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
Upstart’s Verifications – PL Applicant Experience team is focused on modernizing the borrower journey end-to-end. The team reduces friction, automates verifications, and enables dynamic decisioning while ensuring fraud prevention and credit risk mitigation. We partner closely with Product, ML, and Platform teams to deliver a seamless and transparent experience for borrowers.
As a Software Engineer on the PL Applicant Experience team, you will design and build borrower-facing flows that improve conversion, reduce operational touchpoints, and scale verifications across Upstart products. You’ll own features across the full stack, collaborate cross-functionally to optimize the borrower journey, and contribute to building our next-generation decisioning and automation platform.
How you’ll make an impact
- Build and own borrower-facing verification flows end-to-end across frontend and backend.
- Minimize fraud losses to Upstart through better data and ML models
- Drive automation to reduce manual reviews, strengthen fraud defenses, and improve borrower satisfaction.
- Improve UI experience for operations teams and applicants
- Collaborate with ML and data teams to enable dynamic repricing, risk insights, and continuous decisioning.
- Design scalable services in a distributed service architecture
Minimum Qualifications
- 4+ years of experience developing full-stack web applications professionally.
- Proficiency in Kotlin or Ruby on Rails, plus familiarity with at least one additional programming language.
- Experience with React, TypeScript, Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, Databricks, AWS, or event-driven architecture.
- Solid grasp of software development principles and best practices for building scalable, maintainable systems.
- Proven ability to analyze and solve complex technical problems effectively.
Preferred Qualifications
- Knowledge of KYC/verification vendors (Socure, Plaid, OCR) and integrating sensitive data services.
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability for delivering high-quality features on time.
- Ability to thrive in both independent and collaborative settings, contributing positively to team dynamics.
- Demonstrated ability to take and incorporate feedback, with a continuous improvement mindset.
Travel requirements: As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. But our team still has regular onsite collaboration sessions. These occur roughly once per quarter (~3 days at a time) in one of our main offices (Columbus, Austin, or San Mateo). If you need to travel to make these meetups, Upstart will cover all travel-related expenses.
#LI-REMOTE
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).
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 [email protected]
https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy
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