[Hiring] VP, Payments @Upwork

Role Description

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.

• Lead cross-functional teams spanning Payments and Tax, Product, Engineering, and Compliance.
• Transform our financial infrastructure, elevate global payouts, and deliver seamless customer experiences.

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.

Qualifications

• 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.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical coverage for you and your family.
• Unlimited PTO.
• 401(k) plan with matching.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Company Description

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.

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.