Senior Director of Product Management - Payments and Risk

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We serve everyone from one-person startups to large, Fortune 100 enterprises with a powerful, trust-driven platform that enables companies and talent to work together in new ways that unlock their potential.

Last year, more than $3.8 billion of work was done through Upwork by skilled professionals who are gaining more control by finding work they are passionate about and innovating their careers.

The Payments team at Upwork manages over $4 billion in pay-ins and payouts annually across 180 countries. As a product-led growth company, we believe that Payments plays a pivotal role in driving inorganic growth. We are seeking a business-minded, strategic Senior Director of Product to lead the strategic direction of our payments products and elevate our platform’s capabilities. At Upwork, we see the customer experience as a direct reflection of our platform's capabilities. Developing a platform that supports multiple geographies presents unique challenges, and we’re looking for a leader with a proven track record in developing global product strategies that drive innovation and go-to-market efficiency.

Our ideal candidate excels in creating product strategies that fuel growth by seamlessly integrating internal capabilities with solutions from external fintech providers. This role reports directly to the GM of the Payments business unit and will be a key member of the Payments BU leadership team.

Responsibilities:

• Define and drive the product strategy and roadmap for Payments, aligning closely with functional partners. Set clear product prioritization, balancing immediate results with long-term investments in technology platforms. A core component of this responsibility is to keep in mind the global nature of Upwork’s customer footprint, market dynamics, prominent payment methods, and regulatory frameworks.

• Own product commitments and business outcomes. Communicate strategies, roadmaps, and trade-offs effectively to senior leaders and partnering teams. Represent Payments-led initiatives cross-functionally as well as be the primary thought partner from Payments on other Upwork initiatives.

• Keep the customer front and center always, and collaborate closely across Product, Design, Product Marketing, Analytics, and Customer Experience leaders to create intuitive customer experiences. Identify customer challenges and develop innovative solutions leveraging the best mix of products and programs.

• Define metrics and KPIs to measure the success of the product portfolio and make data-driven decisions to improve product performance. Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify opportunities for innovation and competitive differentiation.

• Manage the product lifecycle from concept through launch and beyond, ensuring timely delivery of products to market. Advocate for efficiency improvements in product operations and PDLC.

• Mentor and guide team members. Foster an environment of innovation and high performance in the PM team.

• Converge product and engineering thinking to judicious platform investments that translate business and marketplace requirements into versatile payments and risk platform capabilities, adaptable to multiple payment processors, payment types, and models.

• Partner cross-functionally to develop a comprehensive payments and tax compliance roadmap that meets the needs of internal and external stakeholders, safeguarding our customers from fraudulent activities, and keeping us compliant with network and regulatory standards.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• 8-10+ years of robust product management experience, with at least 5 years focused on payments, risk management, and/or marketplace platforms.

• 4+ years of people management experience, demonstrating the ability to lead and develop high-performing teams.

• Deep subject matter expertise in payment archetypes, technologies, integrations, and regulatory landscape required to bring scalable global payment solutions to market.

• Demonstrated ownership, drive, and willingness to exceed expectations. Ability to operate independently.

• Ability to balance technical knowledge with commercial insight, conceiving and effectively advocating feasible solutions that significantly impact the business. Balances needs of different customer segments of the marketplace.

• Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills, capable of influencing a diverse range of stakeholders across the organization.

Come change how the world works.

At Upwork, you’ll shape talent solutions for how the world works today. We are a remote-first organization working together to create exciting remote work opportunities for a global community of professionals. While we have physical offices in San Francisco and Chicago, currently we also hire full-time employees in 19 states in the United States.

At the core of our vibrant culture are shared values that form the foundation of our organization. These values revolve around trust, risk-taking, customer focus, and excellence. Our overarching mission is to create economic opportunities so that people have better lives. We foster an environment where individuals are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work, nurturing personal and professional growth through development opportunities, mentorship programs, and participation in Upwork Belonging Communities.

We take pride in providing exceptional benefits to our employees. These include comprehensive medical insurance coverage for both you and your family, unlimited paid time off, a 401(k) plan with matching contributions, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. To explore these benefits in detail, as well as gain insights into our company values, working principles, and the overall employee experience, we invite you to visit our Life at Upwork page.

Check out our Careers page to learn more about the employee experience.

Upwork is proudly committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we never discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.