Accounts Payable Accountant

Your Impact
As an Accounts Payable Accountant at Handshake AI, you’ll ensure the timely, accurate, and scalable processing, tracking, and reporting of all contractor payments. In our fast-moving environment, this role plays a key part in maintaining strong relationships with service providers, ensuring contractual compliance, and supporting the financial health of projects and the company. You’ll leverage automation, data insights, and cross-functional collaboration to streamline workflows and enable smarter decision-making.

• Process and verify contractor payment requests with speed, accuracy, and compliance to contract terms.

• Investigate and resolve billing discrepancies, ensuring issues are addressed quickly and collaboratively.

• Manage approval, scheduling, and release of payments in line with company policies and project timelines.

• Maintain organized, accessible, and audit-ready payment records.

• Reconcile accounts payable sub-ledgers with the general ledger and investigate discrepancies.

• Create and maintain real-time payment tracking and reporting dashboards.

• Ensure compliance with tax requirements and support audit or regulatory review processes.

• Proactively communicate payment schedules, monitor cash flow needs, and flag potential financial risks.

• Identify, recommend, and lead automation or process improvement initiatives to boost efficiency and accuracy.

Your Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.

• 2+ years of experience in accounts payable or a related finance function, ideally in a high-growth environment

• Strong understanding of contract terms, payment controls, and AP best practices.

• Proficiency with accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks, NetSuite) and advanced Excel skills.

• Strong quantitative, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate data into insights.

• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to thrive under tight deadlines.

• Clear and concise communicator, comfortable working cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment.

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 building the future of human data for AI.

We partner directly with top AI labs to power large language model (LLM) training and evaluation with high-quality, expert-generated data. As AI models become more sophisticated, the demand for specialized human input continues to grow—and Handshake is uniquely positioned to meet it. We power career platforms at 92% of the top U.S. universities, giving us direct access to verified expert talent across a wide range of domains.

Our AI team is rapidly building a new generation of human data products—from expert annotation platforms to AI interviewers and seamless payout infrastructure—all designed to accelerate research and improve model performance.

We’ve assembled a world-class team from YC, Notion, Scale, Coinbase, Palantir, and more, and we’re working directly with many of the world’s leading AI research labs. This is a unique opportunity to join a fast-growing team shaping the future of AI through better data, better tools, and better systems—for experts, by experts.

What we offer

At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.

Benefits below apply to US 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.

• 📚 Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000 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 5x a week across all offices.

• 🏋️ Free gym access in San Francisco office building.

• 🤝 Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.

• 🧗🏼Team outings throughout the year to stay connected to each other.

• 🏦 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 13 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.

• 💻 Handshake offers $500 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.

• 🍼 Family support: Parental leave coaching and support provided by Parentaly. We partner with Maven Clinic to provide a lifetime coverage up to $15K for expenses related to fertility and family forming!

• 💰 Lifestyle Savings Account: We offer you an annual stipend of $500 to use for purchases such as fitness classes, gym memberships, work-from-home setup, and more.

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 let your recruiter know during initial communications.