Staff Software Engineer, LLMs at Upstart

**Who this is for** This is for an experienced Staff Software Engineer who will play a key role in building foundational infrastructure for generative AI and LL

Work type: remote

Location: United States | Remote

Salary: $199,500 – $276,000/yr

Type: Full-time

Summary

**Who this is for** This is for an experienced Staff Software Engineer who will play a key role in building foundational infrastructure for generative AI and LLM applications across Upstart. **Key highlights** You will design and build user-facing ML features powered by LLMs, own the technical architecture for applied ML systems, and establish best practices for prompt design and model evaluation. **You might be a good fit if you...** - Have 6+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 2 years working directly on ML-driven products or intelligent systems. - Can lead complex initiatives across engineering, product, and research stakeholders. - Possess strong backend development skills (e.g., Python) and experience with cloud-native tooling. - Have experience integrating LLMs or ML models into production systems and APIs.

Job Description

About Upstart

At Upstart, we’re 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 that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 1,800 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.

We’re 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 doesn’t mean distant. We’re 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), you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.

If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.

The Team

Upstart’s new Applied LLM team is building foundational infrastructure that democratizes access to generative AI for every product and engineering team across the company. This is a cross-functional team at the intersection of machine learning, product, and engineering. Our mission is to bring the power of ML - particularly large language models (LLMs) and generative AI - to life in Upstart’s core products.

As a Staff Software Engineer focused on building LLM applications, you'll work closely with researchers, product managers, platform engineers, and designers to ship intelligent features that elevate the user experience and expand the capabilities of our systems.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Design and build user-facing ML features that harness LLMs and generative AI to unlock new product capabilities

• Partner with product, design, and ML research to prototype and deliver high-impact, ML-powered experiences

• Own the technical architecture and implementation strategy for applied ML systems - balancing latency, observability, and iteration speed

• Build scalable services and APIs that bring model outputs to users in trustworthy and intuitive ways

• Collaborate across platform, infra, and legal/compliance teams to ensure ML deployments meet standards for safety, fairness, and performance

• Establish and evangelize best practices for prompt design, model evaluation, and experimentation across the org

• Minimum qualifications:

• 6+ years of software engineering experience, with 2+ years working directly on ML-driven products or intelligent systems

• Proven ability to lead complex initiatives across engineering, product, and research stakeholders

• Strong backend development skills (e.g., Python with FastAPI or Flask), plus experience with cloud-native tooling (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform)

• Experience integrating LLMs or ML models into production systems, including APIs and user-facing applications

• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative, product-minded approach

• Ability to think rigorously about system design, latency tradeoffs, and user impact when working with ML features

• Preferred qualifications:

• Experience shipping GenAI or LLM-powered features using frameworks like LangChain, LlamaIndex, or OpenAI APIs

• Familiarity with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector search (e.g., FAISS, Pinecone), and real-time inference patterns

• Proficiency in full-stack development, including front-end work with React or similar frameworks

• Strong intuition for prompt engineering, model testing, and evaluation methodologies

• Experience navigating complex requirements around explainability, user trust, or compliance in ML applications

• Track record of influencing architecture or product direction at a team or org level

Time Zone Requirements - This team operates on the East/West Coast time zones.

Travel Requirements - This team has regular on-site collaboration sessions. These occur 3-4 days per quarter at one of our offices. If you need to travel to make these meetups, Upstart will cover all travel related expenses.

#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 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
$199,500—$276,000 USD

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).

Canada | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range
$177,700—$220,000 CAD

What you'll love

At Upstart, our benefits are designed to support your health, financial well-being, family, and personal growth. Here’s 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 $15,000 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!).

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](mailto:candidate_accommodations@upstart.com)

[https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy](https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy)

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