About Upstart
Upstart is a leading AI lending marketplace partnering with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit. By leveraging Upstart's AI marketplace, Upstart-powered banks and credit unions can have higher approval rates and lower loss rates across races, ages, and genders, while simultaneously delivering the exceptional digital-first lending experience their customers demand. More than two-thirds of Upstart loans are approved instantly and are fully automated.
Upstart is a digital-first company, which means that most Upstarters live and work anywhere in the United States. However, we also have offices in San Mateo, California; Columbus, Ohio; and Austin, Texas.
Most Upstarters join us because they connect with our mission of enabling access to effortless credit based on true risk. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Upstart, we’d love to hear from you!
The Team:
Upstart’s Machine Learning team has a direct impact on our company's success. The team consists of Research Scientists, Data Scientists, ML Engineers and other highly specialized roles. As a whole, the Machine Learning team builds, enables and evaluates our core production models.
Because our challenges are so new, members of our Machine Learning team need strong creative problem-solving skills and the technical background to implement solutions. Our research environment affords team members the opportunity to utilize a variety of statistical and machine learning methods with the freedom and encouragement to pursue alternative approaches to solving problems. Whether developing new products or identifying novel approaches to core models, we are continuously seeking the next big ideas to move our business forward.
The role sits on the Fairness and Explainability team. The team is focused on research and development ensuring our models are both fair and explainable. This function is essential for Upstart to ensure that our models are compliant, robust, and are able to engender trust with a variety of external stakeholders, including lending partners, investors, and consumers.
The Role:
As a ML Research Scientist, you will be an integral part of the team ensuring fair lending compliance. You'll enjoy a fast-paced environment with a focus on researching and implementing industry leading methodologies for explaining complex machine learning models, evaluating their fairness in the lending space, and mitigating any potential fairness disparities via less discriminatory alternative searches. You will strive to understand, at a deep level, the dynamics of our models in order to properly inform business decisions.
What we’re looking for:
- Strong academic credentials with a master's degree in statistics, mathematics, economics, physics, operations research, computer science, or other quantitative areas of study; Ph.D. preferred
- Programming skills in Python
- Full-stack expertise with all steps of the modeling process from ideation to productionalizing code; OR deep expertise in either statistical modeling or machine learning
- Experience and interest in ML explainability or fairness; OR demonstration of high potential to learn quickly and contribute to these areas.
- Proficiency in a broad array of mathematical, statistical learning and machine learning concepts and applications
- Detailed understanding of building good technical solutions; ability to convert ideas into testable hypotheses and/or next steps
- Ability to meet team standards with respect to quality and velocity with minimal help or direction from peers
- For more complex tasks, ability to break down problems into smaller tasks, and use them to estimate the timeline of executing a larger initiative. Willingness to make the right tradeoffs when needed to deliver projects on time.
- Proactively communicate to stakeholders and teammates with ability to contextualize technical results
- Strong sense of intellectual curiosity balanced with humility, drive and teamwork
- Numerically-savvy and smart with ability to operate at a speedy pace
- Enthusiasm for and alignment with Upstart’s mission and values
#LI-REMOTE
#LI-Associate
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).
United States | Remote - Anticipated Base Salary Range
$126,400—$175,000 USD
Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to ensuring that underrepresented classes receive better access to affordable credit, and are just as committed to embracing diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices. We celebrate all cultures, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, and know that we can only become better together.
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]
https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy
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.
Gallery
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; and Austin, Texas.
