Key skills
Software engineeringSystem designBackend systemsTeam managementDomain experience in fintechCross-functional collaborationproduct intuitionBusiness judgmentRegulatory compliancecommunicationAIMachine LearningAnalyticsCommunication
About this role
Upstart is an AI lending marketplace committed to reducing the cost and complexity of borrowing for Americans. They are seeking a Senior Manager of Software Engineering for their Core Pricing team, responsible for leading backend engineers, ensuring system reliability and accuracy, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver complex initiatives.
Responsibilities:
- Lead, coach, and grow a team of backend engineers and an engineering manager, fostering a culture of accountability and ownership
- Own team execution and delivery across multiple quarters, ensuring Core Pricing systems meet high standards for uptime, accuracy, and responsiveness
- Guide technical strategy across legacy and next-generation pricing systems, balancing short-term execution with long-term architectural goals
- Ensure changes to pricing systems are production-safe, observable, and rigorously validated, maintaining SLAs and leading incident response when needed
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Risk, Servicing, Analytics, and external partners to deliver complex, multi-team initiatives
- Use key metrics—including reliability, latency, and partner escalations—to align engineering priorities with borrower impact and business objectives
Requirements:
- 10–15 years of software engineering experience, including 4–7 years managing high-performing engineering teams
- Demonstrated ownership of systems with strict reliability, latency, and correctness constraints
- Domain experience in pricing, fintech, lending, payments, marketplaces, or real-time decisioning systems
- Strong system design and architectural skills, with the ability to dive deep into technical issues as needed
- Deep experience leading backend and distributed systems in production environments
- Proven success leading cross-functional, multi-quarter initiatives in complex, fast-paced environments
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to effectively collaborate with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Strong product intuition and business judgment, with the ability to assess tradeoffs, risk, and long-term impact
- Familiarity with operating in regulated environments and working with external partners
- Experience specifically in fintech or finance, working with pricing, risk, or other Machine Learning adjacent teams where correctness and regulatory compliance is critical