Assistant General Counsel

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal counsel to Product, Engineering, Risk, Compliance, and Operations teams to support Upstart's HELOC product and transition from a state-licensed lender to a national bank.
• Provide legal counsel and advice on future products, which may include purchase-money mortgages.
• Advise on federal and state consumer lending laws, mortgage regulations, and regulatory developments that impact home lending products and services.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to design compliant product features, customer experiences, operational processes, and servicing capabilities.
• Lead legal support for new product initiatives, regulatory change management, and market expansion efforts related to home lending.
• Collaborate across the Product & Regulatory Legal team and with other legal teams, including lawyers supporting Privacy, Fair Lending, Capital Markets and Commercial contracts, as needed.
• Develop practical legal frameworks, policies, and guidance that enable business growth while appropriately managing legal and regulatory risk.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including regulators, bank partners, and outside counsel, on legal matters affecting the HELOC business.
• Identify and communicate key legal risks to business partners; distill complex legal matters and risks for senior leadership in a clear and actionable manner, synthesizing complex concepts into concise recommendations.

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
• 10+ years of legal experience advising financial services, fintech, or mortgage lending organizations, including substantial experience serving as the primary legal advisor for complex product organizations with a focus on real-estate secured products.
• Deep expertise in consumer financial services laws and mortgage regulations, including TILA, RESPA, ECOA, FCRA, HMDA, UDAAP, and applicable state lending and federal banking laws.
• Experience advising cross-functional product development teams and supporting the launch or expansion of regulated financial products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting HELOC, mortgage, or other secured lending products throughout the full product lifecycle.
• Experience managing regulatory examinations, enforcement matters, or interactions with federal and state regulators.
• Ability to balance legal risk with business objectives and develop practical, scalable solutions for product teams.
• Experience building legal processes and governance frameworks within rapidly growing technology or fintech organizations.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled financial products, digital lending platforms, or emerging regulatory developments affecting financial technology.