Sr Director - Technical Product Management (Platform)
Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s largest work marketplace, connecting businesses with highly skilled professionals worldwide. From entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 enterprises, companies trust Upwork’s platform to access expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive meaningful business outcomes.
Upwork’s AI-powered platform has facilitated over $20 billion in economic opportunity for professionals worldwide. With professionals spanning 10,000+ skills, including AI and machine learning, software development, sales and marketing, customer support, finance and accounting, and more, Upwork empowers businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and build agile teams.
Join us in revolutionizing data infrastructure and product strategy at Upwork and significantly impacting our platform and users. As the Senior Director of Technical Product Management (Platform), you’ll set the strategic vision and lead execution for Upwork’s open data ecosystem. You’ll drive critical infrastructure investments that empower hundreds of internal data consumers and fuel AI/ML innovation across the company. In this highly visible and cross-functional role, you’ll collaborate with engineering, analytics, and data science leaders to build scalable, trustworthy systems that enable experimentation, decision-making, and business growth.
Responsibilities
Define and drive the strategic vision for Upwork’s internal data platform, aligning with company-wide priorities and influencing executive stakeholders.
Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of product managers, setting direction across data infrastructure, governance, and internal tooling.
Partner with engineering, analytics, and AI/ML leaders to deliver reliable, secure, and scalable data systems — including event streaming, data lake architecture, and observability tools.
Champion a customer-first culture within the data platform team, surfacing and solving challenges that impact data reliability and access across business functions.
Establish and track clear product goals and outcomes, aligning product investments with organizational impact and long-term scalability.
Drive innovation and continuous improvement by fostering a culture of experimentation, psychological safety, and bold, future-focused thinking.
Communicate vision and progress with clarity, influencing cross-functional stakeholders and enabling efficient, async collaboration at scale.
What it takes to catch our eye
10+ years in product management with 4+ years leading technical product teams, ideally in data platform or infrastructure roles.
Deep understanding of modern data technologies, including data lakes, batch/real-time pipelines, event streaming, and observability tooling.
Proven track record of building and scaling internal platforms that serve cross-functional teams and drive measurable business impact.
Experience partnering with AI/ML and data science teams to support experimentation, model development, and data reliability.
A strategic, outcome-oriented mindset with strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder alignment skills.
Come change how the world works.
At Upwork, you’ll shape the future of work for a global, remote-first workforce, creating economic opportunities for professionals worldwide. While we have a physical office in Palo Alto, we currently hire full-time employees in 21 U.S. states, making it easier than ever to join our mission from wherever you call home.
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.
We’re proud to offer benefits that go beyond the basics, including comprehensive medical coverage for you and your family, unlimited PTO, a 401(k) plan with matching, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Visit our Life at Upwork page to learn more about our values, working principles, and the overall employee experience.
Ready to help shape the future of work? Check out our Careers page and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. to learn more about life at Upwork.
The annual base salary range for this position is displayed below. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salary for this position, 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.
Annual Base Compensation
$229,500—$320,000 USD
About the job
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Sr Director - Technical Product Management (Platform)
Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s largest work marketplace, connecting businesses with highly skilled professionals worldwide. From entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 enterprises, companies trust Upwork’s platform to access expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive meaningful business outcomes.
Upwork’s AI-powered platform has facilitated over $20 billion in economic opportunity for professionals worldwide. With professionals spanning 10,000+ skills, including AI and machine learning, software development, sales and marketing, customer support, finance and accounting, and more, Upwork empowers businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and build agile teams.
Join us in revolutionizing data infrastructure and product strategy at Upwork and significantly impacting our platform and users. As the Senior Director of Technical Product Management (Platform), you’ll set the strategic vision and lead execution for Upwork’s open data ecosystem. You’ll drive critical infrastructure investments that empower hundreds of internal data consumers and fuel AI/ML innovation across the company. In this highly visible and cross-functional role, you’ll collaborate with engineering, analytics, and data science leaders to build scalable, trustworthy systems that enable experimentation, decision-making, and business growth.
Responsibilities
Define and drive the strategic vision for Upwork’s internal data platform, aligning with company-wide priorities and influencing executive stakeholders.
Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of product managers, setting direction across data infrastructure, governance, and internal tooling.
Partner with engineering, analytics, and AI/ML leaders to deliver reliable, secure, and scalable data systems — including event streaming, data lake architecture, and observability tools.
Champion a customer-first culture within the data platform team, surfacing and solving challenges that impact data reliability and access across business functions.
Establish and track clear product goals and outcomes, aligning product investments with organizational impact and long-term scalability.
Drive innovation and continuous improvement by fostering a culture of experimentation, psychological safety, and bold, future-focused thinking.
Communicate vision and progress with clarity, influencing cross-functional stakeholders and enabling efficient, async collaboration at scale.
What it takes to catch our eye
10+ years in product management with 4+ years leading technical product teams, ideally in data platform or infrastructure roles.
Deep understanding of modern data technologies, including data lakes, batch/real-time pipelines, event streaming, and observability tooling.
Proven track record of building and scaling internal platforms that serve cross-functional teams and drive measurable business impact.
Experience partnering with AI/ML and data science teams to support experimentation, model development, and data reliability.
A strategic, outcome-oriented mindset with strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder alignment skills.
Come change how the world works.
At Upwork, you’ll shape the future of work for a global, remote-first workforce, creating economic opportunities for professionals worldwide. While we have a physical office in Palo Alto, we currently hire full-time employees in 21 U.S. states, making it easier than ever to join our mission from wherever you call home.
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.
We’re proud to offer benefits that go beyond the basics, including comprehensive medical coverage for you and your family, unlimited PTO, a 401(k) plan with matching, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Visit our Life at Upwork page to learn more about our values, working principles, and the overall employee experience.
Ready to help shape the future of work? Check out our Careers page and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. to learn more about life at Upwork.
The annual base salary range for this position is displayed below. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salary for this position, 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.
Annual Base Compensation
$229,500—$320,000 USD