Director of Product Compliance

R-6811
Compliance

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; Austin, Texas; and New York City, NY (opening Summer 2026). 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!

The Role:

As the Director, Product Compliance you will play a key role in providing legal guidance in supporting Upstart’s new cash line product and marketing initiatives, as well as in developing new product features to serve the cash line/small dollar lending organization. If you are excited by influencing product architecture, designing scalable compliance solutions, and building trusted relationships across a fast-moving fintech, this role is for you.

How you’ll make an impact

Program Ownership & Regulatory Governance

Own and continuously enhance the product compliance framework including policies, procedures, and control design spanning marketing, origination, underwriting, servicing, collections, and credit reporting.
Lead regulatory readiness by conducting risk assessments, gap analyses, and designing first-line scalable controls across technical and operational workflows.
Develop key risk indicators (KRIs), metrics, and dashboards to provide insight into compliance health to executive leadership and the Board.

Cross-Functional Influence & Stakeholder Management

Act as a senior advisor to Product, Engineering, Ops, Legal, and Machine Learning teams—driving alignment across stakeholders while balancing customer experience, business needs,

and regulatory expectations.

Influence organizational decisions through clear,

compelling communication of compliance risks, trade-offs, and recommendations.

Represent Compliance in governance forums,

product councils, and cross-functional initiatives.

Operational Excellence & Issue Management

Oversee root-cause analyses and remediation plans for compliance issues,

ensuring durable fixes and strengthened controls.

Partner with Legal,

Internal Audit, and external regulatory exam teams to support audits, examinations, and responses to regulatory inquiries.

Lead the development and delivery of scalable,

role-based compliance training for impacted cross-functional partners.

Team Building & Leadership

Champion a compliance-first mindset across the company,

driving early engagement and proactive risk identification.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree
8+ years of experience in consumer lending or financial services compliance or related field
Experience managing product compliance programs or teams within fintech or financial services companies preferred
Strong knowledge of federal consumer financial laws including but not limited to ECOA/FCRA/FDCPA/Reg B/Reg V/Reg Z/Reg M/UDAP/UDAAP/CFPB regulations
Experience working cross-functionally with legal,

risk, data science, and engineering teams to implement scalable compliance solutions preferred

Excellent communication skills with ability to influence at all levels within an organization
Demonstrated leadership skills including team management or mentorship experience preferred

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

JD or advanced legal degree preferred but not required
Experience working with regulators or examiners a plus
Experience with AI or machine learning products a plus
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
Strong analytical skills with attention to detail required