Director of Engineering, Marketplace Platforms

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.

Upwork’s Marketplace Platforms team is on a mission to build and scale the critical platforms that power Upwork’s global talent marketplace. Our team owns the foundational technology for Web and Mobile platforms, MarTech infrastructure, and automation services, and plays a key role in enabling AI-driven innovation across the product.

As a Director of Engineering, Marketplace Platforms at Upwork, you will lead engineering teams across Web Platforms (Vue, Nuxt), Mobile Platforms (native and Flutter frameworks), MarTech, and Automation Services. You will also collaborate closely with AI and Machine Learning teams to ensure platform readiness, technical integration, and scalable infrastructure support for new intelligent product experiences. This is an exciting opportunity to lead critical platforms at the heart of Upwork’s marketplace, scale innovation, and shape the future of work for millions of users around the world. If you are passionate about enabling new ways of working powered by cutting-edge platforms and AI, let’s build the future together.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and inspire multiple engineering teams delivering core marketplace platform capabilities across Web, Mobile, MarTech, and Automation Services.
• Drive technical excellence and scalability across our Vue/Nuxt web ecosystem and native/Flutter mobile frameworks.
• Partner with AI/ML teams to support infrastructure needs and accelerate the delivery of intelligent experiences.
• Scale automation and marketing technology solutions that improve reliability, discoverability, and growth of the marketplace.
• Build and evolve internal tooling, frameworks, and workflows that enable engineering teams to move faster with less friction, reducing context switching and accelerating velocity by leveraging modern engineering advancements.
• Invest in SDLC visualization and platform-level insights to help teams identify bottlenecks, streamline handoffs, and drive continuous improvement across the full product development lifecycle.
• Cultivate a culture of innovation, technical craftsmanship, operational excellence, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Mentor engineering managers and senior engineers, fostering growth, accountability, and high performance.
• Contribute to strategic planning, roadmap development, and platform investment prioritization in partnership with senior leadership.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• Proven experience leading multi-team engineering organizations with a focus on application platforms, developer experience, or marketplace enablement.
• Deep technical expertise with modern web frameworks (Vue, Nuxt) and mobile development (native, Flutter).
• Experience building scalable APIs, distributed systems, and high-availability cloud architectures, especially in support of AI/ML product integration.
• Track record of improving engineering velocity through thoughtful investments in tooling, automation, and developer workflows.
• Passion for driving SDLC insights and process transparency through data, instrumentation, and cross-team collaboration.
• Strong ability to collaborate with cross-functional leaders in AI, Product, Design, and Marketing to drive end-to-end platform outcomes.
• Commitment to building a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing engineering culture.

Come change how the world works.

At Upwork, you’ll shape the future of work for a global, remote-first workforce, creating economic opportunities for professionals worldwide. While we have a physical office in Palo Alto, we currently hire full-time employees in 21 U.S. states, making it easier than ever to join our mission from wherever you call home.

Our culture is built on trust, risk-taking, customer focus, and excellence, all in service of our core mission: to create economic opportunities so people have better lives. We embrace authenticity and inclusion, encouraging everyone to bring their whole selves to work. Personal and professional growth is a priority here, supported through development programs, mentorship, and our Upwork Belonging Communities.

We’re proud to offer benefits that go beyond the basics, including comprehensive medical coverage for you and your family, unlimited PTO, a 401(k) plan with matching, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Visit our Life at Upwork page to learn more about our values, working principles, and the overall employee experience.

Ready to help shape the future of work? Check out our Careers page and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. to learn more about life at Upwork.

Upwork is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics under federal, state, or local law.

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.

To learn more about how Upwork processes and protects your personal information as part of the application process, please review our Global Job Applicant Privacy Notice