Senior Manager, IT Engineering

The Team

Upstart's IT Engineering team builds and manages the platforms, systems, and tools that power internal productivity, automation, and secure collaboration across the organization. From modern endpoint management to infrastructure-as-code, we architect, scale, and automate foundational systems that enable Upstarters to deliver on our mission.

As a Senior Manager of IT Engineering at Upstart, you will lead a talented team responsible for identity management, enterprise automation, endpoint infrastructure, and internal tooling. This role combines technical leadership with strategic execution, focused on building scalable, secure, and user-centric IT systems. You will play a critical role in scaling Upstart's internal technology stack, supporting company growth while reducing risk and enabling seamless employee experiences.

This is not just an operational role — it's a strategic opportunity to shape the internal technology foundation of a fast-scaling fintech company. You’ll be part of an organization that values automation, collaboration, and mission-driven impact. If you're ready to build secure, scalable systems that empower thousands of employees and support the future of credit — we’d love to meet you.

Position Location - This role is available in the following locations: Remote, San Mateo, Columbus, Austin 

Time Zone Requirements - This team operates on the East/West Coast time zones.

Travel Requirements - 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; the IT Engineering team meets quarterly for 3-5 consecutive days at a time, but additional travel may be required.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Define and execute the vision for Upstart’s internal IT platforms, services, and engineering capabilities
• Lead and mentor a team of IT Engineers across enterprise tooling, automation, endpoint engineering, and identity
• Architect and implement scalable, cloud-native infrastructure using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) best practices
• Drive automation across IT workflows to reduce manual operations, improve reliability, and increase velocity
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders including Security, People, Compliance, and Engineering to ensure IT platforms meet business and compliance needs
• Enhance observability and incident response within internal platforms to reduce downtime and improve employee experience
• Manage and report on IT engineering KPIs, driving continuous improvement through data-driven decision-making
• Ensure all IT systems and services are secure, resilient, and aligned with Upstart’s risk management strategy
• Champion a DevOps and SRE-aligned culture within IT, emphasizing scalability, reproducibility, and proactive health monitoring

What we’re looking for: 

• Minimum requirements:
• 8+ years in IT Engineering, Systems Engineering, or DevOps roles, with 3+ years in engineering leadership 
• Excellent people management skills with a track record of successfully mentoring, coaching, and getting reports promoted to the next level
• Proven success scaling enterprise platforms and managing cloud-based infrastructure in a fast-growing organization
• Deep technical expertise in IAM platforms (e.g., Okta), MDM tools (e.g., Jamf, BeyondCorp), and SaaS integrations
• Technical background in scripting and automation (e.g., Python) and Infrastructure-as-Code tools like Terraform, CDK, etc., and a willingness to get hands-on to help out the team if necessary
• Strong understanding of enterprise security practices, endpoint protection, and compliance
• History of driving architectural decisions and roadmaps across cross-functional teams
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Preferred qualifications:
• Experience in a high-growth fintech, SaaS, or regulated environment
• Background in observability, ITIL frameworks, or internal developer productivity tooling
• Familiarity with AWS, CI/CD pipelines, and Kubernetes
• Experience managing geographically distributed teams
• Relevant certifications (e.g., ITIL, Google Workspace Admin, AWS Solutions Architect)

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