We are seeking a Vice President of Marketing to lead and scale the company’s end-to-end
marketing function, with a clear mandate: build a durable, performance-driven growth engine
that delivers measurable business outcomes.
This role sits at the center of Marketplace performance, accountable for the systems that drive
acquisition, activation, and monetization across SMB and mid-market customers - and for
ensuring those systems scale efficiently and predictably.
We have strong foundations: a scaled marketplace, global supply, and growing demand across
key AI categories. What’s needed now is a step-change in how we convert that demand into
durable growth.
This is a senior executive role with significant autonomy and company-wide influence. You will
lead a multi-disciplinary organization and partner closely with Product, Engineering, Data
Science, and Finance to improve the full customer journey.
Responsibilities
*Own and scale the Marketplace growth system for SMB and mid-market customers,
translating company strategy into a multi-year, integrated operating plan across
acquisition, activation, engagement, and monetization, with clear accountability to
business outcomes such as GSV per active client and overall company growth.
*Drive a step-change in how Marketing operates by scaling experimentation, improving
efficiency, and building a more integrated, high-performing system across all
disciplines.
*Define and lead the long-term vision, strategy, and execution roadmap for Marketing,
positioning the function as a core driver of growth, profitability, and competitive
differentiation aligned to Upwork’s enterprise priorities.
*Lead performance marketing and demand generation across channels - including paid,
organic, lifecycle, and emerging surfaces - with a focus on high-intent demand capture,
efficient acquisition, faster time-to-first-hire, and long-term customer value.
*Oversee Product Marketing, Brand, and Content to ensure clear positioning, strong
trust signals, and a seamless path from discovery to hire for SMB and mid-market
buyers.
*Operate as an enterprise leader, influencing company strategy, investment decisions,
and cross-functional priorities as a member of the extended leadership team.
What it takes to catch our eye
*Deep experience building and scaling performance-led growth systems, with
demonstrated ownership of acquisition efficiency, funnel optimization, and long-term
customer value in a scaled marketplace or platform business.
*Proven track record of operating at an enterprise level, setting vision and strategy for a
marketing function or business unit, and delivering measurable impact on company
growth and financial performance.
*Strong command of paid acquisition, SEO, lifecycle marketing, and experimentation,
with the ability to translate data into clear decisions, tradeoffs, and investment
strategies.
*Experience integrating multiple marketing disciplines (performance, brand, product
marketing, content) into a cohesive, high-impact system aligned to business outcomes.
*Deep experience serving SMB and/or mid-market business customers, with a strong
understanding of buyer intent, urgency, budget sensitivity, and the need for fast, trusted
outcomes.
*Fluency in data, experimentation, and marketing analytics, with the ability to partner
effectively with analytics and finance to guide forecasting, capital allocation, and ROI
decisions.
*Comfort operating in an AI-forward environment, using AI to accelerate analysis,
experimentation, and execution while applying strong judgment to guide decisions.
*A leadership style grounded in clarity, accountability, and outcomes, with the ability to
align cross-functional leaders and deliver results at scale through others.
Please note that a criminal background check may be required once a conditional job offer is made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with applicable law, including the California Fair Chance Act and local Fair Chance ordinances. The Company is committed to conducting an individualized assessment and giving all individuals a fair opportunity to provide relevant information or context before making any final employment decision.