About Upstart
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; Austin, Texas; and New York City, NY (opening Summer 2026).
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 GenAI Core Platform team builds the foundational infrastructure that democratizes access to generative AI across the company. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will provide technical leadership across multiple cross-functional teams, shaping the vision, architecture, and adoption strategy for our new GenAI platform for Engineers and non-Engineers alike. You will work closely with engineering leaders, ML researchers, and product stakeholders to ensure Upstart can scale the safe, efficient, and responsible use of LLMs across all business domains.
This role goes beyond delivery. It is about setting long-term direction, de-risking our most ambitious AI initiatives, and raising the bar for technical excellence across the organization. In short, you will have a direct influence and impact on how we enable and implement GenAI and LLMs internally at Upstart.
How You’ll Make an Impact- Define and drive the multi-year technical roadmap for the Core GenAI Platform, influencing adoption and alignment across several engineering teams
- Lead architecture and design of large-scale, mission-critical systems for model inference, orchestration, and compliance
- Identify and solve systemic technical risks that impact multiple teams and business-critical AI initiatives
- Build high-leverage, generalizable platform components that meaningfully accelerate the productivity of engineers across Upstart
- Mentor senior engineers (L5) and shape the growth of future technical leaders, fostering a culture of learning and excellence
- Collaborate with VP-level and above leadership to influence business strategy with technical insight
- Represent Upstart internally and externally as a thought leader in GenAI systems through executive reviews, cross-company forums, and industry venues
- Establish operational standards for GenAI integrations, ensuring security, fairness, and reliability at scale
- 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 3 years leading large-scale, cross-team technical initiatives
- Proven track record of delivering complex, distributed systems and platform infrastructure that span multiple teams
- Deep expertise in backend systems and infrastructure technologies such as Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform, and cloud-native architectures
- Experience designing and operationalizing ML/LLM platforms at scale, including optimization for cost, latency, and reliability
- Demonstrated ability to set long-term technical direction and influence organizational strategy
- Excellent communication skills with a history of driving alignment across engineering and business stakeholders
- Full-stack engineering experience (Python, FastAPI, Kotlin, Spring, React/TypeScript, or similar)
- Expertise in LLM-specific infrastructure such as inference optimization (quantization, ONNX, streaming), retrieval-augmented generation, and vector databases
- Hands-on experience with LLM toolchains such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or OpenAI APIs
- Recognized as a technical leader beyond your immediate team, influencing platform strategy across organizations
- Awareness of industry best practices and risks in GenAI including hallucination mitigation, fairness, explainability, and data privacy
- Experience mentoring senior engineers and shaping organizational standards for operational excellence
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).
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 [email protected]
https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy
Top Skills
Upstart San Mateo, California, USA Office
Upstart's office in San Mateo is located on the peninsula between San Francisco and the South Bay with easy Caltrain access and proximity to several apartment complexes. The office is close to several shopping donations including an outdoor beer garden.
Similar Jobs at Upstart
What you need to know about the San Francisco Tech Scene
Key Facts About San Francisco Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 365,500; 13.9% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Google, Apple, Salesforce, Meta
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, consumer technology, software
- Funding Landscape: $50.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins
- Research Centers and Universities: Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco; Santa Clara University; Ames Research Center; Center for AI Safety; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
