Strategic Projects Associate, India

About Handshake AI

Handshake AI is trusted by top AI labs and technology companies to deliver high-quality talent and operational execution for their most important model training initiatives. As a Strategic Project Associate (SPA), you'll be at the center of our delivery engine making sure projects run smoothly, talent pipelines stay healthy, and client expectations are met.

What sets us apart is that we are the first company to recognize India's critical role in building out frontier AI models at scale and our team reflects this global-first, future-forward approach.

You'll be joining a group of operators and strategists who have spent years at the forefront of the human data industry, working with some of the brightest minds in AI research and development.

About the Role

As a Strategic Project Associate (SPA), you will be a key driver in making sure Handshake AI delivers flawlessly for our customers. This role blends execution, analysis, and problem-solving with a unique opportunity to contribute to projects that directly impact the training of state-of-the-art AI models.

You will work hand-in-hand with Strategic Project Leads, Delivery Leads, and Operations leadership gaining a front-row seat to how the human data layer of AI is being built. This is a launchpad role with significant growth potential, designed to prepare you for higher-impact leadership roles in project delivery and client strategy.

We work 5 days in-office and half days remotely on Saturday.

Key Responsibilities

1. Run the Core Engine: Drive the day-to-day execution of projects from setting up operational workflows to ensuring deadlines are met and deliverables exceed client expectations.

2. Build and Maintain Expert Networks: Support onboarding of hundreds of domain experts across diverse industries, keeping pipelines healthy and engagement high.

3. Own Project Visibility: Track KPIs, maintain dashboards, and provide regular updates to leadership, ensuring stakeholders always have a clear view of project health.

4. Partner with Senior Leaders: Work closely with Strategic Project Leads to translate client requirements into action plans and unblock execution bottlenecks.

5. Elevate Quality & Efficiency: Propose and implement process improvements and automations that scale our ability to deliver at speed and quality.

6. Support Client Impact: Help prepare updates and progress reports that showcase results to clients and highlight opportunities for expansion and upsell.
   

Desired Capabilities

1. Bachelor's degree in STEM, business or a related field.

2. Early-career experience in operations, consulting, research, or project management preferred (internships count).

3. Analytical mindset with comfort using spreadsheets (Excel/Google Sheets) and project management tools (Notion, Asana, Jira, etc.).

4. Clear communicator with excellent written and verbal English.

5. Highly organized, detail-oriented, and driven to deliver outcomes rather than just complete tasks.

You'll Thrive Here If You:

1. Are motivated by solving operational problems that have direct, measurable impact.

2. Want to be part of a company shaping the future of AI through human data.

3. Can navigate ambiguity, act with urgency, and keep multiple workstreams moving in parallel.

4. Are ambitious and looking for a stepping stone into leadership roles in operations or client strategy

Perks

1. Generous Equity Grant vested over 4 years

2. Housing Bonus: 1.3 Lakhs spread throughout the first year

3. Well Defined Performance Bonus ranging between % of base

4. Snacks at the office

5. Dinner at the office

Application Process

We understand the pain of being dragged through multiple meaningless steps. Here is how we do it. It is a 2 step process:

1. A short interview, which can be done either live or asynchronously.

2. Ideally, we'd have you spend a day in the office with our leadership team, working through an onsite case and presenting your solution to the panel by the end of the day. If you're not based in Bangalore, you can work on the case asynchronously and present your solution over Zoom instead.

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