Principal Technical Program Manager

Job Description

Take ownership of system-level results, ensuring initiatives provide demonstrable business value rather than merely completing feature checklists. Bring clarity to ambiguous situations by aligning objectives, defining milestones, translating high-level designs into actionable implementation specifics, and ensuring cross-team dependencies are well-understood. Identify and mitigate crucial risks early to prevent delivery failure. Drive key decisions by revealing trade-offs, clarifying priorities, and bringing stakeholders into agreement on a path forward. Create and maintain a single, trusted perspective of program health, providing stakeholders at all levels with insights into progress, risks, and changes. Work alongside engineering and product leaders to strike a balance between feature delivery and long-term system scalability, reliability, and maintainability.

Qualifications

1. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience. 2. 8+ years of technical program management, product management, or related experience in a software engineering environment. 3. Experience leading large-scale, cross-functional programs that involve multiple engineering teams and systems. 4. Experience leading complex technical initiatives from concept to launch, including defining scope, success metrics, and execution strategy. 5. Experience working on distributed systems, service-oriented architectures, and system design at scale.

Benefits

- Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly. - Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 per year. - Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees. - Affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage, with multiple plan options - Upstart covers 90% to 100% of the cost depending on the plans you choose. - Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans. - Income protection benefits, including company-paid Basic Life, AD&D, and Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage, with options to purchase supplemental coverage. - Paid time off, sick and safe time, and company holidays. - Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments. - Family-centered benefits through Carrot and Cleo, supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving. - 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. - 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 and onsites, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs). - Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our four offices, located in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).