Opportunity at
UpstartDirector of Product, Machine Learning & Decisioning Platforms
Upstart operates an artificial intelligence lending marketplace that connects financial institutions with borrowers to broaden access to credit. The organization is seeking a Director of Product,…
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About This Role
Upstart operates an artificial intelligence lending marketplace that connects financial institutions with borrowers to broaden access to credit. The organization is seeking a Director of Product, Machine Learning & Decisioning Platforms to steer the strategy and manage the team behind its core credit decisioning and machine learning architectures. This position sits at the center of the enterprise, requiring leadership over systems that handle automated underwriting, pricing, model deployment, and real-time…
Job Description
Upstart operates an artificial intelligence lending marketplace that connects financial institutions with borrowers to broaden access to credit. The organization is seeking a Director of Product, Machine Learning & Decisioning Platforms to steer the strategy and manage the team behind its core credit decisioning and machine learning architectures.
This position sits at the center of the enterprise, requiring leadership over systems that handle automated underwriting, pricing, model deployment, and real-time inference. The person in this role will direct a group of product managers, establish roadmaps, and collaborate closely with data science and engineering units. Ideal candidates bring deep technical acumen and a track record of guiding product practices while connecting complex technical decisions to measurable business outcomes within the financial sector.
Upstart operates with a digital-first approach across North America, allowing staff to perform their duties remotely while organizing periodic in-person collaboration sessions. Compensation for this position includes a base salary paired with bonus opportunities, equity awards, and comprehensive benefits.
Responsibilities
- Manage, coach, and guide a team of product managers while defining organizational priorities.
- Establish the product strategy and roadmap for machine learning and credit decisioning systems.
- Coordinate with engineering and machine learning departments to advance model creation, testing, deployment, and monitoring.
- Refine automated underwriting platforms to better link customer inputs, predictive outputs, and commercial results.
- Discover machine learning use cases, test them through focused proofs of concept, and scale successful initiatives.
- Develop structured methods for evaluating and integrating external data vendors and technical capabilities.
- Balance immediate execution with long-term architectural investments by weighing risk, speed, and complexity.
Requirements
- Minimum of eight years of product management background, featuring technical or platform product oversight.
- Demonstrated history of leading and mentoring product managers across multiple interconnected groups.
- Technical fluency with the ability to partner alongside engineering, data science, and machine learning teams.
- Proven capacity to formulate strategy, navigate ambiguity, and execute in fast-moving environments.
- Background in connecting technical and product choices to commercial outcomes in lending, credit, or financial services.
Qualifications
- Bachelor degree in a technical discipline or equivalent practical background.
- Prior individual contributor experience as a machine learning engineer or data scientist.
- Familiarity with model lifecycle management, experimentation frameworks, optimization, or decisioning systems.
- Experience developing or scaling online financial products within consumer lending or credit domains.
Core Skills
Benefits
- Base salary ranging from USD 216,100 to USD 299,000 per year depending on location and qualifications.
- Quarterly-vesting annual equity grants and bonus opportunities.
- Retirement planning via a 401k or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match up to USD 15,000 annually.
- Comprehensive health insurance covering medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources.
- Life insurance, disability coverage, and income protection safeguards.
- Paid time off, sick leave, public holidays, and paid parental leave.
- Family support resources including fertility and caregiving assistance.
- Employee Assistance Program providing mental health and life concierge resources.
- Annual wellness and productivity allowances for personal and professional development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
What is the salary range for the Director of Product, Machine Learning & Decisioning Platforms?
The anticipated base salary ranges from USD 216,100 to USD 299,000 per year in the United States, with individual pay determined by geographic region, skills, and experience.
What are the remote work and travel expectations for this role?
Upstart functions as a digital-first company where most work can be performed remotely, though employees are encouraged to attend regular in-person collaboration sessions lasting two to four consecutive days once or twice per quarter.
What level of experience is required for this position?
Candidates must have at least eight years of product management experience, including managing product managers and working with technical or platform products in financial services or credit.
Sample Interview Questions
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