Software Engineer, Engagement

Role Overview

• Lead the design and development of full-stack systems that power new engagement experiences such as credit health monitoring, financial wellness tools, and gamified features.
• Architect and build scalable microservices and event-driven systems (e.g., Kafka-based streams) to ingest, process, and surface user credit and financial data in real time.
• Partner closely with Product, Product Marketing, and Design to translate ambiguous 0→1 concepts into robust, user-facing features that drive repeat engagement and long-term customer value.
• Collaborate with Legal and Compliance to ensure new features meet regulatory and data governance requirements.
• Optimize and experiment on key user surfaces—supporting A/B testing, iteration, and performance improvements across authenticated and unauthenticated experiences.
• Contribute to the long-term vision of Upstart’s credit health and financial wellness ecosystem, including features that help users understand and improve the factors that influence their credit and borrowing power.
• Help scale production systems across the stack, improving reliability, observability, and performance as adoption grows.

Requirements

• 4+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong backend focus.
• Experience building and maintaining production-grade applications using strongly typed languages such as Java, Kotlin, C#, C, or similar.
• Hands-on experience designing and developing microservices and distributed systems.
• Experience consuming and processing event streams or working with messaging/queue systems (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ, Celery, or similar).
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving environments and drive projects from concept through launch.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with Product and Design to deliver customer-facing features.

Tech Stack

• Distributed Systems
• Java
• Kafka
• Kotlin
• Microservices
• RabbitMQ

Benefits

• 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!).