Principal Software Engineer, Unsecured Installments

Upstart

Remote

Quick summary

Work type: Remote
Location: Canada
Salary: $195,300–$270,400 / yr
Posted: 3 days ago

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $196k

This role $233k

$127k most similar roles pay here $286k

This role pays more than 81% of similar roles. Most pay $169,425–$222,000 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $233k versus about $196k for comparable roles.

Based on 239 similar postings.

Employer

About Upstart

Upstart is an AI lending platform that partners with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit using non-traditional variables.

Upstart currently has 61 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $172,100–$238,300 across 61 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at Upstart

At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Software Engineer, Unsecured Installments

Role Posting Log in to save

As a Principal Software Engineer on Upstart’s Unsecured Installments team, you will lead the technical direction for critical backend systems that power borrower journeys across offer generation, pricing, underwriting, funding, and servicing. You’ll collaborate with product, machine learning, analytics, and compliance teams to build reliable, scalable, and adaptable systems, integrating decision-making models into real-time experiences. Key responsibilities include improving borrower and partner flows, enhancing technical health through API design and observability, and mentoring engineers while driving alignment across team boundaries. The role requires expertise in distributed systems, event-driven architectures, and proficiency in languages like Python or Java, with a track record of delivering large-scale, business-critical projects. Experience in fintech lending and familiarity with AI tools are preferred, as you will contribute to shaping the future of credit access through innovative software solutions.

Skills

Python Java Kotlin Docker CI/CD AWS Kubernetes PostgreSQL Redis Event-Driven Architecture API Design Machine Learning Observability Testing Generative AI

What you'll do

Design and evolve backend systems for Upstart's unsecured installment lending product.
Lead technical direction in complex domains like underwriting, pricing, and offer generation.
Translate business requirements into scalable, reliable, and maintainable technical solutions.
Partner with machine learning teams to integrate models into real-time borrower experiences.
Improve key borrower and partner flows by addressing moments of friction and enhancing repricing.
Mentor engineers and drive clarity and alignment on technical execution through ambiguity.

What we're looking for

8+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on designing distributed systems.
Strong background in event-driven architectures, including handling retries, idempotency, and fault tolerance.
Proficiency in object-oriented languages like Python, Java, Kotlin, C#, or Ruby for building APIs and backend systems.
Track record of leading technical design and delivery for large-scale, business-critical systems.
Experience influencing technical direction across multiple teams and aligning engineers with different priorities.
Active use of AI tools in engineering workflows to enhance software development processes.

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