Assistant General Counsel, Product & Regulatory

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; and Austin, Texas.

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 Assistant General Counsel, Product & Regulatory Legal you will play a key role in providing legal guidance in supporting Upstart’s product and marketing initiatives, as well as in developing new products and features to serve the personal loan, open line of credit, small dollar loan and auto refinance market.

• Lead and develop a team of attorneys and legal professionals within the Product & Regulatory Legal Team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration and professional growth
• Serve as the primary legal advisor for origination-related matters, guiding the product and marketing teams through complex legal and regulatory considerations
• Act as a key escalation point for the legal team, ensuring issues are efficiently triaged and resolved, and provide timely, business-oriented recommendations

• Provide strategic legal counsel on product development, marketing, and customer onboarding for personal loan, small dollar loan, open line of credit, and auto refinance products offered through Upstart’s bank partnership platform
• Conduct and oversee legal research and analysis on federal and state consumer finance laws, developing practical requirements documentation and compliant marketing and origination frameworks
• Monitor industry trends, regulatory changes, and enforcement developments to proactively advise business leaders on risk and opportunity areas

• Partner with Product, Growth, Risk, and Compliance to design compliant and customer-friendly financial products and online experiences
• Collaborate across legal teams—including lawyers supporting Privacy, Fair Lending, Capital Markets, and Commercial areas—to support enterprise-wide initiatives
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with internal stakeholders, influencing product and marketing strategies with sound, business-oriented legal guidance

• Advise on disputes and issues escalated from the Compliance team, particularly those related to marketing or loan origination practices
• Identify and communicate key legal risks to business partners; ability to distill complex legal matters and risks for senior leadership in a clear and actionable manner, synthesizing complex concepts into concise recommendations

• J.D. degree with superior academic credentials and a state bar membership;
• At least 10+ years of experience in a top-tier law firm, government, in-house legal department, and/or fintech/startup experience with at least 5 years focused on in marketing and consumer loan origination;
• In-depth knowledge of federal and state open and closed end consumer lending and consumer protection laws, including FCRA, TILA, ECOA, GLBA, UDAAP, EFTA, ESIGN, FDCPA, bankruptcy, AML/BSA, and servicing/debt collection laws;
• Experience with marketing, bank partnership programs, personal loans, small dollar lending, auto refinance loans, and open lines of credits; and
• Strong communication skills with a demonstrated ability to effectively and proactively provide quick, concise, and practical legal advice involving competing interests.

• Experience with use of AI in…