Upstart

Senior Software Engineer, Auto

Upstart$166K — $230K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Finance & Insurance
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience, and 4+ years of software engineering experience.
  • Experience in designing, building, testing, and deploying production software systems.
  • Proven track record in developing customer-facing product features or backend services in a production environment.
  • Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams including product management and compliance.
  • Ability to navigate and make tradeoffs across system reliability and product delivery timelines.

Responsibilities

  • Build and enhance product features to facilitate access to Auto Secured Personal Loans.
  • Design customer-facing improvements and automate workflows for better borrower experiences.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional partners to assess tradeoffs in user experience and risks.
  • Develop scalable engineering solutions for future product expansions.
  • Contribute to the team's technical vision by managing implementation risks and improving standards.
  • Ensure high-quality delivery in a regulated environment through effective system design and testing.

Benefits

  • Competitive compensation package with base pay, bonuses, and equity grants.
  • 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with company match of $2 for every $1 contributed.
  • Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, dental, and vision.
  • Paid time off and parental leave benefits to support work-life balance.
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for mental health support and counseling resources.
  • Annual allowances for wellness and productivity enhancements.
Full Job Description
The Team:

Upstart's Auto Direct team is expanding access to secured lending products that help more borrowers move forward financially. The team builds customer-facing experiences, eligibility systems, operational workflows, and partner-channel capabilities that support growth across Upstart's auto-secured lending programs.

As a Senior Software Engineer at Upstart, you will help deliver core product and platform capabilities that scale the Auto Secured Personal Loan product. You will work across engineering, product, operations, and risk to increase conversion, automate manual workflows, expand eligibility, and bring new secured lending capabilities to market.

How you'll make an impact
  • Build and improve product features that expand access to Upstart's Auto Secured Personal Loan product and support growth in originations.
  • Design and deliver customer-facing funnel improvements, eligibility logic, and workflow automation that improve borrower experience and operational efficiency.
  • Partner with product, operations, risk, and engineering teams to evaluate tradeoffs across customer experience, risk, complexity, and speed to market.
  • Develop durable, scalable engineering solutions that create leverage for future secured lending product expansion.
  • Contribute to the team's technical direction by identifying implementation risks, improving execution standards, and communicating progress and decisions clearly.
  • Support high-quality delivery in a regulated environment through thoughtful system design, testing, observability, and cross-functional alignment.

Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, and 4+ years of software engineering experience.
  • Experience designing, building, testing, and deploying production software systems.
  • Experience developing customer-facing product features, platform capabilities, or backend services in a production environment.
  • Experience working with cross-functional partners such as product management, design, analytics, operations, legal, or compliance.
  • Experience making technical tradeoffs across system reliability, maintainability, scalability, and product delivery timelines.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Knowledge of consumer lending, fintech, marketplace, or regulated product environments.
  • Experience building or improving conversion funnels, eligibility systems, decisioning workflows, or operational automation.
  • Ability to work through ambiguous product and technical problems by using data, judgment, and clear communication.
  • Skills in influencing technical direction and aligning stakeholders without direct authority.
  • Experience developing systems that balance customer experience, compliance needs, risk controls, and long-term engineering quality.

Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote US and Canada

Travel requirements As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions' cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time.

#LI-REMOTE

#LI-MidSenior --> use for L5, L6

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

$166,900-$230,900 USD

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).

Canada | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range

$153,000-$190,000 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
  • Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, including a 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually (USD in the US, CAD in Canada)
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees (US only)
  • Comprehensive health coverage designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US and supplemental health coverage for Canada.
  • Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only)
  • Income protection benefits, including life insurance and disability coverage for added financial security
  • Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements
  • Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments (duration varies by country)
  • Family-centered benefits to support fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs
  • 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 (US Only)
  • 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, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
  • Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!)

For roles based in Canada, please note that we are not currently able to hire in Quebec.

About Upstart

Upstart is a lending platform that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the borrowing process. The company was founded in 2012 by ex-Googlers and has since originated over $10 billion in loans. Upstart's platform uses non-traditional variables such as education and employment history to determine creditworthiness, which allows for more accurate risk assessment and better loan terms for borrowers. The company went public in December 2020 and is listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol UPST.
Learn more about Upstart
Size
100 employees
Market Cap
$1 billion
Industry
Net Income
$11 million
Founded
2012
Revenue
$205.3 million
NASDAQ

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