SWE II, Handshake AI - Payouts

Your impact

Handshake is building the future of human data for AI.

We partner directly with top AI labs to power large language model (LLM) training and evaluation with high-quality, expert-generated data. As AI models become more sophisticated, the demand for specialized human input continues to grow, and Handshake is uniquely positioned to meet it. We power career platforms at 92% of the top U.S. universities, giving us direct access to verified expert talent across a wide range of domains.

Our AI team is rapidly building a new generation of human data products - from expert annotation platforms to AI interviewers and seamless payout infrastructure - all designed to accelerate research and improve model performance.

As a Fullstack Engineer on the Payments team, you’ll be responsible for architecting and scaling the systems that make it possible for thousands of independent contributors to get paid accurately, quickly, and globally. This includes everything from KYC onboarding and compliance to real-time payout tracking and tax reporting. You’ll help build the financial backbone of a new class of data labor infrastructure.

This position is located in either San Francisco or NYC.

Your role

• Design and build robust, scalable systems that power contractor and expert payouts end-to-end.
• Own core functionality across the stack (e.g., React, TypeScript, Node.js, Postgres) in areas such as identity verification, compliance, disbursements, and tax workflows.
• Collaborate with product, design, and operations teams to deliver features that are both technically sound and deeply user-centric.
• Drive technical strategy for payments infrastructure and lead multi-engineer projects from idea to production.
• Help define engineering standards and mentor teammates to uphold best practices and operational excellence.
• Contribute to the long-term vision for how we compensate experts with transparency, reliability, and speed.
  
  

Your Experience

• 2-5 years of software engineering experience, including backend and frontend development.
• Deep experience working on financial or payment-related systems, especially involving payouts to contractors, freelancers, or non-employees.
• Proficient in technologies like ReactJS, TypeScript, Node.js, and PostgreSQL.
• Experience working with or integrating third-party systems for KYC, AML, 1099 reporting, and international payments.
• Thrive in a high-velocity, collaborative environment and are comfortable working on-site full-time.
  
  

Bonus areas of expertise

• Experience building payouts or treasury systems at scale.
• Worked with compliance frameworks for multi-region contractor payments.
• Background in creator, freelance, or platform-based economy products.

Handshake is building the future of human data for AI. We partner directly with top AI labs to power large language model (LLM) training and evaluation with high-quality, expert-generated data. As AI models become more sophisticated, the demand for specialized human input continues to grow, and Handshake is uniquely positioned to meet it. We power career platforms at 92% of the top U.S. universities, giving us direct access to verified expert talent across a wide range of domains.