Job Overview
Location
United States | Remote
Job Type
Full-time
Category
Software Engineering
Date Posted
April 6, 2026
Full Job Description
đź“‹ Description
- • As a Principal Software Engineer on the Personal Loans team at Upstart, you will set the technical direction for the applicant funnel, driving architecture and strategy for the end-to-end 'Got Rate → Funded Loan' journey to maximize originations while maintaining trust, risk integrity, and compliance.
- • You will lead large, cross-team initiatives across Growth, Verifications Platform, Risk/Decisioning, and Lending Partners, owning ambiguous, high-impact efforts and aligning multiple teams around cohesive technical strategies and execution plans.
- • You will evolve platform architecture by driving decomposition of tightly coupled systems into scalable, reusable services and APIs, enabling cross-product reuse across unsecured lending while maintaining system integrity.
- • You will translate complex business problems into systems by balancing product velocity, risk constraints, compliance requirements, and long-term maintainability, partnering deeply with product, risk, compliance, and operations to deliver measurable business outcomes.
- • You will drive experimentation and intelligent automation by elevating experimentation frameworks and data-driven iteration across the funnel, identifying and leading opportunities for AI-driven experiences such as adaptive flows, conversational interfaces, and automation.
- • You will raise the engineering bar by establishing best practices in system design, observability, testing, and operational excellence, mentoring senior and staff engineers and influencing engineering culture across the organization.
- • You will operate as a force multiplier by providing technical leadership beyond the team, influencing architecture and strategy across Personal Loans and adjacent domains, and proactively identifying long-term risks and opportunities to drive alignment with leadership.
- • You will work in a digital-first environment with flexibility to work remotely from anywhere in the U.S., supported by intentional in-person connections through team onsites, planning sessions, and collaboration hubs in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, and New York City (opening Summer 2026).
🎯 Requirements
- • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, or a related field (or its equivalent) + 8 years of experience
- • Proven experience operating at a Staff or Principal level, leading large, ambiguous, cross-functional initiatives
- • Deep expertise in distributed systems, service-oriented architectures, and system design at scale
- • Demonstrated experience decomposing or modernizing tightly coupled systems into modular components/services with clear interfaces, while maintaining reliability and continuity
- • Experience with experiment-driven development (instrumentation, A/B testing, analysis/iteration) and translating product goals into technical execution
- • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to explain complex technical topics to non-technical stakeholders
- • Track record of successfully mentoring and developing other engineers while seeking out and appreciating constructive feedback
🏖️ Benefits
- • 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!)
Skills & Technologies
Ruby
React
Rails
AWS
Docker
Senior
Remote
Degree Required
About Upstart Holdings, Inc.
Upstart Holdings, Inc. operates a cloud-based lending platform that uses artificial intelligence to assess borrower credit risk beyond traditional FICO scores. Founded by ex-Googlers in 2012 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, the company partners with banks and credit unions to originate personal, auto refinance, and small-dollar loans. Its machine-learning models analyze education, employment, and cash-flow data to predict default likelihood, enabling higher approval rates and lower APRs for consumers while reducing fraud and loss rates for lenders. Upstart earns fees from loan facilitation, servicing, and referral services; it does not hold loans on its balance sheet.
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