Senior Software Engineer, Lifecycle

Upstart

8d•$166,900 - $230,900•Remote

About The Position

Upstart's Lifecycle Platform team develops innovative solutions, strategies, and systems that enable personalized, timely communication with millions of current and prospective customers. We build and scale the platforms behind preference management, email, SMS, push notifications, and emerging channels—ensuring the right message reaches the right user at the right time. As a Software Engineer II on the team, you will be part of the broader Growth organization and partner closely with Lifecycle Marketing, Distribution, Insights, Data Platform, Analytics, and ML teams. We are the technical thought leaders and subject matter experts for outbound communications across the company. Our mission is to design and operate the infrastructure that transforms rich customer data into actionable, high-impact engagement. This team operates with speed and ownership. We deploy frequently, unblock ourselves, and hold a high bar for accountability. We are not a siloed engineering team—we collaborate deeply with cross-functional stakeholders and play a central role in shaping the future of Upstart’s marketing platforms.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, or a related field (or its equivalent) + 4 years of experience
Experience building and operating microservices and APIs in a cloud environment (preferably AWS).
Proficiency in at least one backend language such as Kotlin, Java, Ruby, or Python.
Demonstrated ability to independently execute on projects, navigate ambiguity, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional partners.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work in a distributed team

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting Marketing, Growth, or GTM teams, particularly in environments involving CDPs, customer segmentation, or campaign orchestration.
Experience with reverse ETL tools (e.g., Hightouch, Census), data pipeline tooling (e.g., Airbyte, Fivetran, Databricks), or marketing automation platforms (e.g., Iterable, Braze, or Salesforce Marketing Cloud).
Familiarity with real-time event streaming systems and high-throughput messaging architectures.
Experience integrating with third-party APIs and building systems that ingest, transform, and expose large volumes of data.
Track record of leading medium-to-large projects and contributing to system design decisions with long-term platform impact.

Responsibilities

Design and build scalable backend services that power our unified communications platform across SMS, email, push, and future channels.
Develop systems for real-time, event-triggered messaging and self-serve marketing automation and experimentation capabilities.
Translate large, complex datasets into high-leverage marketing capabilities through APIs, streaming pipelines, and reverse ETL workflows.
Partner closely with product managers, lifecycle marketing, data insights, analytics, and data platform teams to define requirements and deliver impactful, data-driven solutions.
Lead medium-sized projects independently—proactively identifying risks, managing ambiguity, and driving execution from design through launch.
Strengthen our engineering culture by improving system reliability, accelerating iteration, and clearly communicating technical trade-offs to cross-functional stakeholders.

Benefits

Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, 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 designed to support you and your family, 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 for added financial security
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 (duration varies by country)
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 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, 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 in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!)