Head of Recovery Strategy

The Team:

The Recovery team at Upstart is responsible for maximizing post-default recoveries while ensuring compliant borrower-centric engagement across a diverse and growing vendor ecosystem. As our Recovery operations mature we are investing in building smarter more scalable systems that reduce manual risk improve data-driven decisions and align our vendor network with long-term strategic outcomes.

We are seeking a Head of Recovery Strategy to lead our transformation roadmap across vendor integration automation compliance infrastructure and intelligent placement logic. This individual will work cross-functionally across Product Engineering Compliance Legal Data Analytics and Operations to architect the next evolution of Recovery operations at Upstart.

How youll make an impact

• Lead Recoverys transformation roadmap: Design and deliver high-impact initiatives that reduce manual risk automate vendor workflows and scale internal process efficiency across legal recovery bankruptcy affidavits DSC debt sales and probate.
• Architect scalable vendor infrastructure: Enhance frameworks for vendor onboarding integration compliance scorecards and audit-readiness ensuring Recovery is built to scale intelligently across a growing multi-vendor ecosystem.
• Enhance and operationalize Recovery KPIs: Collaborate with Ops and Analytics to define implement and monitor a comprehensive suite of performance and risk metrics across Recovery verticalsensuring every vendor strategy and system enhancement is grounded in measurable success criteria.
• Quantify and optimize placement strategy: Partner with data analytics ML and operations to improve liquidation and cost-to-collect through segmentation logic hypothesis-driven testing and performance-based routing.
• Drive analytical and cross-functional execution: Lead strategic programs from concept to implementationincluding the rollout of tools like Convoke legal collections testing and compliance health modelsgrounded in measurable ROI and portfolio-level impact.
• Own Recoverys strategic alignment layer: Serve as the connective tissue between Product Engineering Legal ML and Ops to ensure programs are modeled implemented and monitored with discipline.
• Enable performance & quality execution: Youll complement operational leadership by enabling managers with scalable tools systems and decision frameworksnot by running day-to-day vendor performance.
• Lead and scale a small strategic enablement team: May manage 12 ICs (project or program managers) focused on executing recovery transformation initiativesincluding automation issues management vendor enhancements compliance workflows and metric monitoring. Youll guide executional velocity while staying deeply involved in program strategy and prioritization.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8 years of experience in product strategy operations or transformation program leadership in a regulated or financial services environment
• Proven success leading analytically rigorous initiatives involving ROI modeling hypothesis-driven testing and cost-benefit analysis while leading complex cross-functional initiatives involving vendors risk/compliance and technology teams
• Demonstrated ability to estimate financial impact at the unit and portfolio level (e.g. revenue per transaction net present value over time)
• Demonstrated experience applying process design automation or analytics to solve operational problems
• Excellent project management skills and the ability to organize and drive multiple workstreams
• Demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous problems develop hypotheses and present recommendations
• Excellent communicator: able to synthesize complex analyses into clear actionable roadmaps
• Proven analytical skills with the ability to monitor performance metrics and make data-driven decisions
• Familiarity with compliance and operational risk frameworks in regulated financial operations
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced high-growth environment with a strong sense of urgency

Preferred Qualifications

• Comfort building and interpreting unit economics models breakeven analysis and performance scenarios
• Experience leading or collaborating on ML- or rule-based segmentation strategies for operational decisioning
• Strong fluency with quantitative tools (SQL Excel modeling Looker or scripting languages)
• MBA from a top-tier business school
• 3 years of People management experience
• Strong familiarity with regulated financial services operations or collections/recovery environments
• Experience in legal collections recovery optimization debt sale analytics or servicing vendor strategy
• Immense curiosity about root causesthinks critically from first principles and never stops asking questions
• A natural thought-partner: open-minded collaborative and able to co-create new ideas with cross-functional teams
• Experience working in fintech financial services or consulting (e.g. strategy risk vendor management)
• Familiarity with tools like Convoke Salesforce AppScript or vendor audit and control software
• Experience with compliance vendor due diligence or regulatory exam preparation

Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote.

Time zone requirements The 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; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time. Potential for some vendor site travel; length and cadence to be determined.

What youll love:

• Competitive Compensation (base bonus & equity)
• Comprehensive medical dental and vision coverage with Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart
• 401(k) with 100% company match up to $4500 and immediate vesting and after-tax savings
• 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