Director, Internal Communications

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.

We are seeking a seasoned and strategic Director of Internal Communications to lead and manage our internal communications function. Reporting to the VP, Communications the Director, Internal Communications will be a key leader on Upwork’s Communications team, which is responsible for telling stories that increase Upwork awareness and favorable brand perception with internal and external stakeholders. 

As the Director, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the organization's internal messaging, and driving and ensuring consistent, impactful, and creative communications that align with our company's values, goals, and culture. You will be responsible for designing and executing comprehensive communication strategies that engage and inform our team members across various levels and locations. We are in a time of transformation, and we are looking for a thoughtful builder who can audit our existing efforts and further evolve our program. You will work alongside our executive team and will bring your maturity and emotional intelligence to bear in this high visibility and high accountability role. This is an exciting chance to make your mark by educating and inspiring our workforce of both full-time employees and freelancers to do their best work.

Your Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a forward-thinking internal communication strategy that supports the organization's business objectives, fosters employee engagement, and enhances overall company culture.
• Lead all corporate internal communications and content for various channels – including All Hands, weekly Q&As, leadership forums, and communications from our C-suite.
• Expand our internal communications tools and systems for maximum impact and utility, including nurturing our nascent company intranet.
• Be a trusted advisor, building relationships across the business and partnering with our leadership team to ensure buy-in on the strategy and excellence in execution.
• Ideate and drive effective campaigns around critical company priorities and collaborate closely with cross-functional teams on change management and crisis communications.
• Collaborate with HR to design and execute programs that drive employee engagement, satisfaction, and a sense of belonging within the organization.
• Evolve our metrics and feedback mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of internal communication initiatives. Use data-driven insights to continually refine strategies and tactics.
• Stay current with industry best practices, emerging trends, and technologies in internal communication to recommend and implement innovative tools and approaches.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Experience working for organizations that are scaling and going through change.
• Experience working remotely and communicating with distributed teams.
• Proven success collaborating with and influencing cross-functional partners and executives.
• Experiencing building and leading a team.
• Equal parts thinker and doer. 
• Strong project management skills, ability to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously and prioritize.
• Flexibility and growth mindset.
• A calm demeanor under pressure.
• Attention to detail.

The annual base salary for this position in California and Washington ranges from $136,000 - $253,00. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salary for this position in California and Washington, and individual base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Additionally, this position is eligible for the annual bonus plan or sales incentive plan and eligibility to participate in our long term equity incentive program.

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 support hiring of corporate full-time employees in 19 states in the United States. Please speak with a member of our recruitment team to determine whether you are located in a state in which we are hiring corporate full-time employees. 

At the core of our vibrant culture are shared values that