Senior Engineering Manager, Small Dollar Lending

About Upstart

Upstart is a leading AI lending marketplace partnering with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit. By leveraging Upstart's AI marketplace, Upstart-powered banks and credit unions can have higher approval rates and lower loss rates across races, ages, and genders, while simultaneously delivering the exceptional digital-first lending experience their customers demand. More than two-thirds of Upstart loans are approved instantly and are fully automated.

Upstart is a digital-first company, which means that most Upstarters live and work anywhere in the United States. However, we also have offices in San Mateo, California; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas.

Most Upstarters join us because they connect with our mission of enabling access to effortless credit based on true risk. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Upstart, we’d love to hear from you!

The Team

Every year millions of Americans resort to traditional payday loans, paying hundreds of dollars in interest and fees to cover short-term cash needs. We’re trying to change that.

Upstart’s Small Dollar Loan product is a non-predatory, fair-priced alternative that meets the needs of customers with urgent financial difficulties who are deemed “too risky” by most creditors. Our team is a bit like a startup in a larger company, iterating quickly to better serve customers and grow the business. Since our launch in April 2022, we’ve calibrated our ML models to this new challenge, automated 90% of the customer experience and proved our unit economics, and learned immensely while offering tens of thousands of people access to credit they would not otherwise have access to on the Upstart platform. We’re ready to grow.

As a Senior Engineering Manager, you will work closely with our Director of Engineering leading engineers in delivering high quality solutions to drive growth. You will design and develop technologies that deepen our relationships with customers and radically expand Upstart’s credit-eligible population. You will also play an important part in imagining our next moonshots.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Team Leadership

  • Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing engineering team focused on providing high quality solutions and incrementally increase .
  • Foster a collaborative and inclusive team culture that promotes innovation, continuous learning, and excellence.

• Technical Leadership

  • Oversee the design, development, and implementation of cross functional projects which drive business outcomes.
  • Ensure the reliability, performance, and scalability of customer facing products, leveraging best practices in software engineering.
  • Collaborate with architecture and infrastructure teams to ensure alignment with broader engineering goals.

• Stakeholder Collaboration

  • Partner with general manager, product manager, product designer, engineering leaders across Upstart, legal, operations, analytics, and compliance teams to gather requirements and ensure solutions meet business needs and regulatory standards.
  • Communicate effectively with stakeholders to keep them informed of project status, risks, and opportunities.

• Project Management

  • Manage project timelines and resources to deliver high-quality product solutions on time.
  • Implement frameworks to ensure efficient project execution and continuous delivery.

What we’re looking for:

• Education & Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
  • 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 3 years on product-focused engineering teams.
  • 3+ years of management experience.

• Technical Skills

  • Strong proficiency in any programming language.
  • Experience with delivering full stack solutions to customers.
  • Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) and microservices architecture.

• Leadership Skills

  • Excellent leadership and people management skills, with a track record of building and leading successful engineering teams.
  • Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions.
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Other Requirements

  • Experience with agile development methodologies and project management tools like Jira.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
  • Commitment to continuous learning and staying updated with the latest industry trends.

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.

What you'll love:

• Competitive Compensation (base + bonus & equity)
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart
• 401(k) with 100% company match up to $4,500 and immediate vesting and after-tax savings
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Life and disability insurance
• Generous holiday, vacation, sick and safety leave
• Supportive parental, family care, and military leave programs
• Annual wellness, technology & ergonomic reimbursement programs
• Social activities including team events and onsites, all-company updates, employee resource groups (ERGs), and other interest groups such as book clubs, fitness, investing, and volunteering
• Catered lunches + snacks & drinks when working in offices

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$180,600—$250,000 USD

Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to ensuring that underrepresented classes receive better access to affordable credit, and are just as committed to embracing diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices. We celebrate all cultures, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, and know that we can only become better together.

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 [email protected]

https://www.upstart.com/candidateprivacypolicy