Principal Product Designer - Transformation

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.

This role will work with a team that looks to transform how people work by leveraging AI. In the past few years we have seen great change in the ways we work and we are experiencing an acceleration in AI. This is an opportunity to work at the forefront and intersection of AI and the future of work. One of the key design opportunities will be crafting an AI native product experience. As such, we are looking for a Principal Product Designer who is comfortable with ambiguity, passionate about creating something from the ground up, has exceptional entrepreneurial skills and loves solving customer problems and exploring new ways to serve Upwork’s clients and freelancers. 

This role will work with a team that looks to transform how people work by leveraging AI. In the past few years we have seen great change in the ways we work and we 4are experiencing an acceleration in AI. This is an opportunity to work at the forefront and intersection of AI and the future of work. One of the key design opportunities will be crafting an AI native product experience. As such, we are looking for a Principal Product Designer who is comfortable operating with product ambiguity, passionate about creating something from the ground up, has an exceptional eye for detail, and loves solving customer problems and exploring new ways to serve Upwork’s clients and freelancers. You’ll be working with a talented team of designers with a variety of skills, so for this role, we’re looking for a high-output designer with strong visual design skills that can identify the need and create solutions for new interaction models.

Your Responsibilities:

• Develop a deep understanding of Upwork’s customers, product, business, and competitive landscape to identify new areas for exploration.
• Work with Product, UXR, and fellow Product Designers to generate a backlog of ideas that are aligned with Upwork’s goals and customer needs.
• Support multiple work streams and different initiatives at once, while connecting dots across all product experiences. 
• Create user flows, wireframes, and high fidelity prototypes.
• Push the boundaries of traditional design thinking, innovating components and interaction models.
• Where possible, design within existing, and help to create new, design standards to contribute to our design systems.
• Participate in translating complex ideas into understandable concepts that evolve and enhance the product experience
• Support effective storytelling and presentation of visual concepts to various stakeholders.
• Partner closely with engineering colleagues to better understand and help push our technology current and future. 
• Incubate promising ideas to achieve product-market fit. 
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the organization to ensure that Upwork’s products and initiatives are aligned with the broader company strategy and vision.
• Collaborate with technology, product, and business teams to uncover customer and business needs - then translate them into intuitive and engaging digital experiences.
• Work through shifting priorities to provide clear direction and input on product prioritization and support early product definition.
• Work with partners and teams across various geographies.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• You have experience building products around emerging technologies. Examples: AR/VR, Alexa, AI, Interfaceless Design, wearables, Google Spotlight, etc. 
• You think beyond traditional Product Design experiences/screens and have experience with Conversational UX. 
• You are curious about haptics, and new ways of designing as it pertains to AI and beyond.  
• You have numerous design tricks and solutions in your arsenal and can quickly see a variety of solutions to a problem. 
• In addition to being a great UX designer you have a portfolio of work that demonstrates excellent visual design skills. 
• You like fast-paced environments and building great experiences around business intent and customer insights.
• You are able to translate abstract ideas to tangible concepts quickly, in order to stimulate group discussions.
• You thrive in a feedback focused environment and seek input from stakeholders and teammates early and often.
• You efficiently manage your time, quickly switch context,  juggle multiple projects and consistently communicate progress with your manager and the team
• You thrive in a changing environment and have a process, but are not afraid to throw it out or modify it as needed. 
• You are a storyteller and can weave and share compelling narratives around research findings and design concepts.
• You gather and integrate feedback, influence stakeholders and create energy for ideas or initiative.
• Information Architecture experience is a plus.

The annual base salary for this position in California and Washington ranges from $170,000 - $230,000. 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 support hiring of corporate full-time employees in 19 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. 

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.

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.