Fellow Experience Manager - India

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 and peers can see and feel • Work hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions • Join a team with leadership from Scale AI, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir, among others • Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue About the Role Handshake AI is scaling rapidly to support hundreds of thousands of Fellows working across high-volume, fast-evolving AI projects and frontier lab customers. The Fellow Experience (FEXP) team is the frontline engine that ensures Fellows receive timely, accurate, and high-quality support. We are seeking a Fellow Experience Manager to lead an India-based team of Fellow Experience Specialists (support agents) responsible for reactive ticket support, including overnight coverage for the global organization. This role owns team performance, quality, and health within a high-volume, SLA-driven environment. FEXP operates across three geographies — the United States, India, and Guatemala — and requires tight coordination across time zones to ensure continuous coverage and consistent standards. As one of the leaders in a newly established geo, this manager will play a critical role in building strong operational foundations, setting performance expectations, and ensuring seamless handoffs across regions. This is a hands-on people leadership role in a fast-paced AI environment. You will ensure your team consistently meets SLAs, quality standards, and CSAT targets while building a high-performance culture capable of absorbing rapid product changes and volume spikes. Desired Capabilities Team Performance, SLA & Overnight Coverage Accountability • Own your team’s delivery against SLAs, quality standards, and CSAT targets • Ensure consistent overnight coverage and smooth follow-the-sun transitions • Monitor productivity, quality scores, backlog, and staffing coverage daily • Proactively adjust staffing and shift structures to manage volume fluctuations • Maintain operational stability during incidents or product changes occurring outside US hours Building & Scaling the India Pod • Establish strong team norms, accountability standards, and performance expectations in a newly expanding geo • Hire, onboard, and ramp new agents quickly without sacrificing quality • Embed documentation discipline and operational rigor from day one • Identify team health risks early and correct course quickly • Partner cross-geo to ensure consistency in performance standards and cultural alignment Coaching, Development & Team Health • Coach Fellow Experience Specialists on performance fundamentals, documentation hygiene, and escalation judgment • Run consistent 1:1s, performance reviews, and structured feedback cycles • Identify team health issues early and intervene proactively • Manage underperformance, including structured improvement plans • Maintain morale and psychological safety within a high-intensity, overnight-support environment Escalations & Incident Stabilization • Handle complex or high-risk Fellow escalations independently • Act as the primary decision-maker during overnight disruptions or urgent incidents • Provide structured updates and ensure clean documentation for cross-geo handoffs • Ensure escalation paths are clear, followed, and reinforced through coaching Documentation & Change Readiness • Ensure SOPs, macros, and internal documentation are updated rapidly as product changes occur • Build habits of immediate documentation updates in response to AI product velocity • Drive adoption of workflow changes within hours or days — not weeks • Reinforce clarity and consistency across shifts to prevent misalignment Cross-Geo & Cross-Functional Collaboration • Coordinate closely with FEXP managers in the US and Guatemala to ensure seamless 24/7 coverage • Ensure clean transitions between shifts and time zones • Partner with other teams on training updates and workflow adjustments • Surface recurring Fellow pain points and product inconsistencies • Provide structured, actionable insights (not just updates) to stakeholders What We’re Looking For • 8+ years in high-volume customer support startup environments • 4+ years managing frontline support agents (FTE and/or contractors) • Experience managing follow-the-sun support agents for US-based company • Experience in fast-scaling, rapidly changing product environments (AI or technical experience preferred) • Calm and decisive in high-volume, high-pressure environments • Demonstrated ownership of SLAs, CSAT, and QA performance • Deep working knowledge of support tooling (Zendesk or similar) • Exceptional EQ with a strong sense of empathy with both team members and Fellows • Strong judgment under ambiguity • Bias toward action and operational clarity.