Lead Product Designer

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.

We’re looking for a Lead Product Designer to join our Marketplace team, which is responsible for shaping the experiences across all sides of our two-sided platform—connecting clients and talent around the world to get work done. As a Lead Product Designer, you'll own and elevate the design strategy for workflows that are core to our customers' success.

In this role, you'll help shape the future of work by designing intuitive, seamless interactions that enhance how clients and talent collaborate on Upwork—from project setup to successful delivery. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore how emerging technologies like AI, large language models (LLMs), and intelligent automation can unlock new value and simplify complex workflows across the marketplace.

Join us in reimagining how work gets done—and make a meaningful impact on millions of users around the world.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end product design from discovery and concepting through launch and iteration—delivering high-quality wireframes, prototypes, and polished experiences with strong craft.

• Collaborate deeply with cross-functional partners (PMs, engineers, researchers, data scientists, and other designers) to frame problems, explore ideas, and shape product direction through implementation.

• Leverage data, user insights, and emerging technologies to inform design decisions and uncover opportunities to improve contract lifecycle workflows. This includes prototyping with AI-powered capabilities and integrating intelligent automation where it adds value.

• Drive experimentation and continuous improvement by running A/B tests, conducting qualitative user research, and using rapid prototyping to validate hypotheses and evolve the product based on real-world feedback.

• Build and share design artifacts—from early concepts to detailed specs—that bring ideas to life and keep stakeholders aligned.

• Mentor others and contribute to design culture, sharing best practices, giving constructive feedback, and championing design quality across the team.

What it takes to catch our eye

• Proven experience designing complex, multi-step workflows, ideally in contract, project management, or marketplace environments.

• Strong experimentation mindset—comfortable with A/B testing, user research, and using data to refine designs.

• A compelling portfolio that demonstrates end-to-end product design across web and mobile—highlighting interaction, visual, and UX design with clear rationale for your decisions.

• Strong communicator and collaborator, with a track record of shaping product strategy through design.

• Mastery of tools like Figma, plus experience with user testing and AI prototyping tools like V0, Galileo, or similar.

• Familiarity with designing for AI-powered experiences, including intelligent workflows, LLM use cases, or cross-functional collaboration with ML/AI teams.

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