Back to jobs

Senior Manager, Business Development & Partnerships - AI & Agentic Solutions

Remote

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s human and AI-powered work marketplace that connects businesses with highly skilled, AI-enabled independent talent from across the globe. From entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 enterprises, companies rely on Upwork’s trusted platform and its mindful AI companion, Uma, to find and hire expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive business transformation. With on-demand access to professionals spanning more than 10,000 skills across AI & machine learning, software development, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & accounting, and more, Upwork enables businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and build agile teams for the age of AI and beyond.

Upwork’s platform has facilitated more than $25 billion in economic opportunity for talent around the world. Learn more at Upwork.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.

We are looking for a Senior Manager, Business Development & Partnerships - AI & Agentic Solutions to make a founder-level impact as a strategic individual contributor driving the vision and execution of Upwork’s AI partner ecosystem. This is a pivotal role in shaping how we drive growth through innovative partnerships, particularly in partner product development and distribution channels. You will play a key role in building Upwork’s AI and agent-focused partnership strategy, with a focus on human-in-the-loop systems, agent-based tools, and next-gen talent models informed by AI that expand how businesses engage with independent professionals. You will work cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Design, Marketing, Legal, and Finance teams to bring Upwork’s solutions to more businesses by building strategic relationships with third-party platforms and industry-leading partners.

Success in this role requires a strong background in discovery, partnership strategy, cross-functional execution, and driving partner success. The ideal candidate is highly skilled at navigating diverse partnership models—particularly those that integrate AI tools with marketplaces—and has a proven track record of closing impactful deals. You will contribute meaningfully to Upwork’s long-term growth strategy and play a critical role in launching new distribution and revenue channels through strategic relationships across the evolving AI ecosystem and key industry verticals.

Responsibilities

  • AI Ecosystem Strategy: Contribute to the design and execution of Upwork’s AI partner ecosystem strategy, including identifying and prioritizing high-value partnerships with AI-native startups, LLM platforms, and infrastructure providers.
  • Partnership Execution & Pipeline Management: Drive end-to-end deal flow—from discovery and value proposition development to negotiation and contract execution—while maintaining a qualified pipeline that meets or exceeds strategic performance goals.
  • Market & Trend Intelligence: Stay ahead of AI and agentic infrastructure trends to uncover emerging opportunities that inform both partnership strategy and product innovation.
  • Relational Leadership: Build and nurture trusted partnerships with key external stakeholders, serving as the primary point of contact and championing long-term success across the partner lifecycle.
  • Product Alignment & Feedback Loops: Collaborate closely with Product and Engineering to create feedback loops, ensuring partnership opportunities align with platform capabilities and roadmap priorities.
  • Operational Excellence: Develop internal documentation and processes to scale partnership execution and measurement efficiently across teams.
  • Reporting & Communication: Own a regular reporting cadence with product and executive leaders to share progress, insights, and blockers on prioritized projects.

What it takes to catch our eye

  • Deal Structuring & Activation: Strong discovery and sales background with demonstrated success driving partnerships across varied models (e.g., integrations, embedded tooling, co-development), and a customer-zero mindset to validate and improve partner experiences from the ground up.
  • Storytelling & Positioning: Strong communicator who can translate complex technical partnerships into compelling business narratives, internally and externally.
  • Strategic Thinking + Executional Rigor: Demonstrated ability to own partnership strategies end-to-end within mid-sized to large organizations, balancing 0–1 ambiguity with a strong focus on owning outcomes and commitment to excellence from concept to scale.
  • Innovation Mindset: Embraces experimentation and isn’t afraid to build and break fearlessly—rapidly testing, learning, and iterating to unlock new partnership opportunities and scalable solutions.
  • Cross-functional Influence: Comfort working across diverse functions and influencing without authority in a matrixed, fast-paced environment—playing to win as a team.
  • AI & Agent Fluency: Understanding of the AI value chain, from foundation models to last-mile applications and human-in-the-loop workflows. Experience working with AI-native companies is a plus.
  • Feedback-Driven Adaptability:  A growth mindset and comfort working cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment.

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.

The annual base salary range for this position  is displayed below. The range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum salary for this position, 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.

Annual Base Compensation

$158,000 - $249,500 USD

To learn more about how Upwork processes and protects your personal information as part of the application process, please review our Global Job Applicant Privacy Notice

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Upwork? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Please select the option for the set of pronouns you want people to use to refer to you.

 

Select...
Select...

Please choose the type of the visa you may need for sponsorship

Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Upwork’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.