Senior Customer Contact Specialist, Chat Support

About Upstart

At Upstart were 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 thats both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 3000 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.

Were 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 doesnt mean distant. Were 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 youll have the support to work in the way that works best for you.

If youre energized by tackling meaningful problems excited to innovate with purpose and motivated by work that truly matters wed love to hear from you.

The Team:

Upstarts Customer Experience team supports applicants throughout the pre-origination journey helping them navigate questions and resolve issues as they move through the application process.

As a Senior Customer Contact Specialist youll primarily engage with applicants through live chat and phone while continuing to support emails when needed. As we shift more applicant volume toward real-time channels youll help deliver fast clear and consistent support without losing the ownership and attention to detail required in a regulated lending environment.

Youll investigate complex application questions handle escalations make sound judgment calls and serve as a subject matter expert for frontline vendor teams. Depending on business needs you may be assigned to a channel-focused workflow while remaining ready to flex across chat phone email and internal vendor support.

How youll make an impact

• Represent Upstarts Customer Experience team. Youll support applicants primarily through live chat and phone while also handling email and vendor support as business needs evolve.
• Develop expertise across a complex lending journey. Upstart supports multiple products lending partners application workflows verification requirements and internal systems. Youll understand how these pieces connect investigate where an applicant is getting stuck and determine the right path forward.
• Own complex issues from start to finish. Youll take responsibility for the contacts and escalations you handle including issues that require coordination across Operations Product Risk Compliance Engineering or our lending partners. Youll route issues correctly communicate clear expectations and ensure commitments and required next steps are completed.
• Help build and improve support powered by AI. Youll use AI tools to research analyze draft and solve problems more effectively. Youll also help refine prompts workflows automations and other AI solutions evaluate the quality of their outputs identify failure patterns and provide actionable feedback that improves how these tools perform.
• Turn observations into improvements. When you identify a recurring applicant pain point unclear procedure outdated knowledge article or inefficient workflow youll do more than flag it. Youll investigate the root cause recommend a solution and help implement improvements that reduce friction and make the entire team more effective.
• Communicate with precision and empathy. Financial decisions can be complex and personal. Youll clearly explain what is happening what actions are being taken and what the applicant should expect next using accurate concise language without unnecessary jargon or filler.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience independently resolving complex customer issues in financial services fintech technology or another regulated and rapidly changing environment.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills including the ability to synthesize incomplete information and explain complex or sensitive topics clearly concisely and accurately.
• Experience investigating complex problems across connected tools or workflows including identifying root causes recognizing patterns and distinguishing an individual issue from a broader problem.
• Experience managing multiple priorities open issues and internal dependencies while maintaining strong documentation accuracy and follow through.
• Experience learning and applying new products policies processes or technologies in a rapidly changing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting customers through multiple channels including live chat and phone while adapting your communication style to the needs of each channel.
• Experience working in a performance focused environment with expectations related to quality customer satisfaction productivity and speed of service.
• Demonstrated experience using AI tools to improve the quality speed or consistency of work including testing AI-generated outputs identifying failure patterns evaluating results and translating findings into actionable feedback or product improvements.
• A track record of independently improving a process knowledge resource customer journey or operational workflow from identifying the problem through implementing the solution.
• Experience partnering across Operations Product Risk Compliance or Engineering to investigate issues and drive them to resolution.

Position location This role is available in the following location: Columbus OH (Easton office).

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 (Wednesday & Thursday)

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.

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
Sunday Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday 11:30am - 8:00pm ET

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What youll love

At Upstart our benefits are designed to support your health financial well-being family and personal growth. Heres 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 $15000 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

Experience:

Senior IC