Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning Simulations

San Mateo, CA - USA

Monthly Salary: Not Disclosed

Posted on: 30+ days ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

About Upstart

At Upstart were united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day we bring creativity experimentation and advanced AI to reshape access to credit helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence.

As the leading AI lending marketplace we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology thats both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 1800 signals powering smarter fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea every voice and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress.

Were proudly digital-first giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive alongside teammates across 80 cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesnt mean distant. Were intentional about in-person connection through team onsites planning sessions and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus Austin the Bay Area or New York City (opening Summer 2026) youll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.

If youre energized by tackling meaningful problems excited to innovate with purpose and motivated by work that truly matters wed love to hear from you.

The Team:

The Machine Learning & Simulations Platform (MLSP) team builds and operates the core infrastructure that powers ML model training inference and marketplace simulation at Upstart. Our platform is foundational to the companys successevery underwriting fraud conversion and verification model runs here. We also provide the simulation capabilities that help teams experiment safely and assess business impact without requiring costly live experimentation.

We are on a mission to reimagine our infrastructure to support the growing complexity of our ML models the demand for low-latency inference and the accuracy needed to simulate the dynamics of our borrower-lender marketplace at scale. The team partners closely with Engineering ML Product and Finance to accelerate innovation while safeguarding performance and integrity.

As a Senior Software Engineer focused on Machine Learning Simulations at Upstart you will be responsible for building an MLOps platform to support machine learning model inference process automation model deployment and observability. Machine Learning is critical to Upstarts core business and our greatest competitive advantage lies in the fact that were able to innovate on our AI engine quickly. You will also help build a marketplace simulation platform to support rapid innovation across ML and Finance teams.

How youll make an impact

Build maintain and optimize Upstarts 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
Enable the modernization of our serving infrastructure reducing inference latency to just a few seconds for our most complex models
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

Minimum Qualifications

6 years of software engineering experience including experience building and contributing to machine learning platforms ML infrastructure or adjacent large-scale data or model-serving systems
Experience building or contributing to platforms or systems that support machine learning model simulation
Experience building self-serve or configuration-driven tooling for internal stakeholders
Experience building and maintaining backend software services and APIs
Proficiency with some or many of the following: Python Kotlin Databricks and AWS
Exhibits a growth mindset - youre not afraid to pick up new technologies that are best for the task and learn from others.
Ability to quickly comprehend and reiterate complex requirements from product or engineering leadership and translate those to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Track record of successfully mentoring and developing other engineers around you while seeking out and appreciating constructive feedback

Preferred Qualifications

Familiarity with model serving technologies like Ray and experimentation frameworks
Proficiency with Flask FastAPI Metaflow MLflow gRPC Kafka Spark/PySpark ETL/ELT Redshift (or similar)
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
Proven ability to effectively analyze and solve complex problems
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with stakeholders peers and product owners
Ability to thrive both in self-directed work environments and in collaborative settings contributing positively to team dynamic

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

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.

#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 locationwith 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).

United States Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range

$166900$230900 USD

What youll love

At Upstart our benefits are designed to support your health financial well-being family and personal growth. Heres what you can expect:

Competitive compensation including base pay bonus opportunities and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed up to $15000 per year
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees
Affordable medical dental and vision coverage with multiple plan options - Upstart covers 90% to 100% of the cost depending on the plans you choose
Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans
Income protection benefits including company-paid Basic Life AD&D and Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage with options to purchase supplemental coverage
Paid time off sick and safe time and company holidays
Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments
Family-centered benefits through Carrot and Cleo supporting fertility parenthood and caregiving
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources
Financial wellness resources including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service
Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development based on what matters most to you
Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work no matter where you work from
Connection and community through team events and onsites all-company updates and employee resource groups (ERGs)
Onsite perks including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our four offices located in the Bay Area Austin Columbus and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).

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

Experience:

Senior IC

About UpstartAt Upstart were united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day we bring creativity experimentation and advanced AI to reshape access to credit helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence.A...