Your impact
Handshake is building a world-class network of AI experts - PhDs, researchers, and subject matter specialists - who contribute to our generative AI efforts through specialized research, model evaluation, and domain-specific applications. As a Growth Marketer, you’ll lead the strategy and execution that expands and nurtures this expert community. You’ll help define how we reach and engage world-class technical talent, combining full-funnel marketing acumen with an appreciation for the nuances of academic and research audiences. This is a foundational role at the intersection of community, growth, and technical brand-building.
You’ll be responsible for setting new standards for how high-signal technical networks are built, scaled, and retained - with a measurable impact on the growth of Handshake’s AI product portfolio.
Your role
Design and lead growth marketing initiatives to attract and engage top-tier AI researchers, PhDs, and domain experts.
Develop multi-channel campaigns - spanning content, social, email, partnerships, and paid - that reflect the values and motivations of highly technical audiences.
Partner with Product, Operations, and Engineering to ensure marketing is tightly aligned with roadmap milestones, expert lifecycle design, and AI program goals.
Lead and mentor a small, agile team focused on community growth, lifecycle marketing, and channel performance.
Own key growth metrics across acquisition, engagement, and retention - implementing performance tracking, funnel optimization, and experiment design.
Build and scale lifecycle marketing infrastructure using CRM platforms (e.g., Iterable), ensuring targeted and personalized outreach at each stage of the expert journey.
Strengthen Handshake’s technical brand across LinkedIn, Twitter, research forums, and other channels frequented by AI researchers.
Operate as a thought partner to senior leadership, influencing how we position and evolve our AI network strategy at scale.
Your experience
5-7+ years of experience in growth marketing or user acquisition - ideally targeting technical or academic audiences.
1-3 years of direct management experience, with the ability to lead, coach, and develop others across growth or marketing functions.
Proven track record owning end-to-end growth strategies with measurable results, from campaign development through experimentation and optimization.
Deep understanding of SEO, paid acquisition (LinkedIn, Google Ads, Meta), and digital channel performance.
Experience running lifecycle marketing programs using CRM platforms (e.g., Iterable, HubSpot, Salesforce) and analytics tools (e.g., GA, Looker, Amplitude).
Skilled in data-driven decision-making - comfortable using marketing analytics and A/B testing to drive growth and channel improvements.
Excellent communication and positioning instincts, with the ability to translate complex ideas into compelling narratives.
Energized by ambiguity, fast iteration, and building from the ground up.
Experience working with or marketing to AI, ML, or research communities is a strong plus.
Bonus areas of expertise
Familiarity with AI/ML workflows, data labeling, model evaluation, or technical hiring pipelines
Proficiency in SQL or similar analytical tools
Experience working with or marketing within open-source, research, or academic communities
Background in brand marketing for highly technical B2C products