Lead Accountant

About Upstart

At Upstart, we’re united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day, we bring creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to reshape access to credit, helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence.

As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 3,000 signals, powering smarter, fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea, every voice, and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress.

We’re proudly digital-first, giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesn’t mean distant. We’re intentional about in-person connection through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City, you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.

If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you.

The Team:

Upstart’s Accounting Operations team supports the company’s growth through accurate financial reporting, strong controls, and scalable accounting processes. We partner across Finance and the business to translate complex transactions into reliable accounting and timely financial results.

The Role

As a Lead Accountant, Capital Markets, you will own key accounting processes supporting Upstart’s structured products, derivatives, and loan sale and funding activities.

You will serve as a dedicated accounting partner to Capital Markets and Analytics throughout the transaction lifecycle, from understanding new activity to completing month-end close. Working closely with Technical Accounting and Financial Reporting, you will help ensure transactions are accurately recorded, balances are supported, and accounting processes evolve with the business.

How you’ll make an impact

• Own month-end accounting for structured products and derivatives, including journal entries, reconciliations, supporting schedules, and balance analysis.

• Support accounting for loan sale and funding activities, ensuring transactions, settlements, and related financing costs are accurately recorded.

• Partner with Capital Markets and Analytics throughout the month to understand transaction activity, investigate discrepancies, and ensure timely and complete accounting.

• Coordinate with internal partners on valuation inputs and outputs, reconcile related balances, and record appropriate accounting entries.

• Provide analyses and supporting documentation to Technical Accounting and Financial Reporting for accounting assessments, disclosures, and external audits.

• Help establish accounting workflows for new transactions and arrangements in partnership with cross-functional teams.

• Strengthen documentation, controls, and automation to support increasing transaction volume and complexity.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.

• 6+ years of progressive accounting experience in financial services, lending, fintech, or public accounting serving financial services clients.

• Experience accounting for structured products and derivatives, including related valuations, reconciliations, and financial reporting.

• Experience with loan sale and funding activities, including transaction accounting, settlements, and related financing arrangements....