What is a Machine Learning Engineer at Upstart?
At Upstart, a Machine Learning Engineer does not simply build standard models; you are tasked with re-engineering the financial system. Upstart is a leading AI lending platform that partners with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit. By leveraging multi-variable predictive ML algorithms instead of traditional, limiting credit score methodologies, Upstart evaluates true risk more accurately. This allows partners to approve more borrowers while maintaining lower default rates, directly impacting real-world financial inclusion.
As a Machine Learning Engineer, you will design, develop, and scale the predictive models and simulation engines that power this ecosystem. Whether you are working on core credit underwriting models, fraud detection, or ML simulation platforms that stress-test risk strategies under various macroeconomic conditions, your code directly influences billions of dollars in loan originations. The complexity of this work requires a deep marriage of rigorous statistical theory, high-performance software engineering, and a passion for responsible AI.
This role is highly collaborative and strategically vital. You will work alongside data scientists, software engineers, and product managers to transition complex models from research to high-throughput production environments. Because Upstart's competitive advantage lies entirely in the predictive superiority of its AI, you will operate at the absolute cutting edge of the industry, where marginal improvements in model accuracy translate to massive business and consumer impact.
