Fellow Experience Manager - India
Handshake
Location
India
Employment Type
Full time
Location Type
On-site
Department
Global Support
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.