Senior Manager, Software Engineering - Payments and Experience

  • R-6705
  • Engineering
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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; and Austin, Texas.

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: 

Upstart’s Servicing Payments and Borrowers Experience team is responsible for delivering a seamless and reliable payment experience for borrowers, a critical part of Upstart’s financial ecosystem. Our team owns the infrastructure that powers all borrower-facing payments and the internal systems that ensure financial accuracy, compliance, and system reliability. As we scale our platform to support new products, payment types, and borrower volumes, we’re investing in leaders who can drive architectural clarity, foster high-performing teams, and build systems that balance speed, reliability, and compliance.

As the Senior Engineering Manager - Payments at Upstart, you will lead a team of 12+ across two engineering squads, partnering closely with Product, Risk, and Operations to translate business needs into resilient, scalable technical solutions. This role reports to a Sr Director of Engineering and is focused on driving architectural clarity and building systems that balance speed, reliability, and compliance

 

How you’ll make an impact

  • Define and execute the long-term technical strategy for borrower payments and servicing infrastructure.
  • Lead multi-quarter, cross-functional initiatives that improve borrower outcomes and payment success rates.
  • Build and scale engineering teams with a strong culture of ownership, execution, and operational excellence.
  • Deliver platform improvements that enhance reliability, reduce latency, and increase payment success.
  • Connect engineering work directly to business and borrower outcomes, enabling measurable improvements in financial performance.
  • Create processes and systems that scale with growing borrower volume, product complexity, and compliance requirements.
  • Establish clear technical and delivery visibility across squads, ensuring high confidence in roadmap execution.

Minimum Qualifications 

  • 10–15 years of software engineering experience, with 4–7 years in engineering management roles.
  • Deep technical expertise in distributed systems, APIs, and systems design.
  • Proven experience leading teams in regulated domains such as fintech, payments, or lending.
  • Demonstrated ability to define and deliver complex technical strategies that align with business goals.
  • Strong track record of building high-performing teams and mentoring engineering leaders.
  • Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience integrating with external payment networks and building highly reliable payment systems.
  • Familiarity with data consistency models, reconciliation workflows, and transaction observability.
  • Systems thinker with a bias for action—capable of moving quickly while maintaining compliance and quality.
  • Experience working in consumer-facing domains with a strong empathy for user experience.
  • Proven ability to lead platform migration or modernization efforts while minimizing risk.

 

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

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.

 

What you'll 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 $4,500 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

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).

United States | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range
$180,600—$250,000 USD

Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to ensuring that underrepresented classes receive better access to affordable credit, and are just as committed to embracing diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices. We celebrate all cultures, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, and know that we can only become better together. 

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 candidate_accommodations@upstart.com

https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy

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