Principal Software Engineer
Upstart Holdings, Inc.San Mateo, United States
US185000USD - 260000USD
As a Principal Software Engineer, you are at the helm of driving technical excellence, execution, and innovation within the Identity Platform team. You are responsible for setting the technical vision and direction for Identity Platform that works backwards from our product strategy. You will work closely with Product partners from different verticals to help them plan, create, and deliver secure product experiences that are frictionless. You will have the opportunity to design and build large scale systems from the ground up, partner closely with InfoSec and CSO, and work in a highly-collaborative and fast-paced environment. We are looking for a seasoned leader with a passion for Identity and Access Management, Customer Experience, experimentation, and distributed systems.
Responsibilities
- Define the long-term technical direction and roadmap for Identity and Access Management Platform in alignment with Upstart’s business objectives.
- Lead the design, development, and execution of a system that emphasizes security and ease of access.
- Work closely with the Informational Security team to improve and develop standards that ensure that our customer data is secure.
- Guide the architectural evolution of Identity engineering systems with an emphasis on security, scaling innovation across multiple engineering teams.
- Uncover and drive alignment across complex technical requirements, designs, trade-offs, influencing product direction.
- Proactively evaluate, prototype, and roll out new technologies/frameworks to help cultivate a culture of innovation.
- Lead from the front, while mentoring and developing technical leaders.
- 10+ years of experience developing large scale distributed systems in the cloud.
- 7+ years of experience leading large cross-team initiatives.
- Experience building highly scalable APIs using containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
- Solid grasp of software development principles and best practices for creating scalable and maintainable systems.
- Proficiency in one or more object-oriented programming languages like Kotlin, Java, Ruby, C#, C++.
- Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex business and technical concepts to all audiences.
- Track record of successfully mentoring and developing technical leaders.
- Experience working in dynamic fast-paced organizations.
- Ability to balance the needs of the business with the needs of engineering improvements.
- Passion for clean code and architecture and initiative to “level-up” the engineering team with better practices & design.
- You are able to lead and resolve company-wide technical discussions and are able to collaborate and include input from cross-functional teams (security, devops, data, compliance, and product).
- You have a good sense for build-vs-buy and are able to prioritize the highest ROI architectural investments.
- High proficiency with OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect Specifications.
- Experience working in Identity and Security Platform.
- Experience with building Kotlin or Java backend services.
- Experience with A/B testing, gRPC, and DevOps.
- Background in Keycloak, DevOps, Ruby, and NextJS is a big plus.
- Experience designing and building microservice-based architectures.
- Experience developing large scale distributed systems in AWS.
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability for the quality and timely delivery of work.
- Ability to thrive both in self-directed work environments and in collaborative settings, contributing positively to team dynamics.
- Demonstrated ability to take feedback well and actively incorporate it into work with a desire to continuously improve.
- Ability to influence and lead without direct authority.
- Strong product and analytical mindset that allows you to think in terms of ROI, risk, and trade-offs.
- Experience working at companies that have gone through periods of rapid business or organizational growth.
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FAQ
- Is the Principal Software Engineer position at Upstart Holdings, Inc. remote?
- Yes. This role was posted on Remote Frontend Jobs, a job board that lists exclusively fully remote positions.
- What is the salary for the Principal Software Engineer role?
- The posted salary range for this position is 185000USD - 260000USD.
- When was this Principal Software Engineer job posted?
- This listing was posted on May 6, 2025 and is still open for applications.
- How do I apply for the Principal Software Engineer position at Upstart Holdings, Inc.?
- Use the apply button on this page — it takes you directly to the employer’s application page.
