Manager, Trust & Safety - Escalations

At Instawork, we’re driven by our vision to create economic opportunity for local businesses and skilled hourly professionals  in communities around the world. With a growing number of hub cities across the world in the U.S., Canada, India, and beyond, we’re looking for top talent to help rapidly scale our high-tech and high-touch labor marketplace. Our accomplished and dedicated team is passionate about our mission and committed to crafting revolutionary products, all with the backing of our world-class investors, including Benchmark, Spark Capital, Craft Ventures, Greylock Capital, Y Combinator, and more!

As the Trust & Safety Manager - Escalations, you will lead a team of Trust & Safety Specialists dedicated to ensuring the safety and integrity of Instawork's platform. You will oversee high-risk investigations, manage critical escalations, and develop strategies to mitigate platform abuse. Your leadership will drive operational excellence, support cross-functional collaboration, and ensure alignment with company policies and regulatory standards. This role requires a proactive leader with strong judgment, operational expertise, and a passion for creating a safe and trustworthy environment for our community.

This role requires weekend/holiday on-call and non-standard business hours coverage. This is a hybrid role based in our San Francisco office.

What You'll Do:

• Lead and mentor the Trust & Safety Escalations team, providing guidance on complex investigations and high-severity incidents.
• Oversee investigation and response to escalations, ensuring thorough, evidence-based investigations and timely resolutions.
• Develop and implement strategies to enhance operational workflows and enforcement of Community Guidelines and terms of service.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Legal, Product, Engineering, Account Management) to manage safety risks and improve platform policies.
• Act as a point of contact for executive leadership on critical safety issues and escalations.
• Analyze data trends to identify emerging risks and develop proactive mitigation strategies.
• Build and maintain relationships with external stakeholders, including law enforcement and industry partners.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying training needs and operational gaps within the team.
• Ensure 24/7 operational coverage, including weekend and holiday on-call rotations.

Who You Are:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 4+ years of experience in Trust & Safety, risk management, human resources, compliance or related fields, preferably in a two-sided marketplace.
• 2+ years of people management experience, with a proven track record of leading high-performing teams.
• Experience working with Legal teams. 
• Strong executive presence and experience briefing senior leadership and C-level stakeholders.
• Demonstrated expertise in managing high-severity escalations and sensitive investigations.
• Proven ability to develop and implement scalable operational processes.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with experience engaging external partners such as law enforcement agencies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; experience leveraging data to inform decisions.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Flexibility to work non-traditional hours, including weekends and holidays.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experienced with legal writing, communication with government agencies, and investigations.
• Strong focus on  
• Strong operational experience. 
• Proficiency in SQL and data analysis tools (Excel, Mode).
• Experience drafting and publishing policies, help center articles, or user safety documentation.
• Familiarity with regulatory compliance standards related to safety, privacy, and fraud prevention.

For CA based applicants:

• The base salary range for this position is $105,000 - $115,000. This position is eligible for equity in the form of stock options
• This position is eligible for Instawork benefits, including:
• A variety of medical, dental, and vision plans with c