at [email protected].
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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