Sr Director, Corporate Development

Upwork; France; À distance; EUR 90 000 - 130 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A leading work marketplace provider is seeking a Corporate Development Leader to oversee mergers and acquisitions. This role includes managing cross-functional teams and engaging with executives on strategy. Candidates should have 12+ years of relevant experience and strong analytical and negotiation skills. Competitive benefits and a commitment to diversity are part of the offer.

Prestations

Comprehensive medical coverage

Unlimited PTO

401(k) plan with matching

12 weeks paid parental leave

Qualifications

• 12+ years in corporate development, investment banking, or related fields.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to influence executive leadership.

Responsabilités

• Lead M&A execution and investment management.
• Build financial models to evaluate deal economics.
• Engage with executive leadership through presentations.

Connaissances

Corporate development expertise

Financial modeling

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Description du poste

Overview

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s largest human and AI-powered work marketplace, connecting businesses with highly skilled, AI-enabled independent talent from across the globe. Upwork’s platform enables access to expert talent, AI-powered work solutions, and meaningful business outcomes for organizations from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 enterprises.

Upwork’s AI-powered platform has facilitated over $25 billion in economic opportunity for professionals worldwide. With professionals spanning 10,000+ skills, including AI & machine learning, software development, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & accounting, and more, Upwork helps businesses of all sizes scale, innovate, and build agile teams for the age of AI and beyond.

This role reports to the VP of Strategy, Corporate Development & Partnerships and offers a high degree of executive visibility, partnering closely with leaders across the company.

Responsibilities

• Lead End-to-End M&A and Investments Execution: Support Upwork’s growth strategy through identification, assessment and execution of potential mergers, acquisitions, investments, and joint ventures including sourcing, valuation, due diligence, commercial and legal document negotiations, and post-merger integration.
• Financial Modeling & Business Case Development: Build and oversee detailed evaluation exercises (Build/Buy/Partner), valuation models, ROI frameworks, and scenario analyses to evaluate deal economics and to prepare acquisition and investment business cases.
• Executive & Board Engagement: Translate complex market insights into actionable recommendations and prepare investment / M&A memos and presentations for leadership and the Board of Directors to secure buy-in on major initiatives.
• Integration Leadership: Drive post-deal integration in partnership with cross-functional leaders to maximize value capture and ensure acquired capabilities are scaled within Upwork’s platform by setting KPIs and milestones to measure integration success and drive value realization.
• Competitive & Market Intelligence: Partner with Corporate Strategy to build and advance a disciplined approach to market, competitive, and ecosystem intelligence to identify white spaces, disruptive trends, emerging opportunities and prospective companies to partner with, invest in or acquire.
• Team Leadership & Development: Provide strategic direction and mentorship to a high-performing Corporate Development team, driving a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning. Oversee workload prioritization, professional growth, and performance management to ensure the team consistently delivers at the highest standard across all phases of M&A and investment execution.
• Ecosystem Relationships: Cultivate relationships with bankers, VCs, advisors, and entrepreneurs to ensure strong deal and information flow.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in corporate development, investment banking, management consulting, or private equity with a consistent track record of leading and evaluating end-to-end transactions and deep exposure to technology and innovation ecosystems.
• Strong strategic vision and business acumen with an understanding of key business drivers and the ability to connect M&A and investment opportunities to product and long-term market trends, translating insights into actionable strategies.
• Significant experience in managing people and leading cross-functional teams to execute all aspects of a deal, from idea generation to due diligence and negotiations, with strong negotiation experience and a reputation for closing complex, high-value deals.
• Exceptional analytical, financial modeling, valuation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate analysis into clear recommendations.
• Executive presence and communication skills with experience influencing and presenting to GMs, product leaders, C-suite and Board level executives on product strategy, go-to-market decisions, and long-range planning in addition to M&A execution.
• Familiarity with marketplaces, AI or HR/labor tech strongly preferred.
• Excellent judgement with the ability to think creatively and conceptually, while thriving in a highly dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Exceptional strategic thinking and executive communication skills, with the ability to influence across all levels of an organization
• A bias for action, growth mindset, and ability to navigate ambiguity and complexity with clarity and purpose

About Upwork and Our Commitment

At Upwork, you’ll shape the future of work for a global, remote-first workforce. While we have a physical office in Palo Alto, we currently hire full-time employees in 34 U.S. states.

Our culture emphasizes trust, risk-taking, customer focus, and excellence, with a core mission to create economic opportunities so people have better lives. We value authenticity and inclusion, and support personal and professional growth through development programs, mentorship, and our Upwork Belonging Communities.

We 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 employee experience.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics under federal, state, or local law. A criminal background check may be required after a conditional offer.