Lead Content Designer

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.

As a Lead Content Designer at Upwork, you will report to the Director of Product Design, Design Systems, and be an integral part of our User Experience team. We rely on your expertise in systems thinking, logic, and holistic product design, beyond just writing. You'll partner closely with the Director of Content Design to influence and contribute at a Principal level across the organization. You'll thrive in an environment with product ambiguity, have a passion for building from the ground up, and possess an exceptional eye for detail. This role involves leading cross-functional design initiatives and representing content design across the company to create better outcomes for our clients and freelancers. You'll be part of a vibrant remote team that values diversity and inclusion, offering great benefits.

Your Responsibilities

• Own and influence multiple complex problems beyond your immediate team, leveraging your understanding of business goals, the product, and user needs to identify opportunities to remove friction.
• Partner with PMs, designers, and researchers to define project requirements and accurately list tradeoffs.
• Craft content design deliverables that consistently enhance the user experience at an organizational level.
• Advocate for your work based on industry best practices, brand cohesion, and quality of ideas, teaching others about content design backed by your expertise, design rationale, customer data, and industry trends.
• Lead content design critiques and cross-functional team ceremonies, providing feedback and engaging stakeholders with clear project status and rationale.
• Establish scaled guidance for Upwork's content design practice, coaching cross-functional departments and contributing to the global content design community.
• Identify constraints and tradeoffs when making decisions, balancing user needs and business goals.
• Stay on top of industry trends and best practices, integrating them appropriately and securing buy-in at the highest level when needed.

What it takes to catch our eye

• A portfolio showcasing your thought process, problem-solving skills, and impact.
• Proven experience and thought leadership as a product-focused content designer at a senior, staff, lead, or principal level.
• Ability to advocate for content design and help others understand its value with proficient storytelling skills.
• Expertise in Figma, Docs, and Miro (or equivalent flow diagram/whiteboarding tools), using these tools to drive alignment, communication, and influence.
• Examples of visual thinking, such as information architecture, whole product design thinking, concept diagrams, and journey maps.
• Soft skills that help your team focus on what matters to the people who use our platform.

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 conditions), 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.