Upwork ($UPWK) is the world's work marketplace. We serve everyone from one-person startups to over 30% of the Fortune 100 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 $3.3 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.
The Business Development team at Upwork is part of the Product Platform business unit and is a fast-paced, high-performing team responsible for sourcing, evaluating, negotiating, and executing strategic partnerships. This team is an integral part of how we think, build, and scale products and is central to Upwork's continued growth. We work closely with senior leadership, Product, Design, Engineer, Marketing, Legal, and Finance teams to contribute to Upwork's long range strategy and plans. We lead all aspects of identifying, evaluating, and executing partnerships that have a significant impact on the overall direction of the company. As a Business Development Manager you will report directly to the VP of Business Development & Partnerships. It is a rare opportunity to help shape and build a robust partner ecosystem at a publicly listed company from the ground up. This role is the first hire to lead the launch of Upwork's Partner Ecosystem and will work directly with the VP of Business Development and senior leadership on strategy and execution by advancing the future of work through a dynamic and expansive partner network focused on redefining how works gets done through the distribution of Upwork products and services.
Your Responsibilities:

• Identify, research, and recommend industries, companies, and technologies for Upwork to evaluate from the perspective of a strategic, product, and platform partners.
• Lead and manage the end-to-end partnership process, including strategic/financial analysis, pipeline building, due diligence, and negotiating the business terms with partners while working with Upwork's legal team to execute necessary contracts
• Lead a key initiative to expand on Upwork's partner ecosystem strategy - build a partner pipeline from the ground up specifically focused on API or other product partnership integrations with 3rd parties - primarily focused on distribution.
• Create a process to move deals through stages in order to close deals against OKRs.
• Meet and exceed product partnership deal goals through prospecting, qualifying, managing, closing new partnerships opportunities, and leading contract negotiations.
• Build relationships with leaders at emerging and established companies
• Effectively partner and coordinate partnerships across teams, including product, design, engineering, marketing, sales, legal, and finance.
• Monitor the competitive landscape, analyze company objectives, and identify, recommend, and pursue technologies that can accelerate Upwork's growth goals.
• Be a close partner to our internal teams post-deal to ensure successful execution and ongoing partner management.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• Experience in investment banking, private equity, sales, or business development
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and senior executives in a fast-paced environment
• You are strategic, driven, goal oriented, and analytical with a passion for marketplace businesses and a thorough understanding of the competitive landscape
• You have a hunter mentality, proficient in pipeline building, management, and deal completion
• Prior experience as an SDR/BDR preferred
• Are proficient in partner sales motions, technical, and able to navigate through integration points such as APIs.

The annual base salary for this position in California and Washington ranges from $106,000 - $155,000. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salary for this position in California and Washington, 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.
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.
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. And oh yeah, we've also got amazing benefits - including medical insurance for you and your family, unlimited PTO, 401(k) with matching, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and a generous Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Check out our Life at Upwork page to learn more about our benefits and the employee experience.
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.
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