Strategic Projects Lead, India
Role Overview
This is a senior-level strategic operations role where you will lead high-impact initiatives to scale and optimize a network of expert Fellows for AI research and development. You will work cross-functionally with product, engineering, and operations teams to execute large-scale projects, manage customer relationships, and drive revenue growth by ensuring seamless workforce deployment. The position involves developing operational strategies, improving internal processes, and providing strategic insights to leadership, with a focus on recruiting and managing high-skill talent like PhDs and domain experts for AI data projects.
Perks & Benefits
The role is based in Bangalore, India, and requires 5 days in-office, so it is not remote. Perks include a generous equity grant vested over 4 years, a housing bonus of 1.3 lakhs spread throughout the first year, a performance bonus ranging from 10-100% of base salary, medical insurance coverage, and food credit for in-person days. Career growth opportunities are implied through leadership exposure and a stepping stone into operations or client strategy roles, with a culture that values ambition, problem-solving, and impact in a fast-growing AI-focused company.
Full 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 revenue
About the Role
Handshake is expanding into AI research and development, building a world-class network of expert Fellows - PhDs, researchers, and subject matter specialists - who contribute to cutting-edge AI through specialized research, model evaluation, and domain-specific applications. We’re looking for a Strategic Projects Lead to drive high-impact initiatives, working across product, operations, and customer engagement to scale and optimize our expert workforce.
This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in a fast-growing space, working directly with leading AI labs and tech companies to deliver high-quality data solutions. You will work cross-functionally to execute large-scale projects, improve internal processes, and drive revenue growth by ensuring a seamless experience for both customers and Fellows.
This position is located in Bangalore, India and is 5 days in office
Develop and implement operational strategies to recruit, manage, and deploy high-skill talent (PhDs, domain experts) across AI data projects.
Own and drive large-scale projects for AI labs and tech companies, ensuring exceptional execution and customer satisfaction.
Partner with product and engineering teams to optimize and enhance our workforce platform for scalability and efficiency.
Manage customer relationships, understanding their evolving needs and expanding project scope where possible.
Provide regular progress updates and strategic insights to Handshake’s leadership team to refine our long-term data strategy.
Identify opportunities for process automation and workflow improvements to increase efficiency in expert recruitment and deployment.
Lead cross-functional projects, collaborating with Engineering, Operations, and Go-to-Market teams to execute high-priority initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
4+ years of experience in a generalist or operational role, such as strategy & operations, product, management consulting, finance, or startups.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience tackling operational and scaling challenges.
Strong sense of ownership and pride in their work
Entrepreneurial mindset - comfortable with ambiguity, self-directed, and excited to build and iterate quickly.
Ability to learn complex concepts rather quickly, bonus points for learning technical concepts
High degree of agency - ideal candidate can thrive in ambiguity
Analytical mindset with comfort using spreadsheets (Excel/Google Sheets) and project management tools (Notion, Asana, Jira, etc.).
Thoughtful about making decisions - doesn’t jump to conclusions without considering all potential variables/curve balls
Clear communicator with excellent written and verbal English.
Passionate about / interested in AI (super user of LLMs, up-to-date on latest AI trends)
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and driven to deliver outcomes rather than just complete tasks.
Desired Capabilities
Technical background (CS degree or proficiency in SQL/Python for analytics).
Experience in AI, ML, or data operations, particularly in workforce management, data labeling, or model evaluation.
Previous experience in a high-growth startup or an AI-focused company.
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.
Are ambitious and looking for a stepping stone into leadership roles in operations or client strategy
Perks
Generous Equity Grant vested over 4 years
Housing Bonus: 1.3 Lakhs spread throughout the first year
Well Defined Performance Bonus ranging between 10 - 100% of base
Medical Insurance Coverage
Food credit for every in person day
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