Director of Workforce Management & Enablement

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 gaining more control by finding work they are passionate about and innovating their careers.

The Workforce Management & Enablement team is a critical component of the Customer Experience and Trust (CX&T) business unit. 

As the Head of Workforce Management and Enablement, you will be at the center of developing and implementing the long-term vision and direction of CX&T’s “Customer Zero” initiative, leveraging the Upwork talent platform to scale a best-in-class operations function and ensure effective service delivery for our Customer Support and Trust & Safety Operations organizations. 

This is an exciting opportunity to build and grow an essential function within Upwork. Help us change how the world works.

Your Responsibilities:

• Strategy & Vision: Design, measure, and communicate the strategic direction and operational oversight for our Workforce Management and Enablement teams. Workforce Management is responsible for the systems and tools leveraged by our Operations teams and workforce performance and utilization. Enablement comprises the hiring, training, and quality assurance programs that support our hybrid workforce teams. 
• Organizational Efficiency: In this role, you’ll ensure that the CX&T business unit can scale, evolve, and utilize its Hybrid Workforce optimally. You’ll lead Workforce Management and Enablement in developing and implementing strategic plans to optimize operational processes, improve service quality, and achieve performance targets.
• Business Unit budgeting and planning: This role will be instrumental in budgeting and planning for our 700+ Hybrid Workforce Operations and the tools they utilize, ensuring alignment with Operations leadership in scaling sustainably and reducing our overall cost to serve. 
• Analytics: Leverage data and analytics to inform decision-making for workforce management and enablement organizations. Establish and track key organizational metrics and dashboards that enable regular review and continuous improvements in organizational efficiency.
• People Leadership: Lead and develop a varied, globally-based team, including managers and IC’s, to drive and communicate critical cross-business-unit initiatives and ensure on-time and successful delivery. Communicate mission and goals with transparency.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• 10+ years experience leading within a BPO or scaled operations organization, preferably for a two-sided marketplace/ payments/fintech space.
• Experience building and executing against new and often innovative strategies that directly connect key initiatives to measurable business outcomes.
• Progressive people management with a proven track record of building and developing high-performing teams.
• Experience with cross-functional relationship building and partnership, and with establishing a customer-centric vision that is widely adopted. 
• Exceptional communication skills: You are well-versed in collaborating with peers, customers, and executives, and tailoring your message accordingly. You can distill various input and ideas into a cohesive, measurable strategic and data-influenced message.
• The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship: you are not afraid to take risks, think big, and never settle.

The annual base salary for this position in California and Washington ranges from $150,000 - $210,000. 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 the 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 where we are hiring corporate full-time employees. 

Our vibrant culture is built on shared values and our mission to create economic opportunities so that people have better lives. We foster excellent teams, put our commun