Senior Manager, Machine Learning

Role Description

Our Core ML organization is looking for an exceptional, hands-on Machine Learning Manager to join our leadership group. This is a highly technical player-coach role. You will not be managing a massive organization; instead, you will lead a small, nimble team of individual contributors (Research Scientists, Data Scientists, or Machine Learning Engineers).

• Act as a Player-Coach:
  • Dive deep into the data and code.
  • Spend a significant portion of your time making direct technical contributions, reviewing code/PRs, and understanding the mathematical nuances of your team's models.
• Lead Strategic Initiatives:
  • Take ownership of a specific product area (like Cash Line or Auto).
  • Serve as the de facto ML leader in cross-functional strategy meetings.
• Drive 0→1 and Scaling ML Efforts:
  • Build out entirely new capabilities from scratch or optimize highly mature models dealing with massive scale and shifting macro-economic regimes.
• Translate Models to Business Impact:
  • Design and refine decision engines that translate model predictions into accurate, transparent, and customer-friendly lending outcomes.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience developing and deploying machine learning models in production with direct business impact.
• Proven track record of leading high-impact ML initiatives from research through productionization.
• Advanced degree in a quantitative field (e.g., computer science, statistics, economics, operations research, etc).
• Strong technical judgment and ability to dive deep into model design, data analysis, and evaluation.
• Keen statistical, economic and business intuition, and comfort with reasoning under uncertainty and data limitations.
• Knowledge of production ML, ability to adapt to new tech stacks and get in the weeds of work output from the team.
• Exceptional leadership skills with experience developing teams of highly technical ML scientists.
• Proven ability to influence and collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Capital Markets and other teams.
• Strong project management skills with experience scaling processes and operational workflows.

Requirements

• PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Economics or a related field (preferred).
• Proven success building and scaling new ML products from inception (preferred).
• Familiarity with lending, lines of credit, or other consumer finance products (preferred).
• Hands-on familiarity with end-to-end ML infrastructure, including experimentation pipelines, feature stores, and model monitoring (preferred).

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources.
• 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.