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.
As a Principal Mobile Software Engineer at Upstart, you’ll sit at the intersection of mobile platform and product development. You’ll lead efforts to scale and refine our React Native architecture while partnering closely with product, design, and backend teams to ship impactful, high-quality features.
You’ll define technical direction, improve developer experience, and mentor other engineers — all while helping Upstart grow into a truly mobile-first company. This is a highly cross-functional role with visibility across the stack and deep influence on how we build and deliver mobile software.You’ll play a key role in shaping how mobile is built and scaled at Upstart — helping define mobile as a core product pillar and driving impact across teams and surfaces.
The TeamThe Mobile team at Upstart is building the future of our user experience. Today, we have a live iOS app built in React Native, and we’re actively planning our Android expansion. Our platform is still early-stage, which means there's a huge opportunity to influence architecture, best practices, performance, and product velocity.
We move quickly, collaborate tightly with backend and design, and care deeply about quality — not just in the UI, but in the systems that power a great user experience.
What You’ll Do- Drive technical strategy for our mobile apps — from platform architecture to product scalability and developer experience.
- Build foundational systems in React Native that enable fast, high-quality feature development across both iOS and Android.
- Collaborate with product and design to scope, implement, and launch user-facing features that align with company goals.
- Bridge mobile and backend systems by shaping APIs and improving client-server interaction patterns.
- Identify friction in the mobile development lifecycle and lead improvements to tooling, modularization, CI, and testing strategies.
- Mentor engineers and help grow a culture of ownership, technical rigor, and continuous learning.
- Influence both product and platform direction as we scale our mobile efforts across multiple surfaces and teams.
- Support company goals such as improving user engagement, increasing retention, and unlocking new growth channels through mobile innovation.
- Help define and uphold the engineering culture, patterns, and practices that guide mobile development at Upstart.
- Have 8+ years of professional software development experience, including meaningful contributions to production mobile apps.
- Have built and maintained features in both React Native and at least one native platform (e.g., Swift/Objective-C for iOS or Kotlin/Java for Android).
- Understand the nuances of mobile performance, memory management, and platform-specific challenges.
- Have led architecture planning and helped engineering teams make informed tradeoffs.
- Communicate early and often with cross-functional partners in product, design, backend, and QA to ensure alignment and shared understanding.
- Take ownership of your work from design through delivery, and value long-term thinking over quick fixes.
- Appreciate the strength of diverse perspectives and thrive on being part of an inclusive, collaborative team.
- Embrace a growth mindset, value mentorship, and enjoy helping others grow.
- Have supported or led the migration of native apps to React Native, or introduced native modules into React Native codebases.
- Have supported or led the introduction of React Native on the Android platform.
- Are comfortable working with TypeScript or custom native modules.
- Have experience working at a company where mobile is a primary user touchpoint.
- Have built or scaled mobile systems like push notifications, deep linking, analytics, or A/B testing frameworks.
- Enjoy building platforms that empower other developers to move faster and ship with confidence.
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.
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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]
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Top Skills
What the Team is Saying
What We Do
Upstart is the leading AI lending marketplace, connecting millions of consumers to more than 100 banks and credit unions that leverage Upstart’s AI models and cloud applications to deliver superior credit products. With Upstart's AI, lenders can approve more borrowers at lower rates across races, ages, and genders, while delivering the exceptional digital-first experience customers demand. More than 80% of borrowers are approved instantly, with zero documentation to upload. Founded in 2012, Upstart’s platform includes personal loans, automotive retail and refinance loans, home equity lines of credit, and small-dollar “relief” loans.
If you are energized by the impact you think you could make at Upstart, we'd love to hear from you!
Why Work With Us
Connection to our mission creates a special environment where people feel passionately about the impact they make in the world. Upstart is fast-paced, and we encourage ownership at all levels of the organization. As a result, culture at Upstart is driven by Upstarters. Upstarters are proactive, talented, multi-dimensional and collaborative.
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Upstart Offices
Remote Workspace
Employees work remotely.
Upstart has a digital-first model enabling most Upstarters can live and work anywhere in the U.S. We also offer in-person options from our office locations in San Mateo, California; Columbus, Ohio; Austin, Texas; and New York City, NY.
