About Upwork
What is Upwork?
Upwork Inc. (NASDAQ: UPWK) is the world's largest online marketplace for freelance work, connecting businesses with independent professionals across web development, graphic design, content writing, marketing, AI, and dozens of other categories. Formed in 2013 through the merger of Elance and oDesk and listed publicly in 2018, Upwork now supports 18+ million active freelancers and 800,000+ corporate clients. Annual revenues exceed $750M.
Where will I work?
Upwork is remote-first with a corporate hub split between Santa Clara and San Francisco, California. Many roles in the current pipeline are advertised as remote-anywhere in the US.
What is the Upwork team like?
A ~600-person corporate team building the marketplace platform, payments, trust & safety, and the AI tooling that increasingly powers job matching. Recent hires concentrate in AI/ML, product, M&A integration, and customer-facing operations.
Work-Life Balance
Upwork's corporate employees receive unlimited PTO, layered on top of a 401(k) plan with employer matching, 12 weeks paid parental leave, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The benefits language is documented verbatim in their public job descriptions: "comprehensive medical coverage for you and your family, unlimited PTO, a 401(k) plan with matching, 12 weeks of paid parental leave."
Note that this benefits package applies to direct US employees. Some international roles (e.g. via an "employment partner" arrangement) may have separate benefits — check the specific JD.
Perks and Benefits
- Unlimited PTO — verbatim in Upwork JD boilerplate on Greenhouse.
- Comprehensive medical coverage for employee and family.
- 401(k) with employer matching.
- 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) — public company equity (NASDAQ: UPWK).
- Remote-first roles with many positions advertised as remote within the US.
How to Apply
Apply directly via Upwork careers on Greenhouse. Multi-stage interview typically includes recruiter screen + hiring manager + technical/functional panel + final.