Director, Internal and CEO Communications

Upwork Inc.’s (Nasdaq: UPWK) family of companies connects businesses with global, AI-enabled talent across every contingent work type including freelance, fractional, and payrolled. This portfolio includes the Upwork Marketplace, which connects businesses with on-demand access to highly skilled talent across the globe, and Lifted, which provides a purpose-built solution for enterprise organizations to source, contract, manage, and pay talent across the full spectrum of contingent work. From Fortune 100 enterprises to entrepreneurs, businesses rely on Upwork Inc. to find and hire expert talent, leverage AI-powered work solutions, and drive business transformation. With access to professionals spanning more than 10,000 skills across AI machine learning, software development, sales marketing, customer support, finance accounting, and more, the Upwork family of companies enables businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and transform their workforces for the age of AI and beyond. Since its founding, Upwork Inc. has facilitated more than $30 billion in total transactions and services as it fulfills its purpose to create opportunity in every era of work. Learn more about the Upwork Marketplace at Upwork.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , and X ; and learn more about Lifted at Go-Lifted and follow on LinkedIn . We're looking for an experienced communications professional to lead our internal communications function and partner closely with our CEO on messaging and thought leadership. This is a rare dual-mandate role: you'll own the internal communications function that keeps our people informed, connected, and engaged, while also serving as a trusted strategic advisor and communications partner to our CEO. You'll report to the VP of Communications and work closely with the People and Leadership teams. As Head of Internal Communications, you'll support the entire Leadership Team on internal communications while serving as a dedicated communications partner to the CEO on both internal and external messaging. This is a high-visibility, high-impact position for someone who is equally comfortable crafting a company-wide all-hands narrative and developing content that captures an executive's authentic voice. Responsibilities Internal Communications Define and lead the company’s internal communications strategy, ensuring employees are informed, aligned, and connected to company priorities and how their work connects to the broader mission Build and evolve communication channels, cadences, and formats to improve reach, engagement, and clarity across a distributed organization Support the broader Leadership Team on internal communications, helping leaders communicate clearly and consistently with their teams Partner with HR/People to develop communications around talent programs, benefits, and organizational changes Establish metrics and feedback loops to evaluate effectiveness and continuously improve internal communications strategy Own the planning and execution of regular company meetings and all-hands, delivering informative and compelling connection moments both virtually and in person Shape and reinforce company culture, values, and mission through consistent, meaningful storytelling CEO Communications Partner with the VP of Communications and external communications team to develop content that supports the CEO's communications strategy across both internal and external channels, including company-wide messages, speeches, board materials, LinkedIn, and media bylines Serve as a steward of the CEO's editorial voice and point of view, ensuring consistency and authenticity across all content Anticipate communications needs tied to business milestones, industry moments, and cultural conversations Support prep for the CEO for all-hands meetings, town halls, and key internal moments with messaging, talking points, and QA prep Team Leadership Manage and develop an internal communicat ... (truncated, view full listing at source)