About Upstart

At Upstart, we’re united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day, we bring creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to reshape access to credit, helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence.

As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 1,800 signals, powering smarter, fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea, every voice, and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress.

We’re proudly digital-first, giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesn’t mean distant. We’re intentional about in-person connection through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City (opening Summer 2026), you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.

If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.

The Team:

We’re a small, senior engineering team at Upstart focused on launching a new product that aims to expand access to responsible and affordable credit. Operating like a startup within the company, we move quickly and work autonomously. With a greenfield codebase and an AI-native development approach, we’re not just building a product—we’re redefining how lean, high-impact engineering teams work.

How you’ll make an impact

Set technical direction and lead architectural design for core backend systems that power a new consumer credit product.

Build distributed, event-driven services that are reliable, observable, and scalable—designed for long-term evolution.

Drive zero-to-one product development in collaboration with cross-functional partners, translating ambiguous product goals into high-impact solutions.

Champion engineering velocity and quality by shaping patterns, practices, and tooling across the stack.

Lead with an AI-native mindset—leveraging and integrating AI tools to improve development workflows, reduce friction, and accelerate impact.

Serve as a technical mentor and thought leader within a high-performing, fast-moving team.

Influence product direction through technical insights, customer empathy, and an ability to balance tradeoffs between speed, scale, and quality.

Minimum Qualifications

8+ years of experience designing and building backend systems in production, with a focus on consumer-scale applications.

Deep expertise in distributed systems and event-driven architectures (Kafka, Kinesis, SQS, etc.), including experience with idempotency, retries, and fault tolerance.

Strong command of an object-oriented programming language (e.g., Java, Kotlin, C#, Python, Ruby), along with experience working with APIs, databases, and caching systems.

Proven success leading complex, zero-to-one product development in ambiguous or fast-changing environments.

Demonstrated ability to influence product strategy through technical leadership and user-centric thinking.

Track record of building with observability and operational excellence in mind (metrics, logs, traces, alerting, etc.).

Active use of AI tools in engineering, with a forward-looking perspective on how AI is reshaping software development.

Exceptional communication and collaboration skills; able to align teams and advocate for high-impact solutions across functions.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience leading technical initiatives at B2C fintech or high-scale consumer technology companies.

Background in payments, credit, or transactional systems with high reliability and regulatory requirements.

Familiarity with schema management and safe data migrations (e.g., Protobuf, Avro) in distributed systems.

History of setting architectural direction and influencing engineering culture in high-growth environments.

Entrepreneurial mindset—comfortable wearing multiple hats, operating autonomously, and navigating early-stage product phases.

Passion for building products that expand access and improve outcomes for underserved users.

Demonstrated interest in agentic or AI-assisted systems and enthusiasm for shaping the future of AI-native software development.

***Position Location -***This role is available in the following locations: Remote, San Mateo, Columbus, Austin

Time Zone Requirements - This team operates across all U.S. time zones.

Travel Requirements - This team has regular on-site collaboration sessions. These occur 3 days per quarter at an Upstart office. If you need to travel to make these meetups, Upstart will cover all travel related expenses.

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At Upstart, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location–with our “digital first” philosophy, Upstart uses compensation regions that vary depending on location. Individual pay is also determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

In addition, Upstart provides employees with target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k).

• United States | Remote
• Anticipated Base Salary Range**$186,100—$257,500 USD**

What you'll love

At Upstart, our benefits are designed to support your health, financial well-being, family, and personal growth. Here’s what you can expect:

• Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly

• Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 per year

• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees

• Affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage, with multiple plan options

• Upstart covers 90% to 100% of the cost depending on the plans you choose

• Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans

• Income protection benefits, including company-paid Basic Life, AD&D, and Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage, with options to purchase supplemental coverage

• Paid time off, sick and safe time, and company holidays

• Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments

• Family-centered benefits through Carrot and Cleo, supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources

• Financial wellness resources, including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service

• Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development, based on what matters most to you

• Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work, no matter where you work from

• Connection and community through team events and onsites, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)

• Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our four offices, located in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).

Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Just as we are dedicated to improving access to affordable credit for all, we are committed to inclusive and fair hiring practices.

*If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please email *candidate_accommodations@upstart.com

https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy