Software Engineer, Agentic Infrastructure

Handshake
San Francisco, US
On-site

Who this role is best for

Best suited to mid-level backend engineers with AI infrastructure experience working in San Francisco, who thrive in greenfield projects at the intersection of AI and distributed systems.

Best fit for

  • Backend engineers with hands-on LLM orchestration experience seeking AI infrastructure challenges.
    — “Hands-on experience building with LLM orchestration frameworks
  • Distributed systems specialists comfortable defining engineering standards for AI agents.
    — “Establish engineering standards for agentic development
  • NodeJS/Python developers who've shipped high-reliability systems at scale.
    — “A track record of shipping production systems with high reliability

Things to consider

  • San Francisco office presence expected despite remote-friendly policies.
    — “free lunch/gym in our SF office
  • Must collaborate closely with ML and product teams on tight timelines.
    — “ship agent-powered features from infrastructure to production at Olympic pace

How to stand out

  • Showcase contributions to open-source agent frameworks beyond required experience.
    — “Open-source contributions to LLM or agent frameworks
  • Highlight specific scale metrics from past distributed systems work.
    — “operating distributed systems at significant scale
  • Demonstrate cross-functional alignment experience beyond technical execution.
    — “drive alignment across engineering & cross-functional partners
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Mid

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • architect & build the core agent orchestration layer
  • design evaluation, observability, & reliability frameworks
  • establish engineering standards for agentic development
Typical background
2-4 years of backend engineering experienceexperience designing & operating distributed systems at significant scale

Skills & requirements

Required

Backend EngineeringNode.jsTypeScriptPythonLLM Orchestration FrameworksCloud InfrastructureCI/CDDocker

Preferred

Open-source Contributions To LLM Or Agent FrameworksPrior Experience At An Ai-native Company

Stack & domain

Backend EngineeringNode.jsTypeScriptPythonLlm Orchestration FrameworksCloud InfrastructureCI/CDDockerCommunicationTeamworkAIInfrastructureSoftware Engineering

About the role

Original posting from Handshake via Ashby

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 & peers can see & feel
  • Work hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners & the world's top educational institutions
  • Join a team with leadership from Scale AI, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, & Palantir, among others
  • Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue

THE ROLE

Handshake is building the infrastructure layer that powers the next generation of AI agents across our platform. As a Software Engineer on our Agentic Infrastructure team, you'll be at forefront of AI at Handshake, will architect & build the foundational systems that allow AI agents to plan, execute, & operate autonomously at scale. This is a rare greenfield opportunity to define how an AI-first company builds for the agentic era — at the intersection of infrastructure, AI, & direct product impact.

  • Architect & build the core agent orchestration layer — including tool use, memory, & multi-step reasoning systems — that powers AI-driven features for 20M+ users & 1M+ employers across Handshake's platform
  • Design evaluation, observability, & reliability frameworks that ensure agent behavior is safe, auditable, & production-ready at scale
  • Establish engineering standards for agentic development across Handshake's platform teams, enabling every engineer to build with AI
  • Partner with ML, product, & platform engineers to ship agent-powered features from infrastructure to production at Olympic pace

YOU HAVE

Must-Haves:

  • 2-4 years of backend engineering experience, with strong proficiency in NodeJS, Typescript, &/or Python
  • Experience designing & operating distributed systems at significant scale for developer experience
  • Hands-on experience building with LLM orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar)
  • Deep understanding of agent architectures: tool use, multi-step reasoning, memory management, & evaluation
  • Experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure) & infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform
  • Experience with Node, JavaScript, CICD, Docker
  • A track record of shipping production systems with high reliability, low latency, & strong observability
  • Strong communication skills & ability to drive alignment across engineering & cross-functional partners

Bonus Points:

  • Open-source contributions to LLM or agent frameworks
  • Prior experience at an AI-native company or on a dedicated AI platform team

WE OFFER

Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supported — and thrive at work and in life.

The below benefits are for full-time US employees.

🎯 Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company

💰 Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching

🍼 Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching

💝 Wellbeing: Medical, dental, & vision, mental health support, $500 wellness stipend

📚 Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development

💻 Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, & free lunch/gym in our SF office

🏝 Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days

🤝 Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses

Explore our mission, values, & comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers http://joinhandshake.com/careers.

Source: Handshake careers (Ashby)

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