Software Engineer, Pricing

Upstart; United States; Remote; USD 142,000 - 197,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Annual equity grants

401(k)

Health coverage

Paid time off

Job summary

Upstart is hiring a Senior Software Engineer on the Core Pricing team to design and implement scalable, low-latency pricing services that translate ML underwriting outputs into risk and profitability measures. You will collaborate with data scientists and product managers to deliver high-impact solutions across multiple products.

This role emphasizes architectural improvements, strong mentoring, and a focus on reliability, testing, and observability in a cloud-based environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional software development experience.
• Proficiency in Python; some experience with Java or Kotlin.
• Experience designing and building scalable APIs and microservices in cloud environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of scalable, high-performance services for real-time pricing across products.
• Collaborate with data scientists and product managers to translate business goals into robust technical solutions.
• Drive architectural improvements to support growth and evolving modeling needs.
• Mentor engineers to raise the bar on system design, testing, and reliability.
• Ensure quality and reliability of pricing engines through testing, reviews, and monitoring.

Tools

AWS

Job description

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, 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 Core Pricing team drives key initiatives that directly influence Upstart's revenue streams and product strategies. This includes developing the common systems used to calculate risk and profitability for each loan we originate, as well as providing a top-notch borrower experience by supporting our product development teams.

You will be joining a dynamic, cross-functional team that works closely with data scientists, product managers, and business stakeholders to deliver scalable, high-impact solutions.

As a Senior Software Engineer on Core Pricing, you'll play a critical role in evolving the systems that power Upstart's loan pricing across multiple product lines. You'll design and implement highly scalable, low-latency services that convert ML underwriting outputs into accurate risk and profitability measures, while helping define the future of Upstart's pricing platform.

How You'll Make an Impact

• Lead the design and development of scalable, high-performance services that enable real-time pricing decisions across multiple products.


• Collaborate with data scientists and product managers to translate business goals into robust technical solutions.


• Drive architectural improvements in the pricing platform to support rapid growth, new products, and evolving modeling needs.


• Mentor and coach engineers across the team, elevating best practices in system design, testing, and operational excellence.


• Ensure the quality and reliability of our pricing engines through comprehensive testing, code reviews, and production monitoring.


• Champion improvements in developer experience, automation, and observability to increase team velocity and platform resilience.

What We're Looking For

Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional software development experience building scalable public or consumer-facing products.


• High level of proficiency coding in production with Python, and some experience with Java or Kotlin or similiar.


• Proven ability to independently own and deliver complex, multi-month engineering projects in fast-paced environments.


• Experience designing and building scalable APIs and microservices in a cloud-based environment (AWS or GCP).


• Strong problem-solving skills with an emphasis on scalability, performance, and system reliability.


• Excellent communication skills, able to explain complex technical topics to both technical and non-technical audiences.


• Demonstrated experience mentoring and coaching engineers, influencing technical direction, and raising the bar for the team.


• Exhibits a bias for action and comfort navigating ambiguity while driving towards impactful outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in finance / fintech, financial mathematics, statistics, or machine learning preferred but not required


• History of thriving in diverse work environments: both collaborative and self-directed; remote and in-person.


• Deep experience with distributed systems, cloud-native development, and advanced CI/CD pipelines (infrastructure-as-code focus).


• Recognized as a subject matter expert or technical owner for a critical domain, with a passion for sharing knowledge and best practices.


• Active contributor to the tech community through open source, technical talks, or mentorship.

Position Location - This role is available in the following locations: Remote US

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.

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

$142,000 - $196,600 USD

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).

Canada | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range

$136,000 - $165,000 CAD

What you'll love

• Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly


• Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, including a 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually (USD in the US, CAD in Canada)


• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees (US only)


• Comprehensive health coverage designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US and supplemental health coverage for Canada.


• Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only)


• Income protection benefits, including life insurance and disability coverage for added financial security


• Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements


• Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments (duration varies by country)


• Family-centered benefits to support fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs


• 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 (US Only)


• 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, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)


• Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City

For roles based in Canada, please note that we are not currently able to hire in Quebec.

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 removed]