Principal Software Engineer, Capital Marketplace

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

The Capital Marketplace Vertical is the fuel that powers Upstart’s AI based lending operations. Spread across eight dynamic high performance teams; Capital Marketplace is in charge of onboarding our capital providers, efficiently leveraging the capital on the platform, and maintaining Capital Marketplace relations with both our Lending Partners and Investors. We provide both our internal and external business partners with reports, forecasting, financial reporting and help optimize the connection between our customer base and the funding suppliers. As a Principal Engineer at Upstart on the Capital Marketplace team, you will collaborate with all parts of the Upstart business and engineering, including Machine Learning, Data Engineering, Product Management, Product Design, Platform, Servicing, Lending Partnerships, and all product vertical teams. The role will report directly to a head of Capital Market Engineering and work closely with all eight of the Capital Marketplace product engineering teams. Your goal is to autonomously identify and prioritize high impact work that will ultimately make the Capital Marketplace Vertical successful.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Help define the Capital Marketplace engineering’s longer term technical roadmap ensuring alignment with business objectives
• Guide the architectural evolution of Capital Marketplace systems with an emphasis on systems shared across the Capital Market engineering teams
• Uncover and drive alignment across complex technical requirements, designs, trade-offs, influencing product direction
• Proactively evaluate, prototype, and roll out new technologies/frameworks to help cultivate a culture of innovation
• Partner with product leaders to shape product direction and drive business impact across all Capital Marketplace products
• Lead from the front, while mentoring and developing technical leaders
• Identify and prioritize high leverage and impactful opportunities

What we’re looking for:

Minimum requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, or a related field (or its equivalent) + 8 years of experience
• Strong technical and software engineering fundamentals including a demonstrated ability to build and own large-scale, highly available consumer products
• Ability to explain complex business and technical concepts to all audiences
• Experience leading large cross-team initiatives at companies that have gone through periods of rapid business or organizational growth
• Track record of successfully mentoring and developing technical leaders

Preferred qualifications:

• Has defined and executed on longer term (multi-quarter +) technological visions or strategies for multi-team organizations
• Has driven initiatives of significant depth or breadth with demonstrated results in engineering process, technology platforms, or overall productivity of others
• Ability to identify gaps in organizational knowledge, tools, and practices and produce and execute on plans to address those gaps
• Ability to influence and lead without direct authority
• Strong product and analytical mindset that allows you to think in terms of ROI, risk, and trade offs

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

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.

Compensation

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

$186,100 - $257,500 USD

Canada | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range

$182,800 - $230,000 CAD

What You'll Love

At Upstart, our benefits are designed to support your health, financial well-being, family, and personal growth. Here’s what you’ll experience:

• 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 (opening Summer 2026!)

For roles based in Canada, please note that we are not 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 candidate_accommodations@upstart.com

https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy

Key skills/competency

• Principal Software Engineer
• Capital Marketplace
• AI Lending Marketplace
• Technical Roadmap
• System Architecture
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Mentoring Technical Leaders
• Innovation
• Product Strategy
• Consumer Products