Software Engineer, Upstart Bank

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 3,000 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 Bank is an evolution of Upstart's AI lending platform, focused on simplifying the regulatory infrastructure behind our marketplace while expanding access to credit nationwide. By moving from a fragmented, state-based system to a unified federal framework, Upstart Bank enables more consistent borrower experiences, reduces structural costs, and unlocks opportunities to improve pricing, compliance, and access to credit at scale.

As a Software Engineer on the Upstart Bank team, you will design and build reliable backend software that enables Upstart Bank to launch and scale successfully. Engineers work across a variety of Bank initiatives while partnering closely with Product, Compliance, Legal, Risk, Finance, Operations, and Engineering to deliver scalable software in a regulated environment.

This is a rare opportunity to help build one of the first modern AI-enabled national banks. The ideal engineer enjoys solving challenging backend problems, thrives in ambiguous environments, and is excited to help shape both the technology and engineering culture as Upstart Bank grows.

How you’ll make an impact

• Design and build scalable backend systems, services, and APIs supporting Upstart Bank initiatives

• Deliver well-designed software across medium-sized engineering projects while collaborating with senior engineers

• Translate business, operational, and regulatory requirements into reliable, maintainable software

• Improve system reliability, observability, performance, and operational excellence across backend services

• Contribute to technical design discussions and continuously improve engineering quality

• Partner closely with Product, Compliance, Legal, Risk, Finance, Operations, and Engineering to deliver high-quality software

• Uphold a high engineering bar through thoughtful implementation, testing, code review, and operational ownership

• Thrive in ambiguous environments while continuously growing technical ownership and engineering judgment

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)

• 4+ years of backend or full-stack software engineering experience

• Experience building and operating production software systems

• Experience building scalable services, APIs, or web applications

• Proficiency in at least one modern programming language such as Java, Kotlin, Python, Go, or similar

• Strong engineering fundamentals around software design, testing, debugging, and operational ownership

• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, cross-functional environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in fintech, financial services, payments, or another regulated industry

• Experience with distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, Kafka, gRPC, or similar backend technologies

• Experience building reliable backend services, APIs, or platform software

• Experience modernizing existing systems or building new backend platforms

• Ability to collaborate effectively across Product, Compliance, Operations, and Engineering teams

• Curiosity, adaptability, and a desire to continuously learn new technologies and business domains

Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote [ A specific city/location is not required if the role does not have an in-person requirement]

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-Associate --> use for L3, L4

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 pr

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