Senior Manager of Machine Learning, Upstart

• 6+ years of experience developing and deploying machine learning models in production with direct customer and financial impact
• Proven track record of leading high-impact ML initiatives from research through productionization
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Economics or a related field
• Strong technical judgment and ability to dive deep into model design, data analysis, and evaluation
• Keen statistical, economic and business intuition, and comfort with reasoning under uncertainty and data limitations
• Knowledge of production ML, ability to adapt to new tech stacks and get in the weeds of work output from the team
• Excited and able to make direct technical contributions when needed
• Exceptional leadership skills with experience developing teams of highly technical ML scientists
• Attract, mentor, and grow a top-tier team of ML scientists passionate about expanding access to credit
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Capital Markets and other teams
• Strong project management skills with experience scaling processes and operational workflows

Desirable

• Upstart’s Small Dollar Loans (SDL) and Cash Line ML teams sits at the center of our mission to expand access to credit for those who need it most
• SDL provides short-term personal loans; Cash Line, our soon-to-launch subscription-based line of credit, offers ongoing flexibility for customers often left out of traditional lending
• Both products aim to ease financial strain and improve long-term outcomes for underserved borrowers
• This high-performing team of scientists and engineers, soon to be led by you, builds and refines the core underwriting and pricing models behind these products
• These are Upstart’s most innovative and experimental systems - applying ML not only to predict credit risk but also to optimize the costs of lending so we can expand approvals while keeping borrowing affordable
• You’ll advance these systems end-to-end: improving risk separation, refining cost models, and designing the decision logic that translates model outputs into customer-facing decisions
• You’ll also lead 0→1 efforts that establish new ML capabilities, particularly for Cash Line
• You’ll collaborate closely with GMs, Product, and Engineering to drive these products from experimentation to scale
• Drive early ML innovation for Cash Line, developing and refining our first suite of models for customer behavior (churn, draw, graduate, default)
• Improve and evolve SDL underwriting models and efficiency, and explore convergence opportunities with personal loan models to ensure a unified, scalable approach to small-dollar credit
• Design or refine decision engines that translate model predictions into accurate, transparent, and customer-friendly lending outcomes
• Develop and validate robust model performance metrics that build confidence in our systems and unlock resilient, low-cost capital from investors
• Foster a culture of technical rigor, fast learning, and pragmatic execution within a small, high-talent team operating at the frontier of Upstart’s lending innovation
• Collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, Capital Markets, and Data Analytics to align ML solutions with product strategy, business goals, and financial performance
• Attract, mentor, and grow a top-tier team of ML scientists passionate about expanding access to credit