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 Cloud Platform organization provides the foundational infrastructure that powers Upstart’s engineering teams. Within this organization, the Compute and Infrastructure teams enable scale, reliability, cost-efficiency, and developer velocity across our cloud ecosystem.
- The Compute team owns our Kubernetes-based compute platform, ensuring it is performant, resilient, and easy to use. They focus on enabling scalable infrastructure patterns and self-service capabilities for product teams.
- The Infrastructure team manages our cloud architecture and platform tooling, maintaining Infrastructure-as-Code standards, automating pipelines, and designing secure, observable, and future-proof systems. Their charter spans network architecture (e.g., VPCs, service mesh, SaaS integrations) and reusable platform patterns (e.g., AWS CDK, Backstage, CI/CD).
Together, these teams are building the next generation of Upstart’s internal cloud platform, secure by default, scalable by design, and built for developer experience.
The Role
This role leads both the Compute and Infrastructure teams within the Cloud Platform organization. You’ll define and execute the technical and organizational strategy for Upstart’s internal platform, balancing scale, simplicity, and developer empowerment.
You’ll also oversee our cloud cost efficiency program, ensuring infrastructure investments are measurable and aligned with company priorities.
This is a high-impact leadership opportunity with broad visibility across engineering. You’ll help shape core platform capabilities, reduce complexity for product teams, and invest in growing a strong, inclusive team culture.
How You'll Make an Impact
- Lead and scale two high-impact platform engineering teams. Compute and Infrastructure within the Cloud Platform organization.
- Define and execute a cohesive strategy for Upstart’s multi-cluster, cross-region compute and infrastructure platforms that prioritizes simplicity, performance, security, and scale.
- Partner with engineering and product leaders to deeply understand developer needs and drive platform improvements that boost development velocity.
- Shape platform abstractions that streamline compute scaling, infrastructure provisioning, and network management for engineering teams.
- Champion automation, observability, and platform ownership across both teams.
- Lead Upstart’s cloud cost efficiency initiatives, including workload optimization and governance practices.
- Invest in your team’s growth through mentorship, clear expectations, and opportunities for technical and leadership development.
- Contribute to the evolution of our Cloud Platform vision by applying first-principles thinking to complex technical and organizational challenges.
Minimum Qualifications
- 5+ years of engineering leadership experience, including managing managers or overseeing multiple technical domains.
- 7+ years of hands-on experience building and operating distributed systems or infrastructure in a cloud-native environment.
- Proven ability to lead multiple technical domains (e.g., compute, networking, automation) under a unified platform strategy.
- Strong technical judgment with the ability to define clear charters and structure teams for speed, clarity, and cross-functional alignment.
- Demonstrated success in hiring, mentoring, and retaining top engineering talent while fostering an inclusive and high-performing culture.
Preferred Qualifications
- Deep expertise in Kubernetes, cloud networking, service meshes (e.g., Istio or Linkerd), and Infrastructure-as-Code tools like CDK or Terraform.
- Experience architecting AWS-native solutions, including VPC design, IAM, and multi-account strategies.
- History of delivering platform capabilities that measurably improved developer experience and operational efficiency.
- Strong background in infrastructure automation, observability, and platform reliability best practices.
- Experience building internal developer platforms, libraries, or CI/CD pipelines that abstract cloud complexity (e.g., via Backstage).
- Experience managing cloud vendor spend, cost attribution, and optimization across a large organization.
#LI-REMOTE
#LI-MidSenior
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).
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 can expect:
- Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
- Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 per year
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees
- Affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage, with multiple plan options - Upstart covers 90% to 100% of the cost depending on the plans you choose
- Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans
- Income protection benefits, including company-paid Basic Life, AD&D, and Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage, with options to purchase supplemental coverage
- Paid time off, sick and safe time, and company holidays
- Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments
- Family-centered benefits through Carrot and Cleo, supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving
- 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
- 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 and onsites, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
- Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our four offices, located in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).
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 [email protected]
https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy
Top Skills
What the Team is Saying
What We Do
Upstart is the leading AI lending marketplace, connecting millions of consumers to more than 100 banks and credit unions that leverage Upstart’s AI models and cloud applications to deliver superior credit products. With Upstart's AI, lenders can approve more borrowers at lower rates across races, ages, and genders, while delivering the exceptional digital-first experience customers demand. More than 80% of borrowers are approved instantly, with zero documentation to upload. Founded in 2012, Upstart’s platform includes personal loans, automotive retail and refinance loans, home equity lines of credit, and small-dollar “relief” loans.
If you are energized by the impact you think you could make at Upstart, we'd love to hear from you!
Why Work With Us
Connection to our mission creates a special environment where people feel passionately about the impact they make in the world. Upstart is fast-paced, and we encourage ownership at all levels of the organization. As a result, culture at Upstart is driven by Upstarters. Upstarters are proactive, talented, multi-dimensional and collaborative.
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Upstart Offices
Remote Workspace
Employees work remotely.
Upstart has a digital-first model enabling most Upstarters can live and work anywhere in the U.S. We also offer in-person options from our office locations in San Mateo, California; Columbus, Ohio; Austin, Texas; and New York City, NY.
