Everyone is welcome at Handshake. We know diverse teams build better products and we are committed to creating an inclusive culture built on a foundation of respect for all individuals. We strongly encourage candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, historically marginalized or underrepresented groups to apply.
Your impact
As the Director of Customer Success and Operations, you will play a pivotal role in our European leadership team, unifying and leading our customer success and operations teams across both Education and Employer business segments. Your strategic direction and operational leadership will drive customer satisfaction, retention, and revenue growth. By aligning our customer success efforts with broader business objectives and collaborating closely with Sales, Product, and Marketing teams, you will help shape the customer experience and set the foundation for Handshake to become the leading early career network in Europe.
About you
You are a seasoned leader with a proven ability to manage and mentor customer success teams in dynamic, growth-focused environments. You excel in balancing strategic vision with hands-on operational management, and you’re an exceptional communicator, skilled at conveying complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences. With strong experience in scaling and developing teams, particularly during growth phases, you drive operational excellence through efficiency and data-driven decision-making. Your collaborative approach ensures alignment of customer success with broader company goals, making you the ideal candidate to lead and elevate our customer success efforts.
Your role
- Provide strategic and operational leadership to customer success teams across the Education and Employer business, as well as the operations team, ensuring alignment and collaboration toward shared goals.
- Motivate, mentor, and develop team members, fostering their growth and guiding their professional development.
- Oversee operations to ensure efficiency, data-driven decision-making, and seamless support across both Employer and Education Success functions.
- Develop and implement strategies focused on retention, customer satisfaction, adoption, and revenue growth, in alignment with company objectives.
- Lead strategic planning and set quarterly and annual OKRs.
- Collaborate with Sales, Product, and Marketing teams to align customer success initiatives with broader business objectives.
- Build processes and identify tools to enhance quality and operational efficiency.
Your experience
- Over 10 years of experience in Customer Success, including more than 5 years leading teams in SaaS environments, with a focus on customer retention and revenue growth.
- Proven track record in managing and developing teams in high-growth, dynamic settings, including experience in managing team leaders.
- Skilled in balancing strategic vision with hands-on operational management, driving both long-term success and daily operational efficiency.
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to lead complex discussions and build strong relationships across multiple functions.
- Proficient in Salesforce, data analytics tools, and productivity platforms, with a strong ability to drive data-informed decision-making within the team.
- Adept at navigating ambiguity and thriving in a dynamic work environment, with the agility to pivot quickly in response to shifting business priorities.
For cash compensation, we set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. In order to be compliant with local legislation, as well as to provide greater transparency to candidates, we share salary ranges on all job postings regardless of desired hiring location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including geographic location as well as candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.
About us
Handshake is the #1 place to launch a career with no connections, experience, or luck required. The platform connects up-and-coming talent with 750,000+ employers - from Fortune 500 companies like Google, Nike, and Target to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, and nonprofits. In 2022 we announced our $200M Series F funding round. This Series F fundraise and valuation of $3.5B will fuel Handshake’s next phase of growth and propel our mission to help more people start, restart, and jumpstart their careers.
When it comes to our workforce strategy, we’ve thought deeply about how work-life should look at Handshake. With our hybrid-work model, employees benefit from collaboration and shared team experiences three days per week in our vibrant offices, and enjoy the flexibility of remote work two days per week. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London, and Berlin.
What we offer
At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.
Benefits below apply to employees in full-time positions.
- 💰 Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company.
- 🍼 16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents.
- 💝 Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGTBQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support.
- 💻 Handshake offers $500/£360 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.
- 📚 Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000/£1,500/€1,850 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
- 💰 Financial coaching through Origin to help you through your financial journey.
- 🛜 Monthly internet stipend and a brand new MacBook to allow you to do your best work.
- 🚃 Monthly commuter stipend for you to expense your travel to the office (for office-based employees).
- 🥗 Free lunch provided twice a week across all offices.
- 🤝 Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.
(US-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏦 401k Match: Handshake offers a dollar-for-dollar match on 1% of deferred salary, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.
- 🏝 All full-time US-based Handshakers are eligible for our flexible time off policy to get out and see the world. In addition, we offer 8 standardized holidays, and 2 additional days of flexible holiday time off. Lastly, we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off.
- 🍼 Family support: We partner with Milk Stork to provide comprehensive 100% employer-sponsored lactation support to traveling parents and guardians. Parental leave coaching and support provided by Parentaly.
(UK-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏦 Pension Scheme: Handshake will provide you with a workplace pension, where you will make contributions based on 5% of your salary. Handshake will pay the equivalent of 3% towards your pension plan, subject to qualifying earnings limits.
- 🏝 Up to 25 days of vacation to encourage people to reset, recharge, and refresh, in addition to 8 bank holidays throughout the year.
- 🤝 Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco.
- 🛍️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake UK employees.
(Germany-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏝 25 days of annual leave + 5 days of a winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off across the company.
- 🤝 Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco once a year.
- 🧘 Urban sports club membership offering access to a diverse network of fitness and wellness facilities.
- 🛍️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake Germany employees.
Looking for more? Explore our mission, values and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.
Handshake is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at [email protected].
Top Skills
What We Do
Handshake is the #1 place to launch a career with no connections, experience, or luck required. The platform connects up-and-coming talent with 650,000+ employers - from Fortune 500 companies like Google, Nike, and Target to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, and nonprofits. Earlier this year, we announced our $200M Series F funding round. This Series F fundraise and new valuation of $3.5B will fuel Handshake’s next phase of growth and propel our mission to help more people start, restart, and jumpstart their careers.
Why Work With Us
How someone builds their career is foundational. We believe in working with the higher education community to help students build meaningful careers. We are at the nexus of universities, students and employers— and we’re able to connect the very best pieces of each side. We’re proud to create a community where students can be more successful.
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