Senior Software Engineer, Marketplace Optimization

Upstart

Senior Software Engineer developing backend services for Upstart's AI lending marketplace. Collaborating with cross-functional teams to solve complex optimization problems and ensure service reliability.

Posted 7/10/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $166,900 - $230,900 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSCloudDistributed SystemsKafkaKotlinPythonRubyRuby on Rails

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design, build, and operate highly available backend services that power Upstart's real-time lending marketplace.
Develop scalable systems that enable rapid experimentation while maintaining the reliability of business-critical production services.
Partner with Product, Machine Learning, Capital Markets, and Analytics to translate complex business problems into elegant technical solutions.
Build flexible platform capabilities that enable new marketplace optimization and monetization strategies.
Improve the scalability, observability, and operational excellence of systems responsible for real-time marketplace decisions.
Participate in architecture discussions, code reviews, testing, and operational ownership of critical production systems.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
5+ years of professional software engineering experience building backend or distributed systems
Experience developing production services using one or more of Ruby on Rails, Python, or Kotlin
Experience designing APIs and building scalable distributed systems
Experience operating business-critical production services with an emphasis on reliability, monitoring, testing, and operational excellence
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred) and modern cloud-native application development
Experience collaborating across engineering, product, and business stakeholders
Experience building marketplaces, recommendation systems, optimization engines, financial systems (preferred)
Experience with event-driven architectures, Kafka, workflow orchestration, or real-time data processing (preferred)
Experience partnering with Machine Learning or Data Science teams (preferred)
Experience improving platform scalability and evolving distributed system architecture (preferred)
Interest in solving complex optimization problems that combine technical and business tradeoffs (preferred)

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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Hard Skills & Tools

Software EngineeringDistributed SystemsScalable SystemsEvent-Driven ArchitecturesReal-Time Data ProcessingMonitoringTestingOperational ExcellenceMarketplace DevelopmentOptimization Engines

Soft Skills

CollaborationProblem Solving