Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Upstart is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to join our Machine Learning Platform team. This team is dedicated to building foundational technology that scales machine learning innovation across the company. As a Principal Machine Learning Engineer, you will collaborate closely with Research Scientists, Data Scientists, and ML Platform Engineers to design tools and systems that accelerate model development and improve predictive accuracy. This role requires deep knowledge of the entire modeling lifecycle, from data preparation to training and deployment in production environments.
In this position, you will lead engineering initiatives that transform high-impact modeling needs into scalable, reusable infrastructure. Your responsibilities will include building a unified embeddings platform for training, serving, and managing representations at scale; streamlining feature engineering pipelines to reduce manual steps and deliver new signals quickly; developing automated continuous-learning systems that handle data refresh, retraining, evaluation, and drift monitoring with minimal manual effort; and scaling our training pipelines to support larger datasets, more complex architectures, and faster experimentation. Your work will directly contribute to enhancing the speed, reliability, and impact of machine learning teams across Upstart.
The ideal candidate will have at least 7 years of hands-on experience in applied machine learning, with strong exposure to production-scale modeling efforts. Proficiency in Python and core ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, and XGBoost is essential. Demonstrated expertise in end-to-end model development—including data preparation, feature engineering, training, evaluation, and deployment—is required. Experience working in high-scale, ML-driven product environments, particularly in fintech, pricing, or risk modeling, is highly desirable. The ability to work autonomously and lead technical direction in ambiguous, high-impact domains is crucial.
Upstart offers a competitive compensation package, including a base salary ranging from $220,700 to $300,000, depending on geographic location and individual qualifications. In addition to base pay, employees are eligible for target bonuses, equity compensation, and generous benefits packages, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) plans. Upstart also provides annual wellness and productivity allowances to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development.
At Upstart, we are united by a mission to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. We are a digital-first company, offering flexibility to work from wherever you thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. We are intentional about in-person connections through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. If you are energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we would love to hear from you.