Corporate Strategy Manager

Overview

As a Corporate Strategy Manager, you are a senior individual contributor who supports the development and execution of Upwork’s corporate, product, and go-to-market strategies, strengthening Upwork’s competitive position and driving sustainable growth. Reporting to the Director, Corporate Strategy, you will partner closely with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality insights and outputs. This role is ideal for someone who brings strong analytical rigor, structured problem-solving, and strategic thinking.

• Support development of Upwork’s company-wide corporate, product, and go-to-market strategies through long-term (3–5 year) planning, annual strategy cycles, and targeted strategic deep dives.
• Build structured analyses, frameworks, and business cases aligned with defined strategic priorities.
• Partner with Product, Marketing, Sales, and Finance to translate strategic insights into clear recommendations and next steps.

• Analyze market trends, competitive dynamics, customer behavior, and technology shifts to surface risks and opportunities.
• Prepare concise, well-supported insights and materials to inform leadership discussions and decision-making.
• Act as a thought partner to cross-functional stakeholders by applying data-driven analysis and structured recommendations

• Conduct quantitative and qualitative research to illuminate key trends impacting Upwork’s marketplace, product experience, customer segments, and GTM effectiveness.
• Build financial and strategic models—including market sizing, scenario modeling, product opportunity evaluation, and GTM initiative impact modeling—to support strategic recommendations.
• Evaluate customer and market segments to identify new growth opportunities and inform prioritization.
• Synthesize complex data into clear narratives and actionable insights.

• Support creation of materials for Board meetings, Executive Leadership reviews, and strategy presentations.
• Collaborate with FP&A, Analytics, and business units to ensure alignment between strategy and financial planning.
• Manage defined work streams, timelines, and deliverables to ensure high-quality execution.

• 2–5 years of experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, product strategy, business operations, investment banking, or private equity. We will consider high-trajectory candidates with fewer years of experience but at top companies with a clear track record of excellence.
• Strong financial modeling, analytical problem-solving, and data synthesis skills.
• Ability to operate at all altitudes—discussing long-term strategy and vision with executives while also troubleshooting operational or product-level details with individual contributors.
• Ownership mindset—comfortable taking ambiguous problems, shaping the path forward, and delivering polished, executive-ready outputs with minimal oversight.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, including the ability to craft executive-ready presentations and influence key stakeholders.
• Collaborative working style with the ability to partner cross-functionally across Product, Marketing, Sales, Finance, and Engineering, and influence without authority.
• Highly organized, proactive, and comfortable navigating a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Experience in technology, marketplaces, SaaS, or human capital solutions—and familiarity with strategic work spanning product, or GTM domains—is advantageous.

Our culture is built on trust, risk-taking, customer focus, and excellence, all in service of our core mission: to create economic opportunities so people have better lives. We embrace authenticity and inclusion, encouraging everyone to bring their whole selves to work. Personal and professional growth is a priority here, supported through development programs, mentorship, and our Upwork Belonging Communities.

We’re proud to offer benefits that go beyond the basics, including comprehensive medical coverage for you and your family, unlimited PTO, a 401(k) plan with matching, 12 weeks of paid parental leave,…