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 $3.3 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.  


As a Lead Data Scientist in the Finance organization, you will deliver advanced analytical insights in support of Marketing’s efforts to attract, convert, retain and grow relationships with both clients and freelancers. Your technical skills and analytical mindset, applied to the world’s largest work marketplace data sets, will unlock unprecedented economic opportunities for users around the world. You will have the opportunity to create real strategic advances in how Upwork Marketing communicates with both current and future customers. Through the application of your expertise in areas such as recommender systems, predictive analytics, cluster analyses and more, you’ll shape how and when we interact with our users across every Marketing touchpoint. Using your experience in Media or Marketing Mix Modeling, you will enable a deep understanding of the impact of our marketing and advertising campaigns to optimize investments across a wide range of media channels and tactics.

Your Responsibilities:

  • Work with large and complex data sets to build both descriptive and predictive Media Mix Models to measure the impact of marketing efforts and optimize those programs for maximum efficiency.

  • Apply technical expertise with quantitative analysis, experimentation, data mining, and the presentation of data to develop and execute strategies for our Marketing team.

  • Define, understand, and test opportunities and levers to improve Marketing efforts, and influence roadmaps through your insights and recommendations.

  • Partner with Marketing, Finance, Engineering, and cross-functional teams to inform, influence, support, and execute Marketing strategy and investment decisions.

  • Tackle complex problems uniquely inherent to our global double-sided work marketplace.

What it takes to catch our eye:

  • 4+ years of experience in Marketing Data Science, including in-depth experience with Media Mix Modeling, data-driven attribution, customer lifetime value prediction, and recommender systems.

  • Demonstrable experience with data querying languages (e.g. SQL), scripting languages (e.g. Python), and/or statistical/mathematical software (e.g. R)

  • Experience with experimentation/causal inference methods

  • Proficiency in one or multiple BI tools such as Looker, Tableau or equivalent.

  • Previous experience in a marketplace or ecommerce business.


Come change how the world works.

At Upwork, you’ll shape talent solutions for how the world works today. We are a remote-first organization working together to create exciting remote work opportunities for a global community of professionals. While we have physical offices in San Francisco and Chicago, currently we also hire full-time employees in 19 states in the United States.

At the core of our vibrant culture are shared values that form the foundation of our organization. These values revolve around trust, risk-taking, customer focus, and excellence. Our overarching mission is to create economic opportunities so that people have better lives. We foster an environment where individuals are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work, nurturing personal and professional growth through development opportunities, mentorship programs, and participation in Upwork Belonging Communities.

We take pride in providing exceptional benefits to our employees. These include comprehensive medical insurance coverage for both you and your family, unlimited paid time off, a 401(k) plan with matching contributions, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. To explore these benefits in detail, as well as gain insights into our company values, working principles, and the overall employee experience, we invite you to visit our Life at Upwork page.

Check out our Careers page to learn more about the employee experience.

Upwork is proudly committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, 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 of employment 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.

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
$151,000$177,750 USD

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