---
title: 'Lead Operations Associate, Customer Experience at Upstart'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/lead-operations-associate-customer-experience-upstart-columbus-vxd2mgxreh6n'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-14'
---

# Lead Operations Associate, Customer Experience at Upstart

- **Company:** Upstart
- **Location:** Columbus, OH
- **Compensation:** $29–$40/hr
- **Posted:** 2026-10-13
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-14
- **Apply:** https://careers.upstart.com/jobs?gh_jid=8279533

## Job description

## 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 Customer Experience team helps applicants navigate the borrowing process across phone, email, and chat. The team combines customer support, operational expertise, and collaboration across departments to resolve issues accurately and improve the applicant experience.

As the Lead Operations Associate, Customer Experience, you will support daily team health by building practical AI tools, analyzing workforce needs, investigating recurring issues, and providing peer guidance. In this individual contributor role, you will partner with Operations Managers and cross-functional teams to improve quality, productivity, and service levels while communicating risks early and following improvements through to results.

## How you’ll make an impact

- Improve performance across phone, email, and chat by monitoring queue health, service levels, backlog, and operational trends, and recommending timely responses to staffing gaps and bottlenecks.
- Investigate complex applicant issues and performance gaps across systems, policies, staffing, and team handoffs; identify root causes, recommend fixes, and verify whether changes resolve the issue.
- Partner with workforce management and Operations Managers to interpret demand, capacity, coverage, occupancy, adherence, and shrinkage data and recommend staffing or scheduling adjustments.
- Provide peer training, process guidance, and routine feedback, maintain team resources, and complete spot checks; escalate formal coaching and performance concerns to Operations Managers.
- Coordinate improvements with internal and vendor partners, help define requirements and test rollouts, and escalate automation exceptions or system failures with clear documentation during incidents and high-volume events.

## Minimum Qualifications

- Experience resolving complex customer or operational issues across systems and customer support channels.
- Experience analyzing operational or workforce data, including demand, handle time, service levels, backlog, and coverage, to recommend staffing or scheduling responses.
- Experience supporting peer development through training, process guidance, or routine feedback.
- Experience investigating root causes and coordinating operational improvements across teams, from gathering evidence through testing solutions and documenting outcomes.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Consumer lending or fintech experience, including familiarity with verification, policy, or compliance workflows.
- Experience with workforce management platforms, routing systems, operational dashboards, or spreadsheet analysis.
- Experience building or improving AI tools, reusable prompt workflows, or operational automations, including testing outputs, evaluating results, and supporting adoption; experience with customer-facing AI or chatbot quality.
- Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to explain operational findings, influence without direct authority, and exercise judgment on sensitive escalations.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, adapt to feedback, and communicate risks with evidence and a recommended next step.

Position location This role is available in the following locations: Columbus, OH

Time zone requirements The team operates on the East coast time zone.

In-Office requirements.  You will be required to work from the Easton office 2 days per week.

Shift time requirements: You must be able to adhere to one of the following work schedules:

- Sunday - Thursday, 11:30am - 8:00pm ET
- Tuesday - Saturday, 11:30am - 8:00pm ET

Travel requirements 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 to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. 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.

#LI-Associate

This is a Non-Exempt position. Employees in this position are paid an hourly pay rate, on a bi-weekly basis, and are eligible to receive overtime pay for any hours worked over 40 in a work week, or over 8 in a work day if required by state law.

Columbus, OH - Anticipated Hourly Rate Range $28.56—$39.52 USD

## What you'll love

At Upstart, our benefits for full-time employees are designed to support your health, financial well-being, family, and personal growth. Here’s what you can expect:

- Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
- Retirement benefits to help you plan for the future, including a 401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually (USD in the US, CAD in Canada)
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees (US only)
- Comprehensive health coverage designed to support you and your family, including medical, dental, vision, and wellness resources for US and supplemental health coverage for Canada.
- Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans (US only)
- Income protection benefits, including life insurance and disability coverage for added financial security
- Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays, in line with local requirements
- Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments (duration varies by country)
- Family-centered benefits to support fertility, parenthood, and caregiving needs
- 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 (US Only)
- 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, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
- Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our offices in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City

For roles based in Canada, please note that we are not currently able to hire in Quebec.

Upstart is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer. Just as we are dedicated to improving access to affordable credit for all, we are committed to inclusive and fair hiring practices.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please email candidate_accommodations@upstart.com

https://www.upstart.com/candidate_privacy_policy

## About Upstart

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Financial Services (AI-powered consumer lending)
- **Target customers**: B2B (banks and credit unions as partners) and B2C (borrowers seeking personal loans, auto refinance, home equity lines, and small dollar loans)
- **Mission**: Radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans, using AI, data, and thoughtful design to make credit simpler, fairer, and more accessible.

## Products & Services
- **Personal Loans**: Fixed-rate, unsecured loans (3- or 5-year terms) for debt consolidation, credit card payoff, and major purchases – originated through partner banks.
- **Auto Refinance**: Loans for refinancing existing auto loans, leveraging Upstart’s AI model to offer competitive rates.
- **Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC)**: Offered through Upstart Home Lending (powered by Upstart Mortgage, LLC).
- **Small Dollar “Relief” Loans**: Short-term, smaller-amount loans designed to help borrowers cover unexpected expenses.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: $2.3B (as of mid-2026)
- **Key Metrics**:
  - Annual Revenue: $1.0B (fiscal year 2025/2026)
  - Total Funding: $3.35B (including post-IPO equity and debt)
  - Originations: $35B+ since inception
  - Customers served: 2.8M+
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: First Round Capital, Kleiner Perkins, NEA, Google Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Rakuten, Progressive Insurance, Third Point Capital. Partners include over 100 banks and credit unions.
- **Growth Signals**: 20.7% YoY employee growth (1,292 employees), 88% of loans fully automated, Net Promoter Score of 85, expansion into home equity lending, and active hiring across engineering, data, and compliance roles.

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI Underwriting Moat**: Uses non-traditional variables (education, employment, GPA, standardized test scores) alongside traditional credit data to predict default risk, enabling higher approval rates and lower APRs across all demographics.
- **Automated Origination**: 88% of loans are instantly approved without human intervention, driving lower costs and faster decisions.
- **Bank Partnership Model**: Revenue comes from origination fees and servicing, not from holding loans on balance sheet, reducing credit risk.
- **Proven Fraud & Default Models**: Claims 22% lower default rates compared to traditional models (according to IR page).

## Strategic Focus
- **Product Expansion**: Growing auto and home equity lending verticals, and introducing new loan types (e.g., small dollar “relief” loans).
- **Deepening AI Capabilities**: Continuing to improve prediction models and expand the use of alternative data.
- **Market Share Growth**: Targeting more bank and credit union partners to increase origination volume and reach underserved borrowers.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Trust and transparency are practiced daily with all-company meetings, open metrics, and accessible leadership. Values include “be numeric,” “have a bias for action,” and “build for the long term.”
- **Work Model**: Digital-first – most work is remote, with intentional in-person moments (new hire orientation, team onsites, company gatherings). Remote roles are listed for most engineering and business positions.
- **Growth**: Career development through meaningful work, clear feedback, learning resources, and a professional development stipend.
- **Benefits**: Competitive pay, annual equity grants, 401(k) with 2:1 matching, ESPP, medical/dental/vision, HSA contributions, flexible time off, wellness stipends, paid parental leave, fertility benefits, and caregiving support.
- **Diversity**: Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and informal Slack communities foster belonging.
- **Engineering Culture**: High autonomy, ownership, and impact – teams build cloud-native applications that handle millions of loan applications.

## Sources
1. [careers.upstart.com](https://careers.upstart.com/home)
2. [upstart.com](https://www.upstart.com/)
3. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/upstart-network)
4. [ir.upstart.com](https://ir.upstart.com/static-files/b0770a49-3e90-4b66-b1bd-348a77f53a0d)

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