Upwork ($UPWK) is the world's largest freelancing website. Each year $1.7 billion of work happens through Upwork, allowing businesses to get more done and helping professionals break free of traditional time and place boundaries and work anytime, anywhere on projects they love. At Upwork, you'll help build on this momentum. Together, we'll create economic and social value on a global scale, providing a trusted online workplace for businesses to connect with extraordinary talent and work without limits. 

The VP Financial Planning and Analysis will report to the CFO and work closely with the CEO, the Executive leadership team and various business partners to build financial plans and be responsible for general leadership related to our financial mission. The Finance Function is responsible for the company’s long-term plan, running the forecasting and variance process, driving annual planning, leading quarterly financials, executing our public company external reporting rhythm, and partnering with the business to deliver insights and build business plans. The VP Finance will be a key collaborator with our other financial leaders in the Controller, Financial Systems, Investor Relations and Sales Operations functions in helping the CFO organization scale for growth and be World-class. To be successful, you must interpret and communicate insights in our $300M+ P&L to the executive leadership team.

Leadership: Includes setting tasks, motivating employees, defining and clarifying goals, as well as day-to-day operations such as the hiring, career development and management of employees. This role leads a team of approximately 7 with responsibility for forecasting topline (Gross Services Volume, Take Rate and Revenue), forecasting expenses (Cost of Revenue, Sales and Marketing, R&D, G&A and Transaction Losses), sales finance, corporate finance and supporting Corporate Development and Investor Relations.

Monitoring: Expected to monitor the financial health of the organization, including keeping careful tabs on regular transactions, investments and any business deals that affect the top and the bottom line. Needs to be well-versed in our business model (core Marketplace and growing Enterprise business), financial statements as well as in our internal budget.

Financial Reporting/Accuracy: Partner with Controller Organization to conduct regular reviews of revenue, expenses, assets and liabilities making sure the recorded figures are verifiable and accurate. Responsible for assisting the Controller Organization in composing and issuing financial reports given out by the company to investors, regulatory agencies and other partners. Many of these documents require that the CEO/CFO sign their names, testifying to its accuracy.

Planning and Risk Management: Drive short- and long-term financial models/plans as well as coordinating with other top executives about Upworks direction. Providing insight/guidance for areas of organic investment for growth and leverage in the business model and supporting Corporate Development in modeling potential deals. Outlining possible financial risks and weighing the benefit of certain other potential courses of action.

Build External Relationships and Fundraising: Represent Upwork and build outside relationships with partners with a financial interest in Upworks financial health. These include investment banks, stockholders and sell-side analysts. This role will partner cross-functionally with our Investor Relations team on messaging our story and support of financial numbers. Capital raises and/or debt financing are potential things on the horizon for Upwork.

What It Takes To Catch Our Eye

• Passion for Upwork’s mission
• 15+ years of experience, and you’ve learned from your successes and missteps
• Strong Advanced Excel skills and financial modeling skills
• You love leading and seeing those who work for you grow and succeed
• Structured thinking: comfort with numbers, details, and ambiguity
• Communication skills and presence: Ability to express oneself clearly and concisely
• Critical thinking: Ability to work independently and to solve problems.
• High integrity
• Passion for or familiarity with internet, technology trends and startups
• Experience with B2B, Marketplace or SaaS businesses
• History of seeing companies develop and grow both SMB and Enterprise offerings

Your Responsibilities:

• Lead, motivate, coach and build a strong team of finance professionals to drive predictability in Upwork’s business
• Lead annual and ongoing Strategic and Financial Planning process including evaluating the strategic plan, collaborating with the executive team to determine our investment portfolio
• Own our long-term and short-term financial models and ensure they evolve with our fast-growing business and changing accounting standards
• Deliver rolling forecast and variance on all three financial statements to ensure company is on track to hit its financial targets
• Help drive the earnings cycle including quarterly close, quarterly variance, controller book review, company guidance, bringing business and financial insights into our SEC document drafting process and providing insights and narrative for our Stockholder letter
• Business partner with business leaders to provide insights, build business plans, build out scenarios and forecast results from key revenue driving and other strategic driving initiatives
• Collaborate with partnership team and the business leaders on deal modeling and key negotiations with our largest vendors and external partners
• Collaborate with HR and legal functions to ensure company alignment around real estate, bonus compensation, sales commissions, headcount and freelancer hiring process and policy
• Ensure financial policy and process are created to ensure accuracy and compliance of key accruals and activities, such as sales compensation and Enterprise pricing
• Work with corporate development on deal modeling and outlining possible financial risks and weighing the benefit of certain other potential courses of action.
• Be a spokesperson for the company in speaking with sell-side and buy-side analysts as part of investor relations activities.

How to really knock our socks off:

• Have a keen understanding of two-sided marketplaces and a deep curiosity about how they grow and thrive
• A disposition to dive in, collaborate with others, experiment quickly, and take action
• Ability to work in a highly dynamic environment where your voice will be heard, and your decisions will have a significant impact

Come change how the world works.

At Upwork you’ll help shape the future of work. From our offices in San Francisco, Mountain View and Chicago, together we’re creating exciting new opportunities for a world of professionals. You’ll be part of a vibrant culture built on shared values: Inspire a boundless future of work, Put our community first, Have a bias towards action, and Build amazing teams. Along the way you’ll have fun and enjoy the perks of a people-first company: Work from Home Wednesday's, daily breakfast and lunch, regular in-office happy hours, top-notch benefits … and more. Check out Upwork’s spotlight on The Muse for a glimpse of our daily work/life balance.

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.