Software Engineer, Lifecycle

About the role

You will architect and maintain the backend systems that power Upstart's customer lifecycle communications at scale. This role owns the design and execution of the services responsible for delivering timely, personalized messages across SMS, email, push, and emerging channels. You will operate within a digital-first culture while maintaining deep accountability for reliability, performance, and data integrity. The position requires close collaboration with cross-functional partners to translate business objectives into robust technical solutions. You will lead medium-sized projects from conception through launch, unblocking dependencies and driving execution. Your work will directly influence how millions of customers perceive and interact with Upstart's brand. If you are motivated by building infrastructure that turns complex data into actionable engagement, this role is for you.

Key facts

What you'll do

• 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.
• Implement observability and monitoring strategies to ensure high availability and rapid debugging of production communication workflows.
• Collaborate with data platform teams to optimize data quality, schema design, and pipeline efficiency for marketing use cases.
• Evaluate and integrate new technologies that enhance the reach and effectiveness of outbound communication channels.
• Contribute to technical documentation and standards that enable other engineers to build and extend services with confidence.
• Participate in on-call rotations to support production incidents and ensure timely resolution of critical issues.
• Work within a digital-first framework, balancing remote collaboration with intentional in-person connection during teamsite and planning sessions.
• Mentor junior engineers by providing guidance on best practices for building maintainable and secure communication systems.
• Continuously assess and improve the performance, security, and cost-efficiency of communication infrastructure.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, or a related field (or its equivalent) + 3 years of experience.
• Experience building and operating microservices and APIs in a cloud environment, with AWS preferred.
• 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.
• Strong understanding of software design principles, system architecture, and database concepts.
• Comfort with version control systems, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure as code practices.
• Willingness to work within US time zones to support collaboration across distributed teams.
• Commitment to following security and compliance standards relevant to customer data and communications.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to learn and adapt to new tools, processes, and business requirements.
• Adherence to Upstart's values of integrity, collaboration, and data-driven decision making.

Nice to have

• Experience supporting Marketing Integration Platform (MIP) and related data infrastructure.
• Familiarity with customer communication platforms and message delivery optimization.
• Experience with streaming technologies such as Kafka and real-time data processing.
• Knowledge of analytics and experimentation frameworks used in marketing contexts.
• Background in privacy and compliance considerations for customer data usage.

Practical notes

This role is based in the United States and offers remote flexibility. Most Upstarters work digitally-first but engage in intentional in-person collaboration through teamsites and planning sessions. The position may involve occasional travel for team onsites, planning sessions, and strategic meetings. No specific visa sponsorship details are provided. Applicants must be able to start work promptly and commit to the schedule outlined during the hiring process. Only hours and locations explicitly stated in this description apply.