Upwork

Sr. Director, Marketplace Experience Marketing

Remote

Not SpecifiedCompensation
Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Online Marketplaces, Staffing and Recruiting, BiotechnologyIndustries

Senior Director of Marketplace Experience Marketing

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s largest work marketplace, connecting businesses with highly skilled professionals worldwide. From entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 enterprises, companies trust Upwork’s platform to access expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive meaningful business outcomes.

Upwork’s AI-powered platform has facilitated over $20 billion in economic opportunity for professionals worldwide. With professionals spanning 10,000+ skills, including AI and machine learning, software development, sales and marketing, customer support, finance and accounting, and more, Upwork empowers businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and build agile teams.

Position Overview

Upwork is seeking a strategic, customer-obsessed Senior Director of Marketplace Experience Marketing to lead teams responsible for our product marketing touchpoints across our self-serve marketplace. This role is responsible for owning and optimizing the full journey—turning registrations into customers and deepening engagement through product marketing, lifecycle activation, and feature adoption strategies.

You’ll lead the teams focused on product marketing and lifecycle marketing, building branded experiences that deliver business outcomes, including onboarding, repeat usage, upsell/cross-sell, and long-term loyalty. You’ll work in lockstep with Product, UX, and Analytics to shape how customers engage with Upwork—from their first visit to meaningful value realization.

Responsibilities

  • Define the Marketplace Experience Vision: Lead the creation and execution of an integrated GTM and lifecycle strategy that supports Upwork’s marketplace tiers and drives measurable adoption, engagement, and monetization.
  • Own All Product Marketing Touchpoints: Lead marketing strategy and execution across onboarding, in-product messaging, lifecycle campaigns, and feature launches.
  • Lead Lifecycle Marketing Across Channels: Own the end-to-end lifecycle strategy for both clients and freelancers, including off-platform communication and engagement. Define the calendar of messaging moments and work across brand, creative, and product to ensure every touchpoint drives connection, clarity, and value.
  • Drive Strategic Planning: Own GTM planning across the organization to align product launch, lifecycle, and adoption motions with corporate objectives and marketplace evolution.
  • Operationalize Growth Execution: Translate high-level goals into executional roadmaps and funnel programs, ensuring conversion metrics improve across tiers, categories, and lifecycle stages.
  • Improve Funnel Health: Define and track KPIs across registration, activation, hiring, and repeat usage. Identify bottlenecks and drive the roadmap to remove them.
  • Champion Customer-Centricity: Be the bridge between customer feedback and product leaders to drive holistic improvements to our product. Ensure messaging is grounded in customer needs and expectations, reflects good segmentation, and uses data signals.
  • Enable Executive Clarity: Support GTM storytelling in exec-level forums—board decks, business reviews, and company-wide updates—with clear narratives around funnel impact and experience improvements.

Requirements

  • 15+ years of experience in lifecycle, growth, or product marketing, ideally in a high-scale customer-centric business.
  • Proven success owning product adoption, onboarding, lifecycle engagement, and communications that directly drive retention and revenue.
  • Experience crafting a voice that connects brand to business, and designing messaging strategies that resonate across channels and segments.
  • Deep understanding of customer journey design, onboarding UX, PLG mechanics, and behavioral targeting.
  • Strong leadership skills; ability to build and inspire multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Data fluency; ability to interpret KPIs and turn insights into action.
  • Experience with operational planning and GTM strategy across functions.

Company Information

  • Company: Upwork ($UPWK)
  • Description: The world’s largest work marketplace, connecting businesses with highly skilled professionals worldwide.
  • Economic Opportunity Facilitated: Over $20 billion.
  • Skills Covered: 10,000+ skills including AI and machine learning, software development, sales and marketing, customer support, finance and accounting, and more.

Skills

Product Marketing
Lifecycle Marketing
Go-to-Market Strategy
Customer Engagement
Onboarding
Feature Adoption
User Experience
Marketing Strategy
Campaign Management
Brand Experience

Upwork

Online platform connecting freelancers and clients

About Upwork

Upwork connects freelancers with clients looking for various services in the gig economy, which focuses on short-term contracts instead of permanent jobs. The platform allows freelancers to create profiles that showcase their skills, while clients can post job listings for specific projects. Freelancers bid on these projects, and clients choose the best candidates based on proposals and reviews. Upwork earns revenue through service fees charged to freelancers based on their earnings, with a tiered structure that rewards long-term client relationships. The platform also offers premium memberships and additional services for enhanced visibility and access to job listings. Upwork provides tools for time tracking, invoicing, and project management, making it easier for both freelancers and clients to manage their work and payments. The goal of Upwork is to facilitate successful project completion by bridging the gap between freelancers and clients.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters
2015Year Founded
$143.8MTotal Funding
IPOCompany Stage
Consulting, Enterprise SoftwareIndustries
10,001+Employees

Benefits

Health Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Parental Leave
Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Risks

Increased competition from Fiverr and Toptal threatens Upwork's market share.
The new Fiverr-style Project Catalog may commoditize services, reducing freelancers' perceived value.
Strategic shifts under new management may not align with current client expectations.

Differentiation

Upwork connects freelancers with clients across diverse industries, enhancing global work opportunities.
The platform offers tools like time tracking and invoicing for efficient project management.
Upwork's tiered fee structure incentivizes long-term client relationships, differentiating it from competitors.

Upsides

Upwork's acquisition of Objective AI enhances its AI capabilities for better talent matching.
The introduction of Featured Jobs increases visibility for job posts, attracting more candidates.
Upwork's recognition as the top job posting site boosts its credibility among employers.

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