# Principal Software Engineer, Cash Line

**Company:** [Upstart](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/upstart)
**Location:** Remote
**Role:** Backend Engineering
**Salary:** $183k – $270k/yr
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** Python, Java, Kotlin, C#, Ruby, Distributed Systems, Event-Driven Architecture, API Design, Service-Oriented Architecture, Generative AI
**Posted:** 2026-06-18

> Principal backend engineer building core systems for a new AI-powered revolving credit product. Owns distributed services for underwriting, pricing, transactions, and servicing in a greenfield environment.

## Job Description

## How you’ll make an impact

- Design and build the core backend systems that power a new revolving credit product used directly by consumers.
- Own distributed services that support underwriting, pricing, line management, transactions, and servicing with high reliability and observability.
- Translate complex product and economic requirements into scalable technical systems, balancing speed, risk, and long term maintainability.
- Partner closely with machine learning engineers and data teams to productionize models and integrate AI driven decisioning into real time user flows.
- Collaborate with mobile engineers to deliver seamless consumer facing features, ensuring backend systems are optimized for real world usage patterns.
- Work across the full lifecycle of credit, from consumer acquisition and onboarding through funding, servicing, and capital markets distribution.
- Shape foundational architectural decisions in a greenfield environment, while thoughtfully integrating with systems from Upstart’s mature lending platform.
- Contribute to a Gen AI first product strategy, helping define how generative AI enhances user experience, internal tooling, automation, and operational workflows.
- Raise the bar for engineering quality through strong API design, data modeling, observability, testing, and operational rigor.

## Minimum Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Mathematics, or a related field (or its equivalent) + 8 years of experience
- Strong experience designing distributed systems and event driven architectures, including real world handling of retries, idempotency, fault tolerance, and failure modes.
- Proficiency in an object oriented language such as Python, Java, Kotlin, C#, or Ruby, and experience building and maintaining APIs and service oriented architectures.
- Experience shipping consumer facing features end to end, with a strong understanding of latency, reliability, and user impact.
- Ability to work effectively in ambiguous, zero to one environments where requirements evolve quickly.
- Strong cross functional collaboration skills and comfort working closely with product, finance, compliance, and other business stakeholders.
- Active use of AI tools in engineering, with a forward-looking perspective on how AI is reshaping software development.
- Exceptional communication and collaboration skills; able to align teams and advocate for high-impact solutions across functions.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in fintech, credit, payments, or other regulated financial systems.
- Familiarity with revolving credit, line management, transaction processing, or ledger based systems.
- Experience building systems that sit at the intersection of consumer products and capital markets infrastructure.
- Background working with ML driven pricing, underwriting, or risk systems.
- Hands on experience leveraging generative AI in product features or internal engineering workflows.
- Experience on small, high ownership teams where engineers are responsible for architecture, implementation, and operational excellence.
- Passion for building products that expand access to credit and improve financial outcomes for underserved consumers.

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**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/e1e74480-5579-4f6b-ae40-7940602bb645
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/e1e74480-5579-4f6b-ae40-7940602bb645