J-1 Visa Lead Designer Jobs
Lead Designer roles in the United States are accessible to international professionals through the J-1 visa Trainee or Intern program categories, both requiring a designated sponsor organization to issue your DS-2019. Finding a host employer willing to structure a formal training plan is the key to securing sponsorship.
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Recruitment/Posting Title Research Associate - IT Infrastructure Lead
Department Quantitative Biomedicine Inst
Salary Details A minimum of $85,588
Offer Information
The final salary offer may be determined by several factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and expertise, and availability of department or grant funds to support the position. We also take into consideration market benchmarks, if and when appropriate, and internal equity to ensure fair compensation relative to the university’s broader compensation structure. We are committed to offering competitive and flexible compensation packages to attract and retain top talent.
Benefits
Rutgers offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees, based on position, which includes:
- Medical, prescription drug, and dental coverage
- Paid vacation, holidays, and various leave programs
- Competitive retirement benefits, including defined contribution plans and voluntary tax-deferred savings options
- Employee and dependent educational benefits
- Life insurance coverage
- Employee discounts programs
For detailed information on benefits and eligibility, please visit: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/benefits/benefits-overview.
Posting Summary
We are seeking a highly technical and experienced individual for the position of IT Infrastructure Lead manager to lead our team of systems administrators and DevOps engineers while actively supporting the design, implementation, and operation of our infrastructure and services. A successful candidate in this role will be responsible for developing and implementing an IT strategy that aligns with our organization’s mission, overseeing the day-to-day aspects of IT operations, and ensuring the security and stability of our critical systems. They will also collaborate with a team of scientific application developers, software developers, and trainers to support the development and continued operation of key web services for a global scientific community. The candidate will work at the RCSB Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, located in Piscataway, NJ.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the DevOps team and manage daily operations of our IT infrastructure and services following institutional standards, including but not limited to our infrastructure, DevOps Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, networks, security, applications, and hardware.
- Provide support with debugging and troubleshooting complex production issues across application, infrastructure, and data layers; lead incident response, root cause analysis, and long-term remediation efforts.
- Develop and implement a long-term multi-year IT infrastructure strategy, including identifying, anticipating, and prioritizing infrastructure needs for the organization.
- Manage budgeting and vendor relationships with hardware and service providers.
- Develop and maintain code for automation and infrastructure, including provisioning, deployment, monitoring, and operational workflows (infrastructure as code).
- Establish project plans and track progress of work to monitor risks and deliverables.
- Serve as one of the technical subject matter experts within the organization, providing guidance and answering technical questions to internal and external stakeholders and partners.
- Collaborate closely with software and scientific application developers to ensure systems are observable, operable, and performant in production, and contribute to application code when needed to diagnose or resolve issues.
Other related activities:
The candidate should be comfortable working in a fast-changing environment, be able to think creatively, demonstrate a deep understanding of a modern IT infrastructure, and maintain a willingness to learn new skills and technologies.
Position Status Full Time
Posting Number 26FA0497
Posting Open Date 05/19/2026
Qualifications
Minimum Education and Experience
A degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related discipline and a minimum of 5 years equivalent work experience in Information Technology or related field.
Any educational background or experience in bioinformatics or biochemistry will be considered a plus.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Minimum of 5 years experience in IT
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to address and resolve unprecedented technical issues.
- Strong understanding of IT infrastructures across the entire stack, including hardware and network components, security, and cloud technologies required.
- In-depth experience with Kubernetes and Docker. Strong experience working with at least one of NodeJS, Java, or Python. Experience with more than one will be considered a plus.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact and work with stakeholders across various levels and technical backgrounds.
- Experience developing and maintaining modern DevOps Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines required. Any previous experience working with GitHub Actions will be considered a plus.
- Experience administering a Linux operating system server environment required.
- Experience working in data centers maintaining service uptime, including hardware installation and equipment moves, hardware networking, power consumption management, and interaction with data center personnel.
- Experience with email services setup and administration, platform migration and general management of multi-email systems.
Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on experience working with MongoDB and Elasticsearch clusters
- Experience with tooling and automation for commercial cloud environments (AWS, GCP)
Physical Demands and Work Environment
Individual will work onsite at RCSB PDB located at Rutgers University – New Brunswick.
Standing, sitting, walking, talking or hearing.
Visual acuity to perform activities such as: viewing a computer terminal, reading, analyzing written information/data, etc.
Ability to perform physical labor without restrictions, including lifting equipment up to fifty (50) pounds.
Office environment.
Moderate Noise.
Overview
About the RCSB PDB:
RCSB PDB (RCSB Protein Data Bank) is a world-renowned, scientific organization focused on serving the technical, educational and programmatic needs of over 1 million users in scientific, research, and academic communities worldwide. The RCSB PDB scientific application development team creates state-of-the-art web applications, data exploration tools and 3D molecular visualizations.
The team consists of a group of highly-skilled bio-curators, scientists, software developers, designers, and educators, working in a lively and fast-paced environment located at Rutgers, UCSD, and UCSF.
The successful candidate will be able to take full advantage of the benefits of working at an academic institution, including New Jersey state benefits and a faculty-level salary.
Statement
This position is expected to be hands-on, directly addressing organizational needs as they evolve and being the lead on fixing problems that arise in day to day operations. This is in addition to managing our IT infrastructure team. The combination of direct contributions and managerial skills will be the key to success.
Location Details
Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine
174 Frelinghuysen Rd
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Pre-employment Screenings
All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of all pre-employment screenings.
Immunization Requirements
Under Policy 100.3.1 Immunization Policy for Covered Individuals, if employment will commence during Flu Season, Rutgers University may require certain prospective employees to provide proof that they are vaccinated against Seasonal Influenza for the current Flu Season, unless the University has granted the individual a medical or religious exemption. Additional infection control and safety policies may apply. Prospective employees should speak with their hiring manager to determine which policies apply to the role or position for which they are applying. Failure to provide proof of vaccination for any required vaccines or obtain a medical or religious exemption from the University will result in rescission of a candidate’s offer of employment or disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
It is university policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, creed, color, national origin, age, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability status, liability for military service, protected veteran status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical cellular or blood trait, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), or any other category protected by law. As an institution, we encourage all qualified applicants to apply. For additional information please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement
Posting Specific Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Applicant Documents
Required Documents
- List of Professional References (contact Info)
- Resume/CV
Optional Documents
- Cover Letter/Letter of Application
- Curriculum Vitae
- Other Documents (4)
Position Details
Recruitment/Posting Title Research Associate - IT Infrastructure Lead
Department Quantitative Biomedicine Inst
Salary Details A minimum of $85,588
Offer Information
The final salary offer may be determined by several factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate’s qualifications, experience, and expertise, and availability of department or grant funds to support the position. We also take into consideration market benchmarks, if and when appropriate, and internal equity to ensure fair compensation relative to the university’s broader compensation structure. We are committed to offering competitive and flexible compensation packages to attract and retain top talent.
Benefits
Rutgers offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees, based on position, which includes:
- Medical, prescription drug, and dental coverage
- Paid vacation, holidays, and various leave programs
- Competitive retirement benefits, including defined contribution plans and voluntary tax-deferred savings options
- Employee and dependent educational benefits
- Life insurance coverage
- Employee discounts programs
For detailed information on benefits and eligibility, please visit: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/benefits/benefits-overview.
Posting Summary
We are seeking a highly technical and experienced individual for the position of IT Infrastructure Lead manager to lead our team of systems administrators and DevOps engineers while actively supporting the design, implementation, and operation of our infrastructure and services. A successful candidate in this role will be responsible for developing and implementing an IT strategy that aligns with our organization’s mission, overseeing the day-to-day aspects of IT operations, and ensuring the security and stability of our critical systems. They will also collaborate with a team of scientific application developers, software developers, and trainers to support the development and continued operation of key web services for a global scientific community. The candidate will work at the RCSB Protein Data Bank, Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, located in Piscataway, NJ.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the DevOps team and manage daily operations of our IT infrastructure and services following institutional standards, including but not limited to our infrastructure, DevOps Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, networks, security, applications, and hardware.
- Provide support with debugging and troubleshooting complex production issues across application, infrastructure, and data layers; lead incident response, root cause analysis, and long-term remediation efforts.
- Develop and implement a long-term multi-year IT infrastructure strategy, including identifying, anticipating, and prioritizing infrastructure needs for the organization.
- Manage budgeting and vendor relationships with hardware and service providers.
- Develop and maintain code for automation and infrastructure, including provisioning, deployment, monitoring, and operational workflows (infrastructure as code).
- Establish project plans and track progress of work to monitor risks and deliverables.
- Serve as one of the technical subject matter experts within the organization, providing guidance and answering technical questions to internal and external stakeholders and partners.
- Collaborate closely with software and scientific application developers to ensure systems are observable, operable, and performant in production, and contribute to application code when needed to diagnose or resolve issues.
Other related activities:
The candidate should be comfortable working in a fast-changing environment, be able to think creatively, demonstrate a deep understanding of a modern IT infrastructure, and maintain a willingness to learn new skills and technologies.
Position Status Full Time
Posting Number 26FA0497
Posting Open Date 05/19/2026
Qualifications
Minimum Education and Experience
A degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related discipline and a minimum of 5 years equivalent work experience in Information Technology or related field.
Any educational background or experience in bioinformatics or biochemistry will be considered a plus.
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Minimum of 5 years experience in IT
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to address and resolve unprecedented technical issues.
- Strong understanding of IT infrastructures across the entire stack, including hardware and network components, security, and cloud technologies required.
- In-depth experience with Kubernetes and Docker. Strong experience working with at least one of NodeJS, Java, or Python. Experience with more than one will be considered a plus.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact and work with stakeholders across various levels and technical backgrounds.
- Experience developing and maintaining modern DevOps Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines required. Any previous experience working with GitHub Actions will be considered a plus.
- Experience administering a Linux operating system server environment required.
- Experience working in data centers maintaining service uptime, including hardware installation and equipment moves, hardware networking, power consumption management, and interaction with data center personnel.
- Experience with email services setup and administration, platform migration and general management of multi-email systems.
Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on experience working with MongoDB and Elasticsearch clusters
- Experience with tooling and automation for commercial cloud environments (AWS, GCP)
Physical Demands and Work Environment
Individual will work onsite at RCSB PDB located at Rutgers University – New Brunswick.
Standing, sitting, walking, talking or hearing.
Visual acuity to perform activities such as: viewing a computer terminal, reading, analyzing written information/data, etc.
Ability to perform physical labor without restrictions, including lifting equipment up to fifty (50) pounds.
Office environment.
Moderate Noise.
Overview
About the RCSB PDB:
RCSB PDB (RCSB Protein Data Bank) is a world-renowned, scientific organization focused on serving the technical, educational and programmatic needs of over 1 million users in scientific, research, and academic communities worldwide. The RCSB PDB scientific application development team creates state-of-the-art web applications, data exploration tools and 3D molecular visualizations.
The team consists of a group of highly-skilled bio-curators, scientists, software developers, designers, and educators, working in a lively and fast-paced environment located at Rutgers, UCSD, and UCSF.
The successful candidate will be able to take full advantage of the benefits of working at an academic institution, including New Jersey state benefits and a faculty-level salary.
Statement
This position is expected to be hands-on, directly addressing organizational needs as they evolve and being the lead on fixing problems that arise in day to day operations. This is in addition to managing our IT infrastructure team. The combination of direct contributions and managerial skills will be the key to success.
Location Details
Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine
174 Frelinghuysen Rd
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Pre-employment Screenings
All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of all pre-employment screenings.
Immunization Requirements
Under Policy 100.3.1 Immunization Policy for Covered Individuals, if employment will commence during Flu Season, Rutgers University may require certain prospective employees to provide proof that they are vaccinated against Seasonal Influenza for the current Flu Season, unless the University has granted the individual a medical or religious exemption. Additional infection control and safety policies may apply. Prospective employees should speak with their hiring manager to determine which policies apply to the role or position for which they are applying. Failure to provide proof of vaccination for any required vaccines or obtain a medical or religious exemption from the University will result in rescission of a candidate’s offer of employment or disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
It is university policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, creed, color, national origin, age, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability status, liability for military service, protected veteran status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical cellular or blood trait, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), or any other category protected by law. As an institution, we encourage all qualified applicants to apply. For additional information please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement
Posting Specific Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Applicant Documents
Required Documents
- List of Professional References (contact Info)
- Resume/CV
Optional Documents
- Cover Letter/Letter of Application
- Curriculum Vitae
- Other Documents (4)
See all J-1 Visa Lead Designer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new J-1 Visa Lead Designer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship as a Lead Designer
Build a portfolio that proves specialty occupation depth
J-1 Trainee applications require a detailed training plan showing structured skill development. Your portfolio should demonstrate discipline-specific expertise in UX, brand, or product design, not generalist work, so the host employer can map your tasks to a credible training objective.
Confirm the host employer will sign a training plan
Many design studios will hire internationally but haven't gone through J-1 host procedures. Ask directly whether they'll complete a DS-7002 Training Plan with a designated sponsor before accepting any offer, since that form is required for Trainee category approval.
Search Migrate Mate to find J-1 friendly design roles
Use Migrate Mate to filter U.S. Lead Designer openings by employers with documented exchange visitor hiring. This surfaces host organizations that have already navigated the J-1 process, cutting the time you'd spend vetting unfamiliar studios from scratch.
Verify your prior training qualifies for Trainee category
The J-1 Trainee category requires either a degree plus one year of relevant work experience, or five years of work experience abroad in design. If you're still completing your degree, the Intern category applies instead and has different sponsor requirements.
Request the DS-2019 timeline before giving notice
The designated sponsor, not your host employer, controls DS-2019 issuance timing. Processing through organizations like Cultural Vistas or AIPT can take several weeks after the host submits paperwork. Get a written estimate from the sponsor before resigning your current position.
Check the two-year home residency requirement early
Some J-1 participants in government-funded or skills-list programs must return home for two years before switching to H-1B visa or a green card pathway. Confirm with your designated sponsor whether your program funding source or country triggers this requirement before you accept the offer.
Lead Designer J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category applies to Lead Designer roles?
Most Lead Designer candidates qualify under the J-1 Trainee category, which covers professionals who have completed a degree in design or a related field and have at least one year of work experience. If you're currently enrolled in a degree program and seeking practical training, the Intern category applies instead. Both require a designated sponsor organization to issue your DS-2019 and approve a structured training plan with the host employer.
Who actually sponsors my J-1 visa for a design role?
The visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, such as Cultural Vistas, AIPT, or IIE, not the design firm or studio hiring you. The hiring company is your host employer. The designated sponsor reviews your training plan, issues the DS-2019 form, and monitors your program compliance. Your host employer cannot issue a J-1 independently, regardless of their size or hiring history.
How do I find Lead Designer host employers open to J-1 participants?
Migrate Mate lets you search U.S. Lead Designer roles filtered by employers with documented exchange visitor hiring histories. Because J-1 host status requires a company to complete sponsor paperwork and sign off on a DS-7002 Training Plan, finding employers who've done it before significantly reduces friction during the offer stage.
Does the J-1 Trainee program cover senior or lead-level design positions?
Yes, but the training plan must reflect genuine structured learning rather than standard employment. For a Lead Designer role, the host employer and designated sponsor will need to document what specific competencies you're developing in the U.S. context, such as cross-functional design leadership, U.S. accessibility standards, or platform-specific workflows, that you couldn't acquire in your home country. A role that reads as ordinary employment without a clear learning objective can be denied.
Can the two-year home residency requirement affect my plans after a J-1 design role?
It can. If your J-1 program is funded by your home government, the U.S. government, or involves a skill on the Exchange Visitor Skills List for your country, you may be required to return home for two years before applying for an H-1B, L-1 visa, or immigrant visa. Confirm whether this applies to you through your designated sponsor before committing to the program, since a waiver process exists but is not guaranteed.