Principal Security Engineer

Ohiox; Columbus (OH); Remote; USD 182,000 - 253,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Principal Security Engineer, where you'll shape security strategies and lead initiatives that protect innovative products. This role offers the chance to collaborate with engineering and business leaders, ensuring that security measures are effective yet empowering for developers. With a commitment to a digital-first approach, you will be at the forefront of tackling emerging threats and enhancing the security posture of a dynamic organization. If you're passionate about making a significant impact in the security landscape, this opportunity is for you!

Benefits

Competitive Compensation (base + bonus & equity)

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with 100% company match

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)

Life and disability insurance

Generous holiday, vacation, and sick leave

Supportive parental and family care leave

Annual wellness reimbursement programs

Catered lunches and snacks in offices

Social activities and team events

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in security leadership with a track record of driving solutions.
• Strong communication skills to engage engineers and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-impact security initiatives across products and services.
• Mentor engineers and promote a strong security culture.

Skills

Application Security

Infrastructure Security

Enterprise Security

Detection & Response

Risk Assessment

Communication Skills

Security Leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Security GRC

Threat Modeling Tools

Job description

About Upstart

Upstart is a 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 two-thirds of Upstart loans are approved instantly and are fully automated.

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!

Upstart’s Security team is dedicated to advancing security practices that enhance the safety of our products, customers, and partners. We believe that security should empower innovation, move at the speed of business, and be designed for safety from the ground up. Our mission is to protect Upstart’s products & enterprise, and manage threats to Upstart. We achieve this through automation, strong collaboration with partner teams, and a commitment to maintain a positive experience for Upstarters. As a Principal Security Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping Upstart’s security strategy. You will architect, design, and influence our security measures across all security controls while driving our roadmap forward. Partnering closely with Engineering and business leaders, you will develop and implement security patterns to protect our products while enabling developers. This role requires a well-rounded security practitioner who can mentor engineers, stay ahead of emerging threats, and effectively communicate security risks to senior and executive stakeholders.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Lead complex, high-impact security initiatives with cross-team dependencies across our products, services, infrastructure, and enterprise.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to develop and implement security patterns that reduce risk and enable developers.
• Provide mentorship, foster a strong security culture, and promote security excellence.
• Continually assess Upstart’s security risk posture and influence priorities and roadmap decisions.
• Stay at the forefront of innovative security solutions to strengthen our stance.
• Monitor emerging threats and attack methods, ensuring Upstart remains one step ahead.

What we’re looking for:

• Minimum requirements:
• Deep expertise across multiple security domains (e.g. Application Security, Infrastructure Security, Enterprise Security, Detection & Response, Security GRC, Customer Trust, Offensive Security).
• Demonstrable track record as an influential security leader, driving security solutions across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience with advanced threat modeling techniques and risk assessment.
• Strong communication skills, capable of engaging engineers and senior leadership through clear, concise, and effective messaging (both written and verbal).
• Ability to promote innovative security solutions while independently navigating ambiguity to drive change.
• 10+ years of experience in security leadership, open to strong individual contributors and people managers.

• Preferred qualifications:
  • Strong security program management experience, leading large-scale, multi-team security initiatives.
  • Contributions to the security industry (e.g. industry presentations, white papers, OSS projects, patents).
  • Familiarity with compliance frameworks, including SOC1, SOC2, and SOX.

Position Location - This role is available in the following locations: Remote, San Mateo, Columbus, Austin.

Time Zone Requirements - This team operates across all U.S. time zones.

Travel Requirements - This team has regular on-site collaboration sessions. These occur 3 days per quarter at an Upstart office. If you need to travel to make these meetups, Upstart will cover all travel-related expenses.

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.

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

$182,300—$252,500 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]

https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy