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.
Upstart’s Security team is dedicated to advancing security practices that enhance the safety of our products, customers, and partners. We believe that security should empower innovation, move at the speed of business, and be designed for safety from the ground up. Our mission is to protect Upstart’s products & enterprise, and manage threats to Upstart. We achieve this through automation, strong collaboration with partner teams, and a commitment to maintain a positive experience for Upstarters.
As a Principal Security Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping Upstart’s security strategy for protecting our business. You will architect, design, and influence our security measures across many security controls and drive our roadmap forward. You will develop and implement security patterns to protect Upstart while enabling the business to move quickly. This role requires a well-rounded security practitioner who has deep experience in access management and data security, and who can partner across the organization with Business, Risk, and Engineering leaders to achieve large cross-functional goals.
How you’ll make an impact:
- Lead complex, high-impact security initiatives with cross-team dependencies across our products, services, infrastructure, and enterprise
- Collaborate with key stakeholders to develop and implement security patterns that protect our data and systems
- Provide mentorship, foster a strong security culture and promote security excellence
- Build systems and automated processes to ensure that the right data is in the right place, with only the right people having access to it
- Develop innovative processes that enhances both security and the user experience for key business processes
What we’re looking for:
Minimum requirements:
- Deep expertise across enterprise and operational security domains (e.g. Data Security, Endpoint Security, Detection Engineering, Identity & Access Management)
- Ability to software engineer solutions to complex problems with the assistance of GenAI
- Demonstrable track record as an influential security leader, driving security solutions across multiple stakeholder groups
- Experience with advanced threat modeling techniques and risk assessment
- Strong communication skills, capable of engaging senior leadership through clear, concise, and effective messaging (both written and verbal).
- Ability to promote innovative security solutions while independently navigating ambiguity to drive change.
- Significant experience in security leadership, open to strong individual contributors and people managers
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience as the primary stakeholder for Data Security and Data Loss Prevention
- Contributions to the security industry (e.g. industry presentations, white papers, OSS projects, patents)
- Familiarity with compliance frameworks, including SOC1, SOC2, and SOX
Position Location - This role is available in the following locations: Remote, San Mateo, Columbus, Austin
Time Zone Requirements - This team operates across all U.S. time zones.
Travel Requirements - This team has regular on-site collaboration sessions. These occur 3 days per quarter at an Upstart office. If you need to travel to make these meetups, Upstart will cover all travel related expenses.
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).
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!).
Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Just as we are dedicated to improving access to affordable credit for all, we are committed to inclusive and fair hiring practices.
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 [email protected]
https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy
