Senior Software Engineer, Personalization & ML
$164k - $226k USD
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:
Our Servicing Engineering teams are building intelligent systems that personalize borrower experiences using machine learning. Today, most borrowers are treated the same, regardless of their financial situation. We’re changing that.
As a Senior Software Engineer in this role, you’ll redefine how servicing decisions are made. You’ll turn machine learning models and signals into systems that shape real borrower interactions, including who we reach, how we engage, and which strategies we apply.
You’ll evolve and scale our decisioning and experimentation systems to support faster iteration and more reliable measurement of strategy performance against borrower and business outcomes. Reporting to a Senior Engineering Manager, you’ll partner closely with Product and Machine Learning teams to run experiments, productionize model outputs, and build feedback loops that connect real-world outcomes back to model and strategy improvements.
How you’ll make an impact
- Improve how Servicing decisions are made by embedding machine learning models into product and operational workflows.
- Enable faster learning and safer iteration by advancing our experimentation platform and improving how we evaluate strategy performance.
- Increase the effectiveness of personalization strategies by designing and running controlled experiments that translate into measurable improvements.
- Scale model-driven decisioning through resilient feature pipelines and real-time data integrations.
- Define clear metrics and guardrails to ensure ML-powered systems remain measurable, explainable, and compliant as they shape more Servicing decisions.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, or a related field (or its equivalent) + 4 years of experience
- Experience owning delivery of ML-powered features from design through production deployment and measurement.
- Hands on experience designing or contributing to experimentation systems, including running controlled experiments in live environments.
- Experience building and maintaining data processing systems or pipelines that support model-driven decisioning.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with building or scaling ML-powered ranking, personalization, or recommendation systems in production environments.
- Applied advanced experimentation methods beyond standard A/B testing.
- Demonstrated incorporation of fairness, explainability, or governance considerations into ML-powered decision systems.
- Led technical design decisions for distributed systems supporting ML-driven workflows.
Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote
In-Office requirements. You will be required to work from the San Mateo, CA or Columbus, Ohio headquarters one week per quarter.
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
$163,600—$226,400 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