Upstart

Senior Software Engineer, Core Platform

Upstart$166K — $230K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field (or equivalent experience) and 5+ years of software engineering experience.
  • 3+ years of experience with backend applications using Kotlin, Java, or similar OOP languages.
  • Experience with distributed systems including service-to-service APIs and event-driven architectures.
  • Proven track record in building scalable backend services for business-critical data.
  • Familiarity with decision engines that integrate with machine learning models.

Responsibilities

  • Lead cross-functional projects that span multiple teams and quarters.
  • Advance both existing projects and new initiatives with end-user focus.
  • Identify improvement opportunities that extend beyond initial tasks.
  • Leverage team-specific projects to elevate the technical capability of the organization.
  • Contribute to building a collaborative and enjoyable engineering culture.

Benefits

  • Competitive compensation including bonuses and annual equity grants that vest quarterly.
  • Robust retirement plans with generous company matching.
  • Comprehensive health insurance covering medical, dental, and vision needs.
  • Paid family leave benefits to support significant life events.
  • Annual wellness and productivity allowances to enhance personal development.
Full Job Description
The Team:

As a member of our Servicing Engineering team, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring smooth loan management, optimizing collections, and cultivating strong customer relationships. Our team's primary objective is to develop a cutting-edge loan servicing platform, introduce business process automation, enhance efficiency, and deliver an intuitive user experience for both borrowers and internal stakeholders.

As a Senior Software Engineer on our Servicing Engineering team, you'll work closely with cross-functional partners to identify areas for improvement, automate repetitive tasks, and implement scalable solutions. By optimizing workflows, integrating systems, and leveraging technology, we empower our servicing partners to prioritize high-value activities and deliver exceptional service to our customers. Your contributions will be instrumental in delivering exceptional customer experiences, while driving continuous improvement in our servicing capabilities to meet the growing demands of our unique role in the fintech ecosystem.

How you'll make an impact
  • Lead successful cross-team and/or multi-quarter, multi-engineer projects
  • Move quickly to drive both existing and greenfield projects forward, while always keeping our end users in mind
  • Proactively search out ways to expand impact that extends well beyond the Jira board
  • Turn team-specific projects into opportunities to up-level the team and the org's tech platform
  • Help us build our engineering team and make Upstart a genuinely awesome place to work

Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience) and 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
  • 3+ years of experience developing backend applications using Kotlin, Java, or another object-oriented programming language.
  • Experience designing, building, and operating distributed systems, including service-to-service APIs and event-driven architectures.
  • Experience building and maintaining scalable backend services that process business-critical or financial data in production environments.
  • Experience contributing to decision engines that integrate with machine learning models to evaluate signals..
  • Experience writing production-quality code supported by automated testing, monitoring, and observability practices.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience working on systems that integrate with 3rd parties and/or ingest, store, expose large amounts of data
  • Experience with SQL, data warehouses, or other database technologies
  • Experience designing, developing, and deploying microservices-based applications
  • Strong sense of ownership and accountability for the quality and timely delivery of work
  • Demonstrated ability to take feedback well and actively incorporate it into work, showing a growth mindset and a desire to continuously improve
  • Ability to thrive both in self-directed work environments and in collaborative settings, contributing positively to team dynamics.

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

Time zone requirements The team operates on the East/West coast time zones.

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

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 CAD

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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