VP, Payments

Upwork Inc.’s (Nasdaq: UPWK) family of companies connects businesses with global, AI-enabled talent across every contingent work type including freelance, fractional, and payrolled. This portfolio includes the Upwork Marketplace, which connects businesses with on-demand access to highly skilled talent across the globe, and Lifted, which provides a purpose-built solution for enterprise organizations to source, contract, manage, and pay talent across the full spectrum of contingent work. From Fortune 100 enterprises to entrepreneurs, businesses rely on Upwork Inc. to find and hire expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive business transformation. With access to professionals spanning more than 10,000 skills across AI & machine learning, software development, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & accounting, and more, the Upwork family of companies enables businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and transform their workforces for the age of AI and beyond.

Since its founding, Upwork Inc. has facilitated more than $30 billion in total transactions and services as it fulfills its purpose to create opportunity in every era of work. Learn more about the Upwork Marketplace at Upwork.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X; and learn more about Lifted at Go-Lifted and follow on LinkedIn.

As VP of Payments, you will define and lead Upwork’s global payments strategy across a high-velocity, two-sided marketplace. Reporting directly to Upwork’s Chief Operating Officer, you will own the vision, operations, and innovation roadmap for a financial system that powers millions of client-freelancer transactions each year. This is a rare opportunity to lead a high-impact function critical to platform trust, liquidity, and growth—while shaping the future of payments and embedded financial services at the world’s work innovation platform.

You will lead cross-functional teams spanning Payments and Tax, Product, Engineering, and Compliance, to transform our financial infrastructure, elevate global payouts, and deliver seamless customer experiences. If you're ready to architect scalable payment systems, forge global partnerships, and drive strategic growth, we invite you to build with us.

Responsibilities

• Set the vision and long-term strategy for Upwork’s global payments and financial infrastructure, aligning with company-wide objectives and board-level outcomes

• Lead a multi-functional organization responsible for payment rails, payout orchestration, regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and customer experience

• Identify and scale global payment partnerships across acquiring, disbursing, and embedded finance—ensuring resilience, speed, and customer delight

• Drive the adoption of AI-powered payment solutions and automation to reduce costs, enhance decision-making, and improve customer outcomes

• Serve as executive sponsor for critical financial partnerships, vendor relationships, and compliance frameworks across jurisdictions

• Navigate a complex regulatory landscape and ensure Upwork remains ahead of evolving global fintech requirements and risk standards

• Deliver measurable outcomes tied to margin optimization, transaction costs and losses, and the optimal balance between payment success rates and net transaction loss, while ensuring experience quality

• Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing leadership team within the Payments function, reinforcing a culture of excellence, innovation, and cross-functional alignment

What it takes to catch our eye

• Proven executive leadership experience owning global payments, payout systems, or embedded finance platforms at scale—preferably within a two-sided marketplace or fintech environment

• Deep understanding of financial systems, cross-border payment rails, wallet infrastructures, and regulatory dynamics across key regions (e.g., US, EMEA, APAC, LATAM)

• Track record of driving strategic transformation, product portfolio management, and executing through complex, matrixed organizations

• Proficiency in leveraging AI to optimize financial workflows, increase operational efficiency, and accelerate partner evaluation or integration processes

• Ability to influence at all levels, from board to technical teams, and to balance long-term strategic vision with near-term executional excellence

Come change how the world works.

At Upwork, you’ll shape the future of wo