[Hiring] Lead, Lifecycle Marketing @Upwork

Role Description

Lifecycle Marketing is a horizontal team that shapes how we engage clients and talent across the full journey, and this role sits in our demand-side acquisition lane. We’re hiring a Lifecycle Marketing Lead, Growth & Acquisition to own high-impact lifecycle programs that help close the new-client acquisition gap through smarter demand capture and stronger engagement with SMB audiences. You’ll lead key initiatives across outbound prospecting and always-on content, translate performance signals into clear recommendations, and help shape how lifecycle marketing contributes to Upwork’s 2026 priorities. This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who can independently drive outcomes, build alignment across functions, and advise leadership in a high-visibility area.

Responsibilities

• Lead the outbound prospecting pilot end to end, including sequencing, deliverability, vendor partnership, messaging direction, and a clear recommendation on whether and how to scale the motion.
• Own and drive lifecycle marketing strategy across a portfolio of programs, setting direction, defining success metrics, monitoring performance, and adjusting plans when results fall short.
• Set editorial and content direction across lifecycle marketing initiatives, including managing the ad hoc content calendar and supporting content marketing efforts in partnership with cross-functional teams.
• Translate program performance into clear, decision-ready narratives for leadership, surfacing insights, tradeoffs, and recommendations rather than simple status updates.
• Partner across product marketing, marketing technology, analytics, and creative to align priorities, remove blockers, and keep high-impact programs moving with clarity and momentum.
• Use data and AI-enabled tools thoughtfully to accelerate analysis, refine messaging, and improve campaign planning while maintaining sound judgment and quality standards.

Qualifications

• Several years of lifecycle, CRM, or growth marketing experience with a track record of owning programs end to end and driving measurable business outcomes.
• Strong strategic judgment and structured thinking. You can take an ambiguous goal, define the problem and success criteria, and bring forward clear options with a recommendation.
• Fluency with modern customer engagement platforms such as Braze, Iterable, or Customer.io, plus familiarity with a customer data platform such as HighTouch or a similar tool.
• Strong storytelling and influence skills, with the ability to represent work confidently in cross-functional forums and build alignment without relying on formal authority.
• Experience using AI tools to accelerate drafting, analysis, segmentation, or planning workflows, paired with the judgment to review outputs critically and refine them for accuracy, relevance, and brand quality.
• Bonus points for experience with in-product notifications and for building programs that target SMB audiences.

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

At Upwork, you’ll shape the future of work for a global, remote-first workforce, creating economic opportunities for professionals worldwide. Our culture is built on trust, risk-taking, customer focus, and excellence, all in service of our core mission: to create economic opportunities so people have better lives. We embrace authenticity and inclusion, encouraging everyone to bring their whole selves to work. Personal and professional growth is a priority here, supported through development programs, mentorship, and our Upwork Belonging Communities.