J-1 Visa Support Lead Jobs
Support Lead roles in the United States are available to international exchange visitors through the J-1 visa Trainee or Intern program categories, depending on your career stage. Finding a host employer willing to structure a training plan around customer support operations is the first step toward securing sponsorship and your DS-2019.
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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)
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship in Support Lead
Document your support experience formally
J-1 Trainee eligibility requires at least one year of post-degree work experience or five years of field experience. Gather performance reviews, org charts, and letters confirming your support leadership responsibilities before approaching any host employer.
Target employers with structured training programs
Host employers must commit to a training plan that develops specific skills, not just routine work. Focus your search on mid-size and enterprise companies with formal onboarding or career-track programs in customer operations, where a Support Lead rotation fits naturally.
Search for J-1 host employers on Migrate Mate
Use Migrate Mate to filter U.S. employers and Support Lead roles that align with J-1 sponsorship pathways. Narrowing by industry and role type early saves time compared to cold-applying to employers unfamiliar with the DS-2019 process.
Clarify sponsor versus host employer roles early
Your visa sponsor, a State Department-designated organization like Cultural Vistas or AIPT, issues your DS-2019 and monitors your training plan. Your host employer runs your day-to-day work. Confirm the host has used a designated sponsor before, since first-time hosts add significant timeline risk.
Align your training plan with O*NET task categories
Designated sponsors expect training plans tied to recognized occupational competencies. Cross-reference the O*NET profile for support management roles when drafting objectives with your host, so the plan reflects skills in team coordination, escalation handling, and quality monitoring.
Account for the 30-day grace period in your offer timeline
After your J-1 program end date, you have a 30-day grace period to depart or change status. Negotiate your start date and program duration with the host employer so the training plan end date matches the role's natural completion, not an arbitrary calendar date.
Support Lead J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category fits a Support Lead role?
It depends on your career stage. If you're a current student or recent graduate, the Intern category applies. If you've completed your degree and have at least one year of relevant post-degree work experience in customer support or operations, the Trainee category is the right fit. Trainee programs can run up to 18 months, giving you more time to develop leadership competencies in a U.S. support environment.
Who actually sponsors my J-1 visa, the employer or a separate organization?
The employer is your host, not your visa sponsor. Your J-1 sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, such as Cultural Vistas, AIPT, or CIEE, that issues your DS-2019 form and oversees your training plan for compliance. The host employer works with that designated sponsor to submit documentation and meet program requirements. You cannot obtain a J-1 directly through an employer alone.
Does a Support Lead role trigger the two-year home residency requirement?
It can, depending on your funding source and home country agreements. The two-year home residency requirement applies if your exchange program was funded by your home government or the U.S. government, or if your home country has a skills shortage designation that includes your field. Review your DS-2019 and consult your designated sponsor early, since this requirement affects any future visa status changes, including H-1B visa or green card applications.
How do I find U.S. employers open to hosting a J-1 Support Lead?
Use Migrate Mate to search for Support Lead roles and U.S. employers that align with J-1 sponsorship pathways. Filtering by role type and industry helps you identify hosts familiar with the training plan and DS-2019 process, which significantly reduces the administrative burden on both sides during offer negotiations.
What does the training plan need to include for a Support Lead position?
The training plan must outline specific skills you'll develop, the methods used to develop them, and measurable objectives, all tied to your Support Lead responsibilities. For this role, that typically means detailing competencies in escalation management, team coaching, quality assurance, and cross-functional coordination. Generic job descriptions don't satisfy the requirement. The designated sponsor reviews and must approve the plan before issuing your DS-2019.