Principal Software Engineer, Identity

Upstart is a leading AI lending marketplace focused on reducing the cost and complexity of borrowing for Americans. The Principal Software Engineer will drive technical excellence within the Identity Platform team, responsible for creating and managing borrower and partner identities, ensuring secure and seamless authentication experiences.

Responsibilities:

• Define the long-term technical direction and roadmap for Identity and Access Management Platform in alignment with Upstart’s business objectives
• Lead the design, development and execution of a system that emphasizes security and ease of access
• Work closely with the Informational Security team to improve and develop standards that ensure that our customer data is secure and build trust with Customers
• Guide the architectural evolution of Identity engineering systems with an emphasis on security, scaling innovation across multiple engineering teams
• Uncover and drive alignment across complex technical requirements, designs, trade-offs, influencing product direction
• Proactively evaluate, prototype, and roll out new technologies/frameworks to help cultivate a culture of innovation
• Lead from the front, while mentoring and developing technical leaders

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, or a related field (or its equivalent) + 8 years of experience
• Experience building highly scalable APIs using containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes
• Solid grasp of software development principles and best practices for creating scalable and maintainable systems
• Proficiency in one or more object oriented programming languages like Kotlin, Ruby, C#, C++
• Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex business and technical concepts to all audiences
• Track record of successfully mentoring and developing technical leaders
• Experience working in dynamic fast paced organizations
• Ability to balance the needs of the business with the needs of engineering improvements
• Passion for clean code and architecture and initiative to 'level-up' the engineering team with better practices & design
• You are able lead and resolve company-wide technical discussions and are able to collaborate and include input from cross-functional teams (security, devops, data, compliance and product)
• You have a good sense for build-vs-buy and are able to prioritize the highest ROI architectural investments
• High proficiency with OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect Specifications
• Experience working in Identity and Security Platform
• Experience with building Kotlin or Java Backend services
• Experience with A/B testing, GRPC and Devops
• Background in Keycloak or any equivalent IAM Solution, Devops, Ruby and NextJS is a big plus
• Experience designing and building microservice-based architectures
• Experience developing large scale distributed systems in AWS
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for the quality and timely delivery of work
• Ability to thrive both in self-directed work environments and in collaborative settings, contributing positively to team dynamics
• Demonstrated ability to take feedback well and actively incorporate it into work with a desire to continuously improve
• Ability to influence and lead without direct authority
• Strong product and analytical mindset that allows you to think in terms of ROI, risk, and trade offs
• Experience working at companies that have gone through periods of rapid business or organizational growth