Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Upstart is an AI lending marketplace that uses advanced technology to expand access to affordable credit. The Principal Machine Learning Engineer will build scalable machine learning infrastructure, tools, and workflows across the modeling lifecycle, while leading platform initiatives that improve model accuracy, development speed, and reliability. The role collaborates with research scientists, data scientists, engineers, and product teams to advance ML platform strategy.
Responsibilities
- Scale ML innovation by building tools, infrastructure, and workflows that dramatically improve the speed and reliability of model development
- Work backward from modeling needs to design systems that directly unlock gains in accuracy, efficiency, and scientific productivity
- Explore new algorithms and methodologies for our machine learning models and develop tooling to support them
- Improve the entire ML lifecycle—from data readiness and feature development through training, evaluation, serving, and monitoring
- Automate and standardize operational workflows, enabling scientists to focus on high-leverage modeling and analysis rather than manual pipelines
- Define the roadmap for our next generation ML Platform, balancing near-term impact with long-term architectural scalability
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Data Engineering, ML Platform, Pricing, and other teams to build reliable, end-to-end ML systems
Skills
- **Strong theoretical and practical foundation in machine learning and statistics**
- Ability to reason from first principles about model assumptions, sources of bias, uncertainty, tradeoffs, evaluation, and failure modes
- A deep understanding of how models work **beyond the abstractions provided by common tools and frameworks**, and how to apply this knowledge to production solutions
- 5-7+ years of hands-on experience in applied machine learning, with strong exposure to production-scale modeling efforts
- Experience working in high-scale, ML-driven product environments—especially in fintech, pricing, or risk modeling
- Proficiency in Python and core ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, XGBoost)
- Ability to work autonomously and lead technical direction in ambiguous, high-impact domains
- Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams including ML scientists, engineers, and product partners
- Ability to bridge engineering and science teams, and influence technical strategy across disciplines
- Numerically-savvy and smart with ability to operate at a fast pace
- Master's degree or PhD in a quantitative discipline, or equivalent additional professional experience
- Demonstrated expertise in end-to-end model development: data prep, feature engineering, training, evaluation, and deployment
- **Practical experience optimizing ML workflows using CUDA/GPU acceleration.**
- Background in feature store design, embedding architecture, or synthetic data generation for model training
- Proven track record of improving model accuracy in production environments with measurable business outcomes
- Familiarity with modern experimentation frameworks, hyperparameter tuning tools, and automated model selection techniques
- This role is available in the following locations: Remote-US
- The team operates on the East/West coast time zones
- 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
Benefits
- Target bonuses
- Equity compensation
- Generous benefits packages, including medical, dental, vision, and 401k
- Retirement benefits, 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, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US employees 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
- 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 physical and emotional well-being and personal development
- Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources needed 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 the offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!)
- Most of your work can be accomplished remotely
- Regular in-person team onsites, with most teams meeting once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time
Company Overview
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