Principal Applied Scientist

Upstart

Principal Applied Scientist defining long-term optimization strategies for Upstart's offer decisioning systems. Collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure coherence in modeling and marketplace efficiency.

Posted 6/3/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $238,400 - $330,200 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define the technical vision for how offer decisioning systems should interconnect across partnerships, always-on systems, and marketplace optimization
Build and guide conversion modeling approaches that optimize decisions across multiple stages of the customer journey rather than in isolated local steps
Ensure models and decision policies at one stage account for downstream impacts, business constraints, and later-stage optimization opportunities
Design interfaces between decision systems and optimization or constraint-specification components
Drive cross-functional technical alignment across teams that currently own adjacent pieces of the problem
Scope and lead large, ambiguous initiatives that require both deep modeling judgment and strong systems thinking
Partner with scientists, engineers, and cross-functional stakeholders to translate analytical insights into durable production approaches
Help ensure ongoing work across domains progresses toward a unified architecture and decisioning strategy
Contribute directly to implementation and experimentation efforts, including prototyping models, reviewing code, and helping teams operationalize new approaches in production environments.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Advanced degree in a quantitative field such as statistics, mathematics, economics, computer science, operations research, or a related discipline
8+ years of experience building and deploying machine learning models into production at scale
Experience with optimization, operations research, or constrained decision-making problems
Working knowledge of causal inference or causal machine learning
Strong grounding in statistics and probability
Experience leading large cross-functional technical initiatives with multiple stakeholders
Experience working across multiple technical teams to align approaches, define interfaces, and move toward a shared vision
Experience solving real-world machine learning or data science problems in a high-impact production environment

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, including a 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually (USD in the US, CAD in Canada)
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees (US only)
Comprehensive health coverage designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US and supplemental health coverage for Canada.
Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only)
Income protection benefits, including life insurance and disability coverage for added financial security
Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements
Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments (duration varies by country)
Family-centered benefits to support fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs
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 (US Only)
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, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!)

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

machine learningoptimizationoperations researchcausal inferencecausal machine learningstatisticsprobabilitymodelingdata scienceproduction environments

Soft Skills

cross-functional collaborationtechnical alignmentleadershipsystems thinkingcommunicationproblem-solvingstakeholder managementinitiative scopinganalytical insight translationteam collaboration

Certifications

advanced degree in quantitative field