Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We help connect companies large and small with top independent talent from around the world. Simply put, our mission is to create economic opportunities so people have better lives.

Every year, more than $2 billion of work is done through Upwork by skilled independent professionals who want the freedom of working anytime, anywhere.

Great campaigns start with great strategy and that great strategy starts with you.

As a strategy-first organization, the creative team thrives on concise and clever insights. The Director, Creative Strategy will be the critical bridge between the creative team and our internal partners to identify creative opportunities and craft compelling briefs.

You will not only be in charge of the team’s creative strategy, you will be in charge of 1-3 strategists who will work alongside you on everything from product and feature launches to creative campaign work including TV, activations, and brand content.

This position reports to the Executive Creative Director.

Your Responsibilities:

• Partner with creative leadership and cross-functional partners to identify key opportunities and drive incredible creative work.
• Scope programs of work with partners to provide strategic insight and direction. 
• Partner with brand, paid, and research teams to develop new research/methodologies/products to generate original insights.
• Provide strategic direction on product and experience initiatives which includes identifying the key value proposition, consumer needs, and value to the business.
• Translate strategic recommendations into impactful experiences, products, and services.
• Proactively identify new product and campaign opportunities within the business.
• Build, lead, and mentor a team of strategists.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• A portfolio of breakthrough strategic direction and creative output for major brands and agencies.
• An integrated problem solver who can sync up brand strategy, communications, content, product, and user experience.
• An experienced presenter who is as comfortable directing their team as they are presenting to the CEO.
• A people manager who can inspire and nurture talent.
• A natural collaborator, comfortable working iteratively within different subject areas.
• Thrives in finding order in the chaos and loves creating process from scratch.
• Fluent in today’s world, including social platforms, mobile, tech, and social change.
• Deep experience developing world-famous campaigns with industry leading agencies.

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 support hiring of corporate full-time employees in 15 states in the United States. Please speak with a member of our recruitment team to determine whether you are located in a state in which we are hiring corporate full-time employees. 

Our vibrant culture is built on shared values and our mission to create economic opportunities so that people have better lives. We foster amazing teams, put our community first, and have a bias toward action. We encourage everyone to bring their whole selves to work and grow together through development opportunities, mentorship, and employee resource groups. Oh yeah, we’ve also got amazing benefits.

Check out our Life at Upwork 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.
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