Senior Software Engineer - Machine Learning Platform

Upstart is an AI lending marketplace that uses advanced technology to expand access to affordable credit. The Senior Software Engineer will build and operate machine learning operations and simulation platforms, including infrastructure for model inference, deployment, feature serving, automation, observability, and marketplace simulation. The role also involves cross-functional collaboration and mentoring engineers.

Responsibilities:

• Build, maintain, and optimize Upstart’s next-generation machine learning and simulation platform, enabling increased scale, performance, and confidence in decisioning
• Develop high-quality software applications that enable machine learning models to be applied to the ever-evolving needs of the business
• Build self-service tooling so ML teams can register features and deploy models independently, and reduce the manual work the platform team absorbs today
• Deliver the data and feature infrastructure behind every model, including feature definition, storage, serving, and offline to online parity
• Design and contribute to our simulation systems to more accurately reflect production environments, reducing simulation cost and enabling broader usage across teams
• Communicate closely with cross-functional partners from ML, Engineering, Product, and Data Engineering teams, keeping all stakeholders informed
• Mentor engineers across the team, sharing expertise on distributed systems, MLOps, and scalable architecture

Requirements:

• 6+ years of software engineering experience
• Experience building and maintaining backend software services and APIs
• Experience with distributed systems or large scale data processing, using Spark, Databricks, Ray, or an equivalent
• Experience with an ML platform or the ML production path, such as training pipelines, model serving, feature pipelines, or a training data platform
• Proficiency with some or many of the following: Python, Kotlin, Databricks, and AWS
• Exhibits a growth mindset. You pick up new technologies that fit the task, and you learn from others
• Ability to quickly comprehend complex requirements from ML, product, or engineering leadership, and translate them for both technical and non-technical partners
• This role is available in the following locations: Remote
• The team operates on the East/West coast time zones
• As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions' cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time
• Skill with Metaflow, MLflow, gRPC, Spark/PySpark, dbt, Ray, GPU
• Knowledge of simulation, experimentation, or backtesting systems
• Experience building self-serve or configuration driven tooling for internal users
• Excellent quantitative reasoning skills with interest in working at the intersection of engineering and machine learning
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for the quality and timely delivery of work
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with partners, peers, and product owners
• Ability to thrive in self-directed work and in collaborative settings, contributing positively to team dynamics