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Director, Talent Delivery

Remote

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.

Position Overview

As a key leader within the Talent & Managed Services team, the Director of Talent Delivery will drive a high-performance talent acquisition strategy, ensuring quality placements for global clients while scaling operations to support business growth. Leveraging deep expertise in staffing, recruiting, workforce solutions, and team management, you will define and execute the Talent Delivery strategy—identifying, engaging, and placing top global talent for our customers. This role requires a balance of strategic leadership, operational excellence, and data-driven decision-making. Additionally, you will enhance the Talent Experience, leading a team to deliver exceptional service while collaborating with Program & Managed Services, Product, and Sales teams. With a bias for action, you will champion an outstanding experience for talent, clients, and internal partners. This position reports to the Senior Director, Talent & Managed Services Delivery.

This is a people leadership role, reporting to the Senior Director, Enterprise Talent Services. 

 

 Your Responsibilities:

  • Own the vision and strategy for Upwork’s Talent Delivery team while balancing goals, resources and growth
  • Oversee the teams that recruit and deliver talent for Upwork’s Enterprise, Managed Services, Business Plus and High Value customers, as well as talent programs. 
  • Meet/exceed team SLA’s, and be accountable for fill rate and quality metrics across all talent delivery methods. 
  • Partner across Upwork’s business unit product team to grow the high quality talent program and expand upon or improve internal tooling. 
  • Lead a team responsible for generating pre- vetted, high quality talent benches, and partner with our Product team to expose and grow that talent
  • Identify and implement process improvements to enhance recruiter productivity and candidate experience.
  • Oversee and manage applicant tracking systems, recruitment tooling, and internal proprietary tools that are responsible for engaging and driving utilization of highly qualified candidates and candidate management. 
  • Ensure an exceptional experience for clients, candidates and business partners. 
  • Partner closely with sales, account management and delivery teams proactively to ensure fulfillment of current/future opportunities and client demand.
  • Drive the adoption of automation, AI-driven recruitment tools, and marketplace innovations.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and high performance within the recruitment team.
  • Leverage data analytics to drive recruitment performance, optimize conversion rates, and enhance talent pipelines.
  • Ensure compliance with local and global hiring regulations and labor laws.
  • Analyze market trends and competitor activities to inform recruitment strategies.

 

What it takes to catch our eye:

  • 10+ Years of High Volume Staffing & Recruiting, Workforce, and/or Talent Marketplace platform experience, with at least 5+ years in a leadership role.  
  • Experience identifying, vetting, and implementing multiple recruitment technology solutions into the recruiting ecosystem.
  • Experienced in developing global recruitment marketing campaigns. 
  • Deep understanding of global talent markets, recruitment strategies and execution. 
  • Deep understanding workforce compliance and strong history of partnership with legal or compliance teams.
  • Experience leading global teams including managers, recruiters, program managers, talent sourcers and operations associates. 
  • Experienced in developing and deploying global talent playbooks with a proven track record of high volume talent acquisition. 
  • Proven data driven approach to decision making and problem solving. 
  • You have a strong executive presence for collaborating with customers, peers, colleagues, and executives. You can distill differing philosophies and approaches down to the essence and corral partners toward alignment. You can succinctly articulate goals, progress, and priorities in written, verbal, and presentation formats.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with shifting priorities.

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.

Upwork is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics under federal, state, or local law.

Please note that a criminal background check may be required once a conditional job offer 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

$151,500 - $215,500 USD

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