Principal Product Manager, Underwriting

Upstart; Columbus (OH); Remote; USD 187,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in AI lending seeks a Principal Product Manager for their Underwriting team. The role involves enhancing machine learning models for personal loans, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and managing vendor relationships. Candidates should possess a degree in a technical field and 5-7 years of product management experience, particularly in machine learning workflows.

Benefits

Competitive Compensation (base + bonus & equity)

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with 100% company match

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)

Generous holiday and vacation leave

Annual wellness and technology reimbursement

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of product management experience.
• Experience working with a machine learning team to ship models into production.
• Passion for credit and financing-related economic concepts.

Responsibilities

• Conduct user research and manage stakeholders to drive consensus.
• Identify opportunities to improve accuracy and speed of credit decisions.
• Deliver improved credit performance for lending partners.

Skills

Machine Learning Workflows

Product Management

Data Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Problem Solving

Education

BA/BS in Economics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics

Job description

Upstart is the 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 80% of borrowers are approved instantly, with zero documentation to upload.

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:

Upstart’s Underwritingteam is composed of Machine Learning research scientists, data scientists, and software engineers, on a mission to improve the accuracy of our credit risk and underwriting models, with a focus on our flagship product (Personal Loans) and building the platform to unlock innovation in other product lines. This team advances our ML innovation engine and brings new research ideas, across model innovations and new data sources, into the hands of our end consumers, thereby delivering the best rates for all.

As thePrincipal Product Manager, Underwriting at Upstart, you will ship core improvements to our machine learning models, with a focus on credit risk and underwriting. You will drive the strategic direction and day-to-day execution of a cross-functional technical team of research scientists, data scientists, and software engineers that ship model improvements for our flagship Personal Loans product. You will own and manage key vendor relationships with external data sources leveraged by our machine learning team and build a roadmap to expand and diversify those data sources as we pursue our mission of best rates for all.

How you’ll make an impact

• Conduct user research, analyze portfolio performance, and manage stakeholders to drive consensus towards a roadmap for our credit underwriting models
• Identify new opportunities to improve the accuracy and speed of credit underwriting decisions
• Write detailed requirements; manage agile processes to ensure consistent execution and accurate timelines across engineering and machine learning teams
• Make smart trade-offs to inform the ongoing product roadmap, prioritizing the features with the highest ROI and experimenting when necessary
• Deliver improved credit performance for our lending partners and investors while advocating for an excellent customer experience
• Demonstrate and encourage best practices in product management by working with other PMs throughout the company

Minimum Qualifications

• BA/BS in Economics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5-7 years of product management experience.
• Knowledge of machine learning workflows (e.g. model training, online inference, feature management, etc.)
• Experience working with a machine learning team to ship models into production.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve strategic goals in an innovative and fast-paced environment, and to evolve product strategy based on research, data and industry trends; excellent problem-solving, organizational and analytical skills.
• Passion and aptitude for credit and financing-related economic concepts.

Preferred Qualifications

• Work experience in credit risk and underwriting
• Work experience in machine learning, data science, or analytics
• Demonstrated ability to excel in informal or formal product leadership responsibilities.

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

Time zone requirements The team operates on the East/West coast time zones.

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.

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

#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

$187,900—$260,000 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 [e-mail]