Engineering Manager, Monetization

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We serve everyone from one-person startups to large, Fortune 100 enterprises 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.

We are looking for an Engineering Manager, Monetization to lead a talented team of backend and frontend engineers. In this role, you will drive the technical direction and execution of critical monetization initiatives, including subscriptions, fees, and payment systems. Your work will directly impact how Upwork structures its pricing and revenue models, ensuring a seamless and scalable experience for both clients and freelancers. You will collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders—including Product, Finance, and Data teams—to build, optimize, and enhance our monetization strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of backend and frontend engineers, fostering an environment of technical excellence and innovation.
• Drive the development and optimization of subscriptions, fees, and payment models to enhance Upwork’s monetization strategies.
• Collaborate closely with Product, Finance, and Data teams to define and execute on revenue-generating initiatives.
• Ensure the team delivers high-quality, scalable, and secure solutions while maintaining a strong focus on user experience and performance.
• Provide architectural guidance and technical leadership to solve complex engineering challenges related to payment processing and transaction fees.
• Establish best practices for engineering, testing, deployment, and monitoring to ensure system reliability and efficiency.
• Balance short-term deliverables with long-term strategy to scale Upwork’s monetization infrastructure effectively.

What it takes to catch our eye

• Strong leadership experience managing backend and frontend engineering teams, ideally in a fast-paced environment.
• Deep understanding of monetization models, including subscriptions, transaction fees, and marketplace revenue structures.
• Experience working with payment processing systems, financial transactions, or billing platforms.
• Hands-on technical expertise in backend development (Java, Python, or similar) and frontend technologies where applicable.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with Product, Finance, Data, and other key stakeholders to align engineering efforts with business goals.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions in a complex marketplace ecosystem.
• Passion for building scalable, secure, and user-friendly financial systems that drive business growth.

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 a physical office in Palo Alto, we currently hire full-time employees in 21 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.