Compliance Risk & Controls Manager, Unsecured Line

About this role

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 Product Compliance Risk team partners closely with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Risk to build compliance into every stage of the product lifecycle. The team helps deliver innovative lending products while ensuring they meet regulatory requirements and provide a positive customer experience. This role will focus on Upstart's unsecured line of credit product, helping establish the compliance framework that enables the product to scale responsibly.

As the Compliance Risk & Controls Manager, Unsecured Line at Upstart, you will lead key compliance workstreams supporting our unsecured line of credit product, partnering cross-functionally to translate regulatory requirements into practical product and operational solutions. This is a First Line of Defense (1LOD) role, embedded within and partnering closely with the Product and Engineering business lines — distinct from Upstart's Second Line of Defense (2LOD) Compliance/Risk oversight functions. You'll help build scalable compliance processes, documentation, and controls that support product launches, operational readiness, and ongoing regulatory compliance while serving as a trusted partner to Product, Engineering, Legal, and Risk.

How you’ll make an impact

• Lead end-to-end compliance workstreams supporting Upstart's unsecured line of credit product, including customer disclosures, periodic statements, change-in-terms communications, error resolution requirements, and credit reporting readiness.

• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Risk teams to interpret regulatory requirements and incorporate compliant, customer-focused solutions into product design and implementation.

• Develop and maintain clear, audit-ready documentation, controls, and governance processes that support internal reviews, partner oversight, and regulatory examinations.

• Drive cross-functional compliance initiatives from planning through implementation, coordinating stakeholders and ensuring business readiness for product launches and enhancements.

• Monitor compliance-related risks, identify opportunities to strengthen processes and controls, and recommend practical solutions that enable the business to scale responsibly.

• Foster a culture of ownership and collaboration by sharing compliance expertise, supporting cross-functional decision-making, and helping teams navigate regulatory considerations with confidence.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of product compliance, or risk experience supporting unsecured consumer lending products

• Experience interpreting and applying consumer lending regulations, including FCRA/Regulation V and credit furnishing requirements

• Experience leading compliance workstreams supporting product launches or major product enhancements

• Experience partnering cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Legal, and Risk teams

• Experience developing audit-ready documentation, controls, and compliance processes

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of Regulation Z (TILA), Regulation E, and regulations governing open-end consumer credit

• Ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical guidance for product and engineering teams

• Experience supporting bank partnership or bank-readiness programs

• Skills in building scalable compliance documentation and governance frameworks

• Experience using collaboration and workflow management tools such as Confluence and Jira

• Direct, hands-on experience working on unsecured lending products themselves (lines of credit) — not just familiarity with the regulations that govern them

• Strong analytical rigor and attention to detail — reasons through ambiguous regulatory questions rather than defaulting to a checklist, especially under bank-readiness deadline pressure

• Self-starter who builds structure and process without waiting to be told what's missing, with fluency in GenAI tools to accelerate documentation and research

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

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 f

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