Business Development Representative, Government

ABOUT HANDSHAKE

Handshake was founded on a simple belief that everyone deserves a path to a great career, regardless of where they went to school or who they know. Today, we power 25 million job seekers, 1 million+ employers, and 1,600 educational institutions.

In 2025, we started Handshake AI and built the fastest-growing AI data business in history. We work directly with frontier AI lab researchers to create evaluations, publish benchmarks, and push the boundary of data. We’ve grown from $0 to ~$1B run rate and pay ~$60M to over 30K individuals every month.

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

• Partner hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions

• Work together with engineers, scientists, operators, and more from Palantir, Meta, Scale AI, and former YC founders

• Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue

ABOUT THE ROLE

At Handshake, we bridge the gap between top talent and opportunity by connecting students and recent grads with employers who value fresh perspectives. Our unique platform empowers organizations to elevate their recruitment strategies and thereby improve their hiring outcomes. As we continue to grow our government partnerships business, we’re seeking a Government BDR who can understand, navigate, and strategize in this sometimes complex, but always rewarding, space. You will be a key member of the Government team, helping inform our GTM strategy & finetune our tactical plan, while working closely with your account executive partners to develop early-stage pipeline for our business.

As a Government Business Development Representative, you will play a crucial role in expanding our footprint within both federal and state & local government organizations, engaging potential clients and stakeholders, and building awareness of how we help these organizations improve their workforces. You’ll navigate complex organizational structures, map out internal influence dynamics, and learn the contracting processes within government organizations. Your goal is to identify opportunities, communicate Handshake value effectively, and drive engagement with influencers & decision-makers while respecting the government’s language, priorities, and procedural requirements.

• Relationship Building: Build and influence relationships with key decision-makers across both federal and state & local departments and agencies. Also, develop strong internal relationships with key cross-functional partners.

• Complex Account Navigation: Engage and raise awareness within the organizational structure of prospects, targeting both leadership roles such as Chief Human Capital Officers and operational roles such as HR managers.

• Budget Strategy & Funding Cycles: Navigate government budgets and funding cycles, aligning solution positioning with these constraints.

• Tailored Communication: Be able to communicate in “government language,” incorporating market familiarity and relevant language to build rapport with stakeholders.

• Organization-Specific Outreach: Tailor messaging to align with each entity’s unique mission and structure.

• Solution Advocacy: Promote our platform’s support for early-carer talent recruitment in line with federal and state & local hiring needs.

• Stakeholder Alignment for Early Talent Initiatives: Communicate familiarity with challenges in early talent recruitment, advocating solutions aligned with federal priorities and regulations.

DESIRED CAPABILITIES

You will have an opportunity to learn and grow at Handshake. We support our BDRs and seek to promote BDRs internally based on demonstrating success in the role, alignment with our values, and a passion for helping students and recent grads.

Your experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in business, government relations, or a relate

Responsibilities

• Inform GTM strategy & finetune tactical plan, working closely with account executive partners to develop early-stage pipeline
• Expand footprint within federal and state & local government organizations, engaging potential clients and stakeholders
• Build awareness of how we help organizations improve their workforces
• Navigate complex organizational structures, map out internal influence dynamics, and learn government contracting processes
• Identify opportunities, communicate Handshake value effectively, and drive engagement with influencers & decision-makers
• Build and influence relationships with key decision-makers across federal and state & local departments and agencies, as well as cross-functional partners
• Engage and raise awareness within organizational structures of prospects, targeting leadership roles (such as Chief Human Capital Officers) and operational roles (such as HR managers)
• Navigate government budgets and funding cycles, aligning solution positioning with these constraints
• Communicate in government language, incorporating market familiarity and relevant language to build rapport with stakeholders
• Tailor messaging to align with each entity's unique mission and structure
• Promote our platform's support for early-carer talent recruitment in line with federal and state & local hiring needs
• Communicate familiarity with challenges in early talent recruitment, advocating solutions aligned with federal priorities and regulations

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in business, government relations, or a related field