About Upstart

Imagine a world where accessing fair credit isn't a labyrinth but a clear, confident path forward. That's the future Upstart is building. We are passionately committed to radically reducing the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every single day, our team harnesses the power of creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to completely reshape how credit is accessed. We help millions of people move forward financially with both clarity and genuine confidence.

As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with forward-thinking banks and credit unions. Together, we expand access to affordable credit through technology that's not just intelligent but deeply human. Our platform is incredibly sophisticated, running over one million predictions per borrower and leveraging more than 1,800 distinct signals. This powers smarter, fairer financial decisions for millions of customers. The numbers tell a story, but they only hint at the profound impact we have. Every fresh idea, every unique voice, and every contribution brings us closer to a world where credit never stands in the way of someone's financial progress.

We embrace a proudly digital-first culture. This means most Upstarters enjoy the flexibility to do their absolute best work from anywhere they thrive, collaborating seamlessly with teammates spread across 80+ cities throughout the US and Canada. Being digital-first doesn't imply being distant. We are very intentional about fostering in-person connections through engaging team onsites, productive planning sessions, and spontaneous moments that truly spark creativity and trust.

Principal Mobile Engineer, Android

Are you a seasoned Android expert who thrives on building groundbreaking mobile experiences and leading brilliant engineers? Do you dream of making a tangible difference in people's financial lives through innovative technology? Upstart is seeking a Principal Mobile Engineer for Android to join our dynamic, fully remote team, making this a worldwide opportunity. We need someone ready to shape the future of our mobile platform, drive technical excellence, and mentor a growing team as we scale our mission to radically transform access to credit.

This is more than just a coding role; it's a chance to be a pivotal leader. You will own critical architectural decisions, guide the development of high-impact features, and champion best practices that ensure our Android application is not only robust and performant but also incredibly intuitive and engaging for our users. If you're passionate about elegant code, user-centric design, and leveraging the latest Android capabilities to solve real-world problems, we want you to help us empower millions.

Key Responsibilities

Provide exceptional technical leadership, contributing to the architecture, design, and development of complex features across our Android applications.
Lead by example, writing clean, maintainable, and highly performant code while fostering a culture of engineering excellence within the team.
Mentor and guide other mobile engineers, elevating their skills, promoting best practices, and ensuring knowledge sharing.
Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and backend engineers to translate ambitious product visions into seamless, high-quality mobile experiences.
Drive the adoption of new technologies and architectural patterns to keep our Android platform at the forefront of innovation and scalability.
Identify and address critical performance bottlenecks, stability issues, and security concerns to ensure an outstanding user experience.
Influence the mobile product roadmap and technical strategy, advocating for user needs and long-term platform health.

Requirements

Extensive professional experience as an Android Engineer, with a significant portion of that time spent in a technical leadership or Principal-level role.
Deep expertise in Kotlin and the Android SDK, along with a strong understanding of Android's architectural components and design patterns (MVVM, MVI, Clean Architecture, etc.).
Proven ability to design, build, and scale complex, high-performance mobile applications from conception to launch.
A track record of mentoring junior to mid-level engineers, fostering their growth and guiding technical decision-making.
Expertise in mobile testing frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and best practices for app reliability and quality.
Excellent communication skills, capable of articulating complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, both technical and non-technical.
A strong passion for user experience and a commitment to delivering intuitive, accessible, and delightful mobile interfaces.
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

What You'll Gain

Make a True Impact: Directly contribute to Upstart's mission of radically reducing the cost and complexity of borrowing, positively affecting millions of lives.
Leadership & Growth: Shape the future of our mobile strategy and product, while growing your leadership and technical expertise in a fast-paced environment.
Innovation at Scale: Work on challenging, meaningful problems alongside brilliant minds, leveraging cutting-edge AI and mobile technologies.
Flexible, Supportive Culture: Thrive in a digital-first, fully remote, worldwide company that values intentional connection, work-life balance, and continuous learning.
Meaningful Collaboration: Be part of a diverse, talented team that celebrates creativity, experimentation, and a shared commitment to making a difference.