Lead Operations Associate, Customer Experience

Upstart•Columbus, OH

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Upstart’s Customer Experience team helps applicants navigate the borrowing process across phone, email, and chat. The team combines customer support, operational expertise, and collaboration across departments to resolve issues accurately and improve the applicant experience. As the Lead Operations Associate, Customer Experience, you will support daily team health by building practical AI tools, analyzing workforce needs, investigating recurring issues, and providing peer guidance. This individual contributor partners with Operations Managers and cross-functional teams to improve quality, productivity, and service levels while communicating risks early and following improvements through to results. This role is based in Columbus, Ohio, and requires working from the Easton office two days per week. The team operates in the Eastern time zone. The schedule must be either Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, or Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET. The position is non-exempt, paid hourly on a bi-weekly basis, and eligible for overtime under the stated conditions. The anticipated hourly pay range is $28.56–$39.52.

Requirements

Experience resolving complex customer or operational issues across systems and customer support channels.
Experience analyzing operational or workforce data, including demand, handle time, service levels, backlog, and coverage, to recommend staffing or scheduling responses.
Experience supporting peer development through training, process guidance, or routine feedback.
Experience investigating root causes and coordinating operational improvements across teams, from gathering evidence through testing solutions and documenting outcomes.
Ability to work from the Easton office two days per week.
Ability to adhere to either the Sunday–Thursday or Tuesday–Saturday schedule, 11:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. ET.

Nice To Haves

Consumer lending or fintech experience, including familiarity with verification, policy, or compliance workflows.
Experience with workforce management platforms, routing systems, operational dashboards, or spreadsheet analysis.
Experience building or improving AI tools, reusable prompt workflows, or operational automations, including testing outputs, evaluating results, and supporting adoption; experience with customer-facing AI or chatbot quality.
Clear written and verbal communication; ability to explain operational findings, influence without direct authority, and exercise judgment on sensitive escalations.
Ability to manage competing priorities, adapt to feedback, and communicate risks with evidence and a recommended next step.

Responsibilities

Monitor queue health, service levels, backlog, and operational trends across phone, email, and chat; recommend timely responses to staffing gaps and bottlenecks.
Investigate complex applicant issues and performance gaps involving systems, policies, staffing, and team handoffs; identify root causes, recommend fixes, and verify whether changes resolve issues.
Partner with workforce management and Operations Managers to interpret demand, capacity, coverage, occupancy, adherence, and shrinkage data and recommend staffing or scheduling adjustments.
Provide peer training, process guidance, routine feedback, maintain team resources, and complete spot checks; escalate formal coaching and performance concerns to Operations Managers.
Coordinate improvements with internal and vendor partners, help define requirements and test rollouts, and escalate automation exceptions or system failures with clear documentation during incidents and high-volume events.

Benefits

Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly.
401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan with discounted stock purchase options for eligible U.S. employees.
Medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for U.S. employees; supplemental health coverage for Canada.
Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible U.S. plans.
Life insurance and disability coverage.
Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays in line with local requirements.
Paid family and parental leave; duration varies by country.
Family-centered benefits supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs.
Employee Assistance Program with mental health support and life-centered resources.
Financial wellness resources, including financial planning tools and a financial concierge service for U.S. employees.
Annual wellness allowance supporting physical and emotional well-being and personal development.
Annual productivity allowance for relevant work tools and resources.
Team events, all-company updates, and employee resource groups.
Catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens at company offices.