Lead Recruiter, India

About Handshake

Handshake serves as the premier career network for the AI economy, connecting 20 million knowledge workers with over 1,600 educational institutions and 1 million employers — including every Fortune 50 company and essential AI labs. The platform supports diverse career paths, from freelance AI training gigs to internships and full-time employment, fueling unprecedented growth such as a tripling of annual recurring revenue in 2025.

Why Join Handshake Now

• Influence the evolution of careers in the expanding AI economy at a global scale with significant visible impact.
• Collaborate closely with leading AI research labs, Fortune 500 companies, and top-tier educational institutions worldwide.
• Be part of an experienced leadership team with backgrounds in major tech companies such as Scale AI, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir.
• Contribute to building a fast-growing enterprise generating multi-billion dollar revenues.

Job Role Overview

We are seeking a Lead Recruiter based in Bangalore to drive recruitment across business, operations, and technical functions for our expanding India office. Reporting to the Senior Manager of Recruiting, you will work with various stakeholders to craft talent acquisition strategies and develop recruitment processes while helping scale the team from inception.

This position requires physical presence at our Bangalore office three days per week. The primary office hours are 4 PM to 4 AM, though this role will operate from 11 AM to 8 PM to better accommodate candidate availability.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with hiring managers and senior leaders to understand hiring needs, define role scopes, and prioritize recruitment efforts.
• Manage the entire recruitment cycle for a diverse range of roles, including sourcing, interviewing, offer management, and hiring closure.
• Take lead on scheduling candidates and managing interview operations during evening and overnight hours (4 PM–2 AM).
• Develop and maintain talent pipelines for challenging business, operational, and technical roles across India and other regions by engaging passive candidates and fostering long-term relationships.
• Provide valuable intelligence on local and international talent markets, including compensation trends and competitive factors to guide recruitment decisions.
• Coordinate cross-time-zone interview scheduling and candidate logistics to ensure a seamless and timely hiring experience.
• Assist in creating and refining recruitment processes and operational norms as the India office expands.
• Guarantee a positive, professional candidate experience that aligns with Handshake AI’s values and operational standards.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum of seven years in full-cycle recruiting encompassing business, operational, and technical positions.
• Proven background working in startup environments or rapidly scaling companies, with adeptness at managing ambiguity and evolving methodologies.
• Demonstrated success partnering with hiring managers and senior executives with strong communication and expectation management skills.
• Experience recruiting technical or niche roles with the ability to understand key skill sets and collaborate effectively with technical interviewers.
• Proficient in sourcing candidates through LinkedIn Recruiter, Boolean search strategies, CRM tools, and employee referrals.
• Capability to manage both recruiting operations and individual requisitions ownership simultaneously.
• Skilled in analyzing recruitment metrics and trends, adjusting approaches accordingly.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, competent in liaising across time zones and various teams.