Principal Mobile Engineer, Android

About Upstart

At Upstart, we’re united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day, we bring creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to reshape access to credit, helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence.

As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 1,800 signals, powering smarter, fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea, every voice, and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress.

We’re proudly digital-first, giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesn’t mean distant. We’re intentional about in-person connection through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City (opening Summer 2026), you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.

If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.

The Team:

Upstart’s Cash Line and Unsecured Installment teams are building and scaling mobile experiences across two important lending product surfaces. This role will help both teams drive Android migration work, strengthen Upstart’s mobile foundation, and support a newly approved Android app launch plan on an aggressive timeline. The work is highly cross-functional and high-visibility, with direct impact on product strategy, engineering execution, and the experience of future Android borrowers.

As the Principal Software Engineer, Android at Upstart, you will lead critical Android initiatives across both the Cash Line and Unsecured Installment teams while helping shape the long-term mobile architecture across those product areas. You’ll serve as the senior technical owner for native Android work, partner across both teams to deliver against an ambitious roadmap, and continue as a mobile specialist after launch with enough React Native experience to influence frontend direction, delivery, and engineering quality across the broader stack. This is a high-impact individual contributor role with meaningful technical leadership, cross-team influence, and mentorship responsibility.

How you’ll make an impact

• Lead Android migration and development efforts across Cash Line and Unsecured Installment product surfaces, making thoughtful technical decisions that improve product quality, scalability, and speed of execution.

• Help deliver against Upstart’s approved Android launch plan, translating aggressive business goals into pragmatic technical milestones and execution plans.

• Set technical direction for mobile architecture, helping the teams evolve a strong foundation across native Android and React Native surfaces while keeping Android expertise at the core.

• Partner closely with product, design, and engineering stakeholders across both teams to translate roadmap priorities into durable mobile solutions.

• Raise the bar for engineering excellence through technical leadership, design reviews, mentorship, and pragmatic execution in ambiguous, high-visibility problem spaces.

• After launch, continue as a mobile specialist who can support both the Cash Line and Unsecured Installment teams, bringing deep Android expertise alongside enough React Native fluency to contribute across shared mobile surfaces.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, including substantial experience building and shipping native Android applications in Kotlin and/or Java.

• Proven track record leading large, cross-team mobile initiatives, platform migrations, or new mobile product launches in production environments.

• Experience shipping consumer-facing mobile products at scale with strong attention to performance, reliability, and user experience.

• Native Android depth in Kotlin and/or Java, plus working experience with React Native and TypeScript to operate effectively across a mixed mobile stack.

• Demonstrated technical leadership as a senior individual contributor, including architecture ownership, mentorship, and influence across teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience serving as the mobile or frontend technical lead for a product team or business-critical product surface.

• Breadth across mobile platforms, including familiarity with iOS development, React Native, or cross-platform mobile architecture.

• Background in fintech, lending, or other consumer financial products with complex user journeys and high quality expectations.

• Experience helping teams build conviction around new mobile investments through technical proposals, feasibility work, or proof-of-concept execution.

• Comfort leading through ambiguity in fast-scaling product environments where scope, ownership, and roadmap priorities evolve over time.

• Experience building alignment across engineering, product, design, and leadership partners in high-visibility, cross-functional organizations.

Position Location - This role is available in the following locations: Remote, Burlingame, Columbus, Austin, New York

Time Zone Requirements - This team operates across all U.S. time zones.

Travel Requirements - This team has regular on-site collaboration sessions. These occur 3 days per quarter at an Upstart office. If you need to travel to make these meetups, Upstart will cover all travel related expenses.

#LI-REMOTE

#LI-MidSenior --> use for L5, L6

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).

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).

What you'll love

At Upstart, our benefits are designed to support your health, financial well-being, family, and personal growth. Here’s what you can expect:

• 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!)

For roles based in Canada, please note that we are not currently able to hire in Quebec.

Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Just as we are dedicated to improving access to affordable credit for all, we are committed to inclusive and fair hiring practices.

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