About Upstart
Upstart is the leading AI lending marketplace partnering with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit. By leveraging Upstart's AI marketplace, Upstart-powered banks and credit unions can have higher approval rates and lower loss rates across races, ages, and genders, while simultaneously delivering the exceptional digital-first lending experience their customers demand. More than 80% of borrowers are approved instantly, with zero documentation to upload.
Upstart is a digital-first company, which means that most Upstarters live and work anywhere in the United States. However, we also have offices in San Mateo, California; Columbus, Ohio; Austin, Texas; and New York City, NY (opening Summer 2026).
Most Upstarters join us because they connect with our mission of enabling access to effortless credit based on true risk. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Upstart, we’d love to hear from you!
The Team
The Cloud Platform organization provides the foundational infrastructure that powers Upstart’s engineering teams. Within this organization, the Compute and Infrastructure teams enable scale, reliability, cost-efficiency, and developer velocity across our cloud ecosystem.
- The Compute team owns our Kubernetes-based compute platform, ensuring it is performant, resilient, and easy to use. They focus on enabling scalable infrastructure patterns and self-service capabilities for product teams.
- The Infrastructure team manages our cloud architecture and platform tooling, maintaining Infrastructure-as-Code standards, automating pipelines, and designing secure, observable, and future-proof systems. Their charter spans network architecture (e.g., VPCs, service mesh, SaaS integrations) and reusable platform patterns (e.g., AWS CDK, Backstage, CI/CD).
Together, these teams are building the next generation of Upstart’s internal cloud platform, secure by default, scalable by design, and built for developer experience.
The Role
This role leads both the Compute and Infrastructure teams within the Cloud Platform organization. You’ll define and execute the technical and organizational strategy for Upstart’s internal platform, balancing scale, simplicity, and developer empowerment.
You’ll also oversee our cloud cost efficiency program, ensuring infrastructure investments are measurable and aligned with company priorities.
This is a high-impact leadership opportunity with broad visibility across engineering. You’ll help shape core platform capabilities, reduce complexity for product teams, and invest in growing a strong, inclusive team culture.
How You'll Make an Impact
- Lead and scale two high-impact platform engineering teams. Compute and Infrastructure within the Cloud Platform organization.
- Define and execute a cohesive strategy for Upstart’s multi-cluster, cross-region compute and infrastructure platforms that prioritizes simplicity, performance, security, and scale.
- Partner with engineering and product leaders to deeply understand developer needs and drive platform improvements that boost development velocity.
- Shape platform abstractions that streamline compute scaling, infrastructure provisioning, and network management for engineering teams.
- Champion automation, observability, and platform ownership across both teams.
- Lead Upstart’s cloud cost efficiency initiatives, including workload optimization and governance practices.
- Invest in your team’s growth through mentorship, clear expectations, and opportunities for technical and leadership development.
- Contribute to the evolution of our Cloud Platform vision by applying first-principles thinking to complex technical and organizational challenges.
Minimum Qualifications
- 5+ years of engineering leadership experience, including managing managers or overseeing multiple technical domains.
- 7+ years of hands-on experience building and operating distributed systems or infrastructure in a cloud-native environment.
- Proven ability to lead multiple technical domains (e.g., compute, networking, automation) under a unified platform strategy.
- Strong technical judgment with the ability to define clear charters and structure teams for speed, clarity, and cross-functional alignment.
- Demonstrated success in hiring, mentoring, and retaining top engineering talent while fostering an inclusive and high-performing culture.
Preferred Qualifications
- Deep expertise in Kubernetes, cloud networking, service meshes (e.g., Istio or Linkerd), and Infrastructure-as-Code tools like CDK or Terraform.
- Experience architecting AWS-native solutions, including VPC design, IAM, and multi-account strategies.
- History of delivering platform capabilities that measurably improved developer experience and operational efficiency.
- Strong background in infrastructure automation, observability, and platform reliability best practices.
- Experience building internal developer platforms, libraries, or CI/CD pipelines that abstract cloud complexity (e.g., via Backstage).
- Experience managing cloud vendor spend, cost attribution, and optimization across a large organization.
What you'll love:
- Competitive Compensation (base + bonus & equity)
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart
- Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 per year
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
- Life and disability insurance
- Generous holiday, vacation, sick and safety leave
- Supportive parental, family care, and military leave programs
- Annual wellness, technology & ergonomic reimbursement programs
- Social activities including team events and onsites, all-company updates, employee resource groups (ERGs), and other interest groups such as book clubs, fitness, investing, and volunteering
- Catered lunches + snacks & drinks when working in offices
#LI-REMOTE
#LI-MidSenior
At Upstart, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the below range. Your actual base pay will depend on your geographic location–with our “digital first” philosophy, Upstart uses compensation regions that vary depending on location. Individual pay is also determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
In addition, Upstart provides employees with target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k).
Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Just as we are dedicated to improving access to affordable credit for all, we are committed to inclusive and fair hiring practices.
If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please email [email protected]
https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy
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