H-1B Visa Development Engineer Jobs
Development Engineer roles sit squarely within H-1B visa specialty occupation territory, requiring at least a bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, or systems engineering. Employers must file an LCA with the DOL and petition USCIS before you start work, and cap-subject petitions are tied to the October 1 fiscal year start.
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Get Access To All JobsLocation: Seattle, WA (Onsite Preferred)
Experience: 8 Years
Employment Type: Full-Time / Contract
Position Overview:
We are seeking a highly skilled AI Engineer – Agentic AI Development to join an exciting enterprise AI initiative with a leading retail client. This is a fully hands-on engineering role focused on designing, building, and deploying production-ready Agentic AI systems that automate complex business workflows.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in software engineering with recent (within the last 1–2 years) hands-on experience building and shipping AI agents into production. This is not a research or proof-of-concept role—the selected candidate must be able to demonstrate real-world experience developing, deploying, and maintaining agentic AI solutions in production environments.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and deploy production-grade AI agents and multi-agent systems.
- Build agent orchestration, tool integrations, and Model Context Protocol (MCP)-based solutions.
- Develop evaluation frameworks to measure agent performance, accuracy, reliability, and failure modes.
- Implement context engineering, memory management, and retrieval strategies for enterprise AI applications.
- Build scalable, production-ready software following the complete SDLC.
- Collaborate with client engineering teams to deliver intelligent automation solutions.
- Optimize AI applications for performance, latency, scalability, and cost.
- Contribute to engineering best practices and mentor team members on modern Agentic AI development.
Must-Have Skills:
- 5–8 years of software engineering experience with strong production development experience.
- Recent (within the last 1–2 years) hands-on experience building and deploying Agentic AI solutions.
- Proven experience designing and shipping production AI agents—not prototypes or experimental projects.
- Strong understanding of:
- Multi-agent orchestration
- AI tool integration
- Context engineering
- Memory and state management
- Agent evaluation methodologies
- Experience with modern LLMs and Agentic AI design patterns.
- Experience working with one or more of the following:
- LangGraph
- AutoGen
- CrewAI
- Semantic Kernel
- Claude Agent SDK
- OpenAI Assistants API
- Strong software engineering fundamentals including system design, testing, deployment, and production support.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior experience as a Software Engineer with enterprise-scale application development.
- Hands-on experience with Claude Agent SDK.
- Experience with LLM optimization, prompt engineering, and AI cost management.
- Experience designing scalable AI systems for enterprise applications.
- Retail or e-commerce domain experience is a plus.
- Experience working in Agile development environments.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or a related field.
- Strong problem-solving and software architecture skills.
- Demonstrated ability to independently design, build, test, and deploy production-grade AI solutions.
- Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision in a fast-paced engineering environment.
Location: Seattle, WA (Onsite Preferred)
Experience: 8 Years
Employment Type: Full-Time / Contract
Position Overview:
We are seeking a highly skilled AI Engineer – Agentic AI Development to join an exciting enterprise AI initiative with a leading retail client. This is a fully hands-on engineering role focused on designing, building, and deploying production-ready Agentic AI systems that automate complex business workflows.
The ideal candidate will have a strong background in software engineering with recent (within the last 1–2 years) hands-on experience building and shipping AI agents into production. This is not a research or proof-of-concept role—the selected candidate must be able to demonstrate real-world experience developing, deploying, and maintaining agentic AI solutions in production environments.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and deploy production-grade AI agents and multi-agent systems.
- Build agent orchestration, tool integrations, and Model Context Protocol (MCP)-based solutions.
- Develop evaluation frameworks to measure agent performance, accuracy, reliability, and failure modes.
- Implement context engineering, memory management, and retrieval strategies for enterprise AI applications.
- Build scalable, production-ready software following the complete SDLC.
- Collaborate with client engineering teams to deliver intelligent automation solutions.
- Optimize AI applications for performance, latency, scalability, and cost.
- Contribute to engineering best practices and mentor team members on modern Agentic AI development.
Must-Have Skills:
- 5–8 years of software engineering experience with strong production development experience.
- Recent (within the last 1–2 years) hands-on experience building and deploying Agentic AI solutions.
- Proven experience designing and shipping production AI agents—not prototypes or experimental projects.
- Strong understanding of:
- Multi-agent orchestration
- AI tool integration
- Context engineering
- Memory and state management
- Agent evaluation methodologies
- Experience with modern LLMs and Agentic AI design patterns.
- Experience working with one or more of the following:
- LangGraph
- AutoGen
- CrewAI
- Semantic Kernel
- Claude Agent SDK
- OpenAI Assistants API
- Strong software engineering fundamentals including system design, testing, deployment, and production support.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior experience as a Software Engineer with enterprise-scale application development.
- Hands-on experience with Claude Agent SDK.
- Experience with LLM optimization, prompt engineering, and AI cost management.
- Experience designing scalable AI systems for enterprise applications.
- Retail or e-commerce domain experience is a plus.
- Experience working in Agile development environments.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or a related field.
- Strong problem-solving and software architecture skills.
- Demonstrated ability to independently design, build, test, and deploy production-grade AI solutions.
- Ability to work effectively with minimal supervision in a fast-paced engineering environment.
See all 1,473+ H-1B Visa Development Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship as a Development Engineer
Verify your degree field aligns precisely
USCIS scrutinizes whether your degree directly relates to Development Engineer duties. A general science degree may trigger an RFE. Cross-check your transcript against the O*NET profile for this occupation before applying.
Target employers with cap-exempt status
Universities, nonprofit research institutions, and government research organizations can file H-1B petitions year-round without lottery exposure. Development Engineer roles in R&D labs at these organizations let you bypass the annual cap entirely.
Search verified LCA filings on Migrate Mate
Filter by Development Engineer job titles to see which employers have active DOL Labor Condition Applications. This surfaces companies already running the sponsorship process, not just those claiming openness to it.
Request premium processing before your OPT expires
Standard H-1B adjudication can run several months. If your OPT end date is approaching, ask your employer to file with USCIS premium processing to get a decision within 15 business days and avoid a gap in work authorization.
Confirm the prevailing wage level before offer stage
Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up the Level I through Level IV wage for your specific SOC code and work location. If the offer falls below the applicable level, the employer's LCA will be rejected by DOL before it reaches USCIS.
Document project ownership for specialty occupation proof
Employers must show the role requires a specific degree, not just any bachelor's. Gather evidence of design responsibilities, engineering specifications you authored, and any cross-functional technical leadership before your petition goes to USCIS.
H-1B Visa Development Engineer: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Development Engineer role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes, provided the position requires at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related engineering field such as mechanical, electrical, systems, or product engineering. Roles where any degree suffices, or where extensive experience substitutes for a degree requirement in the job posting, face higher RFE risk. The O*NET profile for Development Engineers lists Job Zone 4, which supports the specialty occupation argument, but your employer's job description must specifically require the degree.
How do I find Development Engineer employers who actively sponsor H-1B visas?
Migrate Mate filters Development Engineer listings by verified DOL Labor Condition Application history, so you can see which employers have already gone through the LCA filing process rather than relying on vague sponsorship language in job postings. LCA filings are public record and reflect real sponsorship activity, not stated intentions.
Can my employer file an H-1B for a Development Engineer role outside the annual lottery?
Yes, if your employer qualifies as cap-exempt. Universities, nonprofit research organizations, and government research entities can file H-1B petitions for Development Engineers at any time of year without entering the lottery. Private-sector employers are cap-subject and must register during the March window for an October 1 start date. If you're currently on OPT, cap-gap rules extend your authorization if your petition is filed and pending.
What happens to my H-1B if my employer discontinues the Development Engineer role?
You have a 60-day grace period after your last day of employment to find a new H-1B sponsor, change to another visa status, or depart the U.S. The grace period applies once per authorized validity period. A new employer must file an H-1B transfer petition with USCIS before the grace period expires for you to continue working legally. Portability rules under AC21 may also apply if your petition has been pending for 180 days or more.
Is a Development Engineer role eligible for the STEM OPT extension if I'm still on F-1?
STEM OPT eligibility depends on your degree, not your job title. If you hold a qualifying STEM degree such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer science, and the role is classified under an approved STEM SOC code, your DSO can authorize the 24-month extension. Development Engineer positions frequently fall under SOC codes that qualify, but confirm the exact code with your employer before your DSO submits the I-983 training plan.