Principal Software Engineer, Upstart

• 8+ years of experience designing and building backend systems in production, with a focus on consumer-scale applications
• Deep expertise in distributed systems and event-driven architectures (Kafka, Kinesis, SQS, etc.), including experience with idempotency, retries, and fault tolerance
• Strong command of an object-oriented programming language (e.g., Java, Kotlin, C#, Python, Ruby), along with experience working with APIs, databases, and caching systems
• Proven success leading complex, zero-to-one product development in ambiguous or fast-changing environments
• Demonstrated ability to influence product strategy through technical leadership and user-centric thinking
• Track record of building with observability and operational excellence in mind (metrics, logs, traces, alerting, etc.)
• Active use of AI tools in engineering, with a forward-looking perspective on how AI is reshaping software development
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills; able to align teams and advocate for high-impact solutions across functions

Desirable

• We’re a small, senior engineering team at Upstart focused on launching a new product that aims to expand access to responsible and affordable credit
• Operating like a startup within the company, we move quickly and work autonomously
• With a greenfield codebase and an AI-native development approach, we’re not just building a product—we’re redefining how lean, high-impact engineering teams work
• Set technical direction and lead architectural design for core backend systems that power a new consumer credit product
• Build distributed, event-driven services that are reliable, observable, and scalable—designed for long-term evolution
• Drive zero-to-one product development in collaboration with cross-functional partners, translating ambiguous product goals into high-impact solutions
• Champion engineering velocity and quality by shaping patterns, practices, and tooling across the stack
• Lead with an AI-native mindset—leveraging and integrating AI tools to improve development workflows, reduce friction, and accelerate impact
• Serve as a technical mentor and thought leader within a high-performing, fast-moving team
• Influence product direction through technical insights, customer empathy, and an ability to balance tradeoffs between speed, scale, and quality
• This team operates across all U.S. time zones