Principal Analyst, Strategic Insights

About Upstart

Upstart is the 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 80% of borrowers are approved instantly, with zero documentation to upload.

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!

As a Principal Analyst on the Product Analytics team at Upstart, you’ll be responsible for driving understanding, insights, decision‑making, and data infrastructure relating to the development, optimization, and enhancement of our Personal Loans product. You’ll partner across our Analytics team, Finance org, ML teams, and across the wider Product org to drive Upstarts product innovation and growth.

• Own and define the Personal Loans’s end‑to‑end data narrative and leverage it to influence strategic growth, risk, and marketplace decisions with senior leadership.
• Design, implement, and govern the core revenue decomposition models, KPIs, and reporting infrastructure that standardize how the Personal Loans business measures health and identifies high‑impact opportunities.
• Translate complex analytical findings into compelling, concise data stories for executive review (e.g., MBRs/WBRs), proactively closing knowledge gaps and pushing for change in overall business strategy.
• Conduct deep‑dive analyses and modeling to identify significant optimization and growth opportunities, effectively prioritizing efforts.
• Demonstrate technical ownership by building analytical Proof‑of‑Concepts (POCs) and partnering with Analytics Engineering to productionalize and automate high‑value pipelines and workflows.

• Strong analytical and quantitative background with at least 8+ years of professional experience in analytics, data science, or a related quantitative field.
• Proficiency in data analysis tools, particularly SQL and Python/R.
• Experience with BI/visualization tools (e.g., Looker, Tableau, Mode).
• Excellent problem‑solving skills with the ability to tackle complex, ambiguous problems with a structured approach.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex analytical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to think critically about business problems and the systems they operate within.

• Master’s / PhD in a quantitative field (e.g., Statistics, Economics, Computer Science, Data Science)
• Experience in technology, fintech, lending, or two‑sided marketplace companies.
• Proven ability to influence strategic decisions through data‑driven insights and narratives, especially at the leadership level.
• Experience collaborating effectively with Finance teams and executive level stakeholders

This role is available in the following locations:
Remote, San Mateo, Columbus

This team operates on the East/West Coast time zones.

As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to still spend high quality time in‑person collaborating via regular onsite sessions. The in‑person sessions’ cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2‑4 consecutive days at a time.

• Competitive Compensation (base + bonus & equity)
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Personal Development and Technology & Ergonomic Budgets
• Life insurance and disability benefits
• Clubs and Activities (Game Nights, Fit starters,…