Senior Software Engineer, Identity Platform

Role Description

As a Senior Software Engineer on Upstart’s Identity Platform Team, you’ll play a critical role in building and securing our authentication, authorization and experimentation systems. You will be responsible for ensuring that borrowers and partners experience a seamless, secure, and scalable identity framework across our lending products, including Personal Loans, Auto Loans, and Home Loans.

• Design, develop, and optimize secure and scalable authentication and authorization systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve Identity and Access Management (IAM) capabilities, including OAuth, OpenID Connect, MFA, and SSO.
• Partner with Security teams to enhance security policies and standards, ensuring protection against threats and unauthorized access.
• Improve Experimentation platform and Lifecycle across the Upstart Network Inc Products.
• Drive best engineering practices for clean, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Participate in architectural discussions, helping to shape the long-term vision of Identity Platform.
• Mentor and collaborate with other engineers to elevate the team’s technical skills and knowledge.
• Work on high impact initiatives that solve for making credit accessible to everyone.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, or a related field (or its equivalent) + 4 years of experience.
• Strong proficiency in backend technologies (e.g., Kotlin, Java, Ruby, C#).
• Hands-on experience with authentication and authorization protocols (OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML).
• Experience building scalable APIs using containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Understanding of security principles, including encryption, token-based authentication, and identity federation.
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills, with an emphasis on performance optimization.
• Ability to balance the needs of the business with engineering best practices and security considerations.
• Passion for clean code, architecture, and continuous improvement of engineering processes.
• Experience with AI Coding tools such as Cursor, Claude Code etc.
• Excellent communication skills – able to translate complex technical concepts for a variety of stakeholders.

Requirements

• Experience working with IAM platforms and security services.
• Knowledge of A/B testing, gRPC, and DevOps practices.
• Experience with Keycloak, NextJS, and Ruby is a plus.
• Proven ability to influence technical direction without direct authority.
• Strong product and analytical mindset, capable of making trade-offs between risk, ROI, and performance.
• Experience working at companies experiencing rapid growth and scaling challenges.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for the quality and timely delivery of work.
• Ability to influence and lead without direct authority.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly.
• Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, 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 designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US 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 for added financial security.
• 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 your physical and emotional well-being and personal development.
• Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work.
• 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 our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).