Distinguished Engineer, Upstart

• We are looking for a seasoned leader with a passion for ML, finance, experimentation, and distributed systems
• 15+ years of experience developing large scale distributed systems in the cloud
• 10+ years of experience leading large cross-team initiatives
• Experience launching large scale ML-based products in domains like Fintech, Pricing, or Ads
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for the quality and timely delivery of work
• Ability to thrive both in self-directed work environments and in collaborative settings, contributing positively to team dynamics
• High proficiency in Python and one or more object oriented programming languages like Kotlin, Java, C#, C++
• Experience building highly scalable APIs using containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
• Solid grasp of software development principles and best practices for creating scalable and maintainable systems
• Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex business and technical concepts to all audiences
• Track record of successfully mentoring and developing technical leaders
• Experience working in dynamic fast paced organizations
• Ability to balance the needs of the business with the needs of engineering improvements
• Passion for clean code and architecture and initiative to “level-up” the engineering team with better practices & design
• You are able lead and resolve company-wide technical discussions and are able to collaborate and include input from cross-functional teams (security, devops, data, compliance and product)
• You have a good sense for build-vs-buy and are able to prioritize the highest ROI architectural investments

Desirable

• Our team is responsible for building a best-in-class underwriting platform to quickly and accurately create loan offers for all of Upstart’s loan products like Personal Loans, Auto loans and Home loans
• The services owned by the team are responsible for validating applicant data, interfacing with Machine Learning models to calculate borrower risk, matching applicants to lenders, and calculating interest rates, fees, etc
• We are developing new capabilities for Upstart’s loan products and building a next generation software platform to accelerate innovation on behalf of our customers
• As a Distinguished Software Engineer, you are at the helm of driving technical excellence and innovation within the Underwriting Platform team
• You are responsible for setting the technical vision and direction that works backwards from our product strategy
• You will lead the team to deliver a high-scale platform that enables ML and Engineering teams across the company to use AI to continuously maximize the efficiency of our borrower-lender marketplace
• You will have the opportunity to design and build large scale systems from the ground up, partner closely with ML scientists, and work in a highly-collaborative and fast-paced environment
• Define the long-term technical direction and roadmap for Upstart’s Underwriting Platform in alignment with business objectives
• Lead the design and development of a platform that enables multiple ML and Engineering teams at Upstart to optimize different parts of our AI borrower-lender marketplace
• Work closely with ML scientists to improve and develop new models that improve core business metrics
• Guide the architectural evolution of our engineering systems with an emphasis on high scale, availability, and quality
• Uncover and drive alignment across complex technical requirements, designs, trade-offs, and influencing product direction
• Proactively evaluate, prototype, and roll out new technologies/frameworks to help cultivate a culture of innovation
• Lead from the front, while mentoring and developing technical leaders