Principal Product Manager, Reputation & Trust

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s largest work marketplace, connecting businesses with highly skilled professionals worldwide. From entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 enterprises, companies trust Upwork’s platform to access expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive meaningful business outcomes.

Upwork’s AI-powered platform has facilitated over $20 billion in economic opportunity for professionals worldwide. With professionals spanning 10,000+ skills, including AI and machine learning, software development, sales and marketing, customer support, finance and accounting, and more, Upwork empowers businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and build agile teams.

As a Principal Product Manager, Reputation & Trust in Upwork’s Customer Experience & Trust (CX&T) organization, you will drive strategic product initiatives focused on enhancing trust, safety and marketplace integrity. Your primary focus will be on Upwork’s Reputation product, leading a transformational end-to-end strategy for a transparent, two-sided reputation system that empowers freelancers and clients alike. This is a rare opportunity to reshape the foundation of user trust in a two-sided marketplace, with high visibility and cross-functional impact.

You'll leverage your deep Trust & Safety experience to shape solutions that proactively address fraud, abuse, and bias, promoting secure and equitable interactions across our global marketplace. While Reputation will be your priority, you'll also have the opportunity to own and influence broader Trust & Safety initiatives, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams including Design, Data Science, Engineering, Operations, Legal, Branding and Go-To-Market.

This role demands strategic vision, adaptability, and a proven track record in developing and scaling complex, trust-focused products within two-sided marketplaces.

Responsibilities

• Strategic ownership of multiple long-term initiatives for Upwork’s CX&T organization to enhance platform usability, safety, trust, and integrity

• Translate ambiguous vision into clear, measurable outcomes that deepen user trust and marketplace differentiation

• Lead strategy and execution for Upwork’s new two-sided reputation framework across multiple releases and stakeholder groups

• Partner with Engineering, Design, Research, and Marketplace Product stakeholders to define feature requirements and deliver high-quality, scalable systems

• Develop frameworks to evaluate reputation structures (e.g. badge logic, skill tagging algorithms, and review systems), with continuous iteration based on performance signals

• Collaborate with Marketplace Product, Trust & Safety and Customer Support to evolve freelancer protections tied to badge tiers and ensure accountability through new client standards

• Lead communication and rollout strategy with go-to-market partners to ensure successful adoption across the freelancer and client base

What it takes to catch our eye

• 8+ years of product management experience, with expertise in trust, safety, security, or integrity-focused product areas

• Extraordinary ability to collaborate with and influence cross-functional partners to align roadmaps, articulate trade-offs, and drive company-wide outcomes

• Deep product leadership experience in two-sided marketplaces, ideally in areas related to trust, safety, or reputation systems

• Track record of driving strategy and execution for complex, high-stakes platform infrastructure with long-term business impact

• Experience working with Data Science teams to define algorithmic signals and performance metrics for quality and reliability

• Comfort operating with high ambiguity and high accountability, with a scrappy mindset and a bias for clarity and action

Come change how the world works.

At Upwork, you’ll shape the future of work for a global, remote-first workforce, creating economic opportunities for professionals worldwide. While we have a physical office in Palo Alto, we currently hire full-time employees in 21 U.S. states, making it easier than ever to join our mission from wherever you call home.

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, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Visit our Life at Upwork page to learn more about our values, working principles, and the overall employee experience.

Ready to help shape the future of work? Check out our Careers page and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X to learn more about life at Upwork.

Upwork is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics under federal, state, or local law.

Please note that a criminal background check may be required once a conditional job offer is made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with applicable law, including the California Fair Chance Act and local Fair Chance ordinances.