Development Team Lead / Manager (Java)

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We serve everyone, from one-person startups to over 30% of the Fortune 100, 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 who are gaining more control by finding work they are passionate about and innovating their careers.

This is an engagement through Upwork’s Hybrid Workforce Solutions (HWS) Team. Our Hybrid Workforce Solutions Team is a global group of professionals that support Upwork’s business. Our HWS team members are located all over the world.

Join Upwork's Engineering team, specifically the Ads & Monetization team, responsible for driving the fastest-growing revenue stream at Upwork. This team oversees the Subscriptions Platform, Connects (our virtual currency for freelancers), Advertising Products, and the Fees and Promotions systems.

As an Engineering Lead at Upwork, you will manage a team of highly skilled engineers, collaborate across teams, and deliver top-tier products to our users. You will guide the technical direction of projects, maintain a high standard of quality, and cultivate a team culture that drives innovation and continuous improvement.

Work/Project Scope:

• Collaborate with Engineering, Product Management, and Design teams to ensure timely delivery of high-quality solutions.

• Provide leadership and mentorship to a team of software engineers, with a strong emphasis on quality, innovation, and customer-centricity.

• Translate the broader business vision and technical challenges into clear, actionable plans, balancing trade-offs where needed.

• Identify and mitigate technical risks, and proactively communicate them to stakeholders.

• Foster a culture of curiosity, growth, and excellence, encouraging continuous improvement and experimentation.

• Lead regular team meetings to assess output, address concerns, and enhance team communication.

• Provide regular updates to senior leadership and key stakeholders, ensuring transparency around progress and challenges while advocating for the engineering team’s needs.

• Manage your time independently to achieve deliverables, committing approximately 40 hours per week.

• Coordinate with the team during core hours (8:00 to 11:00 am PT), with occasional availability until 12:00 pm PT for critical matters.

Must-Haves (Required Skills):

• Professional Experience: 8+ years in software development, with a proven track record of delivering complex projects from ideation to launch.

• Leadership: Experience leading engineering teams, driving execution, and ensuring high-quality output.

• Technical Expertise:

  • Deep understanding of software development life cycle principles and agile practices.

  • Expertise in designing and maintaining distributed backend systems, scalable solutions, and microservice architectures using modern JVM languages such as Java or Kotlin.

  • Proven ability to address scalability challenges and build high-load web applications.

• Collaborative Skills:

  • Demonstrated success working with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful products.

  • Strong interpersonal skills and experience collaborating with multiple stakeholders.

  • Excellent communication skills in English, both written and verbal.

• Additional Skills:

  • Strong coaching and mentoring abilities to guide team development and growth.

  • Embraces feedback and champions a culture of continuous improvement.

  • A growth mindset, with curiosity driving innovation and learning within the team.

  • A proven track record of managing high performing teams building highly scalable and reliable systems.

  • Experience working across cross functional teams and partners.

Upwork is proudly committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce. We never discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Additionally, a criminal background check may be run on a candidate after a conditional offer to perform your services for Upwork is made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with applicable law, including the California Fair Chance Act and local Fair Chance ordinances.