Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Upstart is an AI lending marketplace that uses technology to expand access to affordable credit. The Senior Manager, Product Design - Design Platform will lead the Design Platform team, shape the company-wide design system and platform strategy across web and mobile, and develop AI-enabled workflows that help designers and engineers build products more effectively.
Responsibilities
- Shape the next generation of Upstart’s design system, defining the component architecture, token strategy, and visual language that guide how products are built across the company
- Define our platform strategy across web and mobile app, deciding what should be shared and where each experience should feel distinct
- Explore what AI-enabled design systems can become, turning emerging capabilities into new workflows, machine-readable standards, and tools that change how teams build
- Define how we measure impact, using data to guide priorities and build leadership support
- Establish the operating model for the Design Platform, creating clear ownership, governance, and contribution models across platform and product teams
- Develop two senior designers as leaders and builders, giving them the context, feedback, and space to take on ambitious platform work
- Partner with engineering and product design leaders to rethink how products get built, making the Design Platform the foundation teams use to move from idea to production
Skills
- 8+ years of product design experience, including 2+ years of direct people management experience
- Experience building or substantially scaling a design system adopted across multiple product teams
- Experience defining design patterns or platform strategy across both web and native mobile experiences
- Experience owning design systems work across components, tokens, documentation, governance, and visual design direction
- Experience partnering directly with engineering on design system implementation, including component APIs and token architecture
- Ability to prototype or contribute to component implementation
- Experience with AI-assisted design, prototyping, build tooling, or design-to-code workflows
- Knowledge of multi-platform theming and native mobile design systems across iOS and Android
- Analytical skills to use data to measure impact, identify insights, and inform decisions
- Business judgment to set priorities, make tradeoffs, and build leadership support
- Experience developing senior individual contributors and facilitating design critique
Benefits
- Target bonuses
- Equity compensation
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage for US employees
- Supplemental health coverage for Canada
- 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)
- Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only)
- Life insurance and disability coverage
- Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements
- Paid family and parental leave; duration varies by country
- Family-centered benefits supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources
- Financial planning tools and a financial concierge service (US Only)
- Annual wellness allowance supporting physical and emotional well-being and personal development
- Annual productivity allowance for relevant tools and resources
- Connection and community through team events, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
- Catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026)
- Remote work arrangement
- Regular team onsites, typically once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time
Company Overview