OPT AI Program Manager Jobs
AI Program Manager jobs are a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with backgrounds in computer science, data science, or engineering management. Most roles qualify as STEM OPT extensions, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization. Employers in this space regularly sponsor H-1B visas for strong performers.
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BeaconFire is based in Central NJ, specializing in Software Development, Web Development, and Business Intelligence; looking for a strong agentic AI developer who can build and productionize Vertex AI–based RAG systems (Vertex AI Search / Vertex AI RAG patterns), design reliable tool-using agents, and work comfortably with vector databases and graph databases.
About the Role
You’ll own end-to-end delivery: ingestion, retrieval, agent orchestration, evaluation, and deployment.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with the team to design and develop high quality Web applications using Python, Flask, Django, and related technologies.
- Write clean and efficient code, and ensure code maintainability and reusability.
- Design and implement RAG pipelines on Google Cloud / Vertex AI (chunking, embeddings, indexing, retrieval, reranking, grounding).
- Build agentic workflows (tool use, planning, reflection/guardrails, structured outputs) using Python-first frameworks.
- Perform code reviews to ensure code quality and consistency.
- Conduct testing to ensure application quality and reliability.
- Create and maintain technical documentation for web applications.
- Participate in project planning, estimation, and prioritization.
- Stay up to date with the latest technologies for Python development.
- Define and run evaluation (retrieval metrics, answer quality, hallucination/grounding checks), and improve system quality iteratively.
- Ship to production: APIs, monitoring/observability, cost/performance optimization, CI/CD, and security best practices.
Qualifications
- Experience in software development in Python3.
- Decent understanding of the software development/testing life cycle.
- Knowledge of relational databases (e.g. MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc).
- Experience with version control tools, such as Git.
- Experience building RAG solutions (hybrid search, reranking, chunking strategies, embeddings, prompt + schema design).
- Familiar with at least one agentic framework (e.g., LangGraph/LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, AutoGen) and tool/function calling patterns.
- Solid knowledge of vector search concepts and at least one vector DB in production.
- Strong engineering practices: code reviews, testing, telemetry, secure-by-design, reliability mindset.
Preferred Skills
- Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
- 1+ year professional experience in Python web application development with either Flask or Django.
- Experience in RESTful API development in Python.
- Understanding of Python web application frameworks such as Flask or Django.
- Experience with Cloud services, such as AWS.
- Experience with Vertex AI and GCP fundamentals (IAM, logging/monitoring, CloudRun/GKE, storage).
- Knowledge graphs for RAG (entity linking, graph traversal + retrieval fusion).
- Streaming/messaging (Pub/Sub, Kafka), document pipelines (Document AI), and multilingual retrieval.
- Experience with evaluation tooling (RAGAS, TruLens, custom eval harnesses), prompt/version management.
- Frontend integration (basic React/Next.js) or platform enablement (internal developer tooling).
Pay range and compensation package
BeaconFire is an E-verified company and provides equal employment opportunities (visa sponsorship provided).
Equal Opportunity Statement
BeaconFire is committed to diversity and inclusivity.
About the Company
BeaconFire is based in Central NJ, specializing in Software Development, Web Development, and Business Intelligence; looking for a strong agentic AI developer who can build and productionize Vertex AI–based RAG systems (Vertex AI Search / Vertex AI RAG patterns), design reliable tool-using agents, and work comfortably with vector databases and graph databases.
About the Role
You’ll own end-to-end delivery: ingestion, retrieval, agent orchestration, evaluation, and deployment.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with the team to design and develop high quality Web applications using Python, Flask, Django, and related technologies.
- Write clean and efficient code, and ensure code maintainability and reusability.
- Design and implement RAG pipelines on Google Cloud / Vertex AI (chunking, embeddings, indexing, retrieval, reranking, grounding).
- Build agentic workflows (tool use, planning, reflection/guardrails, structured outputs) using Python-first frameworks.
- Perform code reviews to ensure code quality and consistency.
- Conduct testing to ensure application quality and reliability.
- Create and maintain technical documentation for web applications.
- Participate in project planning, estimation, and prioritization.
- Stay up to date with the latest technologies for Python development.
- Define and run evaluation (retrieval metrics, answer quality, hallucination/grounding checks), and improve system quality iteratively.
- Ship to production: APIs, monitoring/observability, cost/performance optimization, CI/CD, and security best practices.
Qualifications
- Experience in software development in Python3.
- Decent understanding of the software development/testing life cycle.
- Knowledge of relational databases (e.g. MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc).
- Experience with version control tools, such as Git.
- Experience building RAG solutions (hybrid search, reranking, chunking strategies, embeddings, prompt + schema design).
- Familiar with at least one agentic framework (e.g., LangGraph/LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, AutoGen) and tool/function calling patterns.
- Solid knowledge of vector search concepts and at least one vector DB in production.
- Strong engineering practices: code reviews, testing, telemetry, secure-by-design, reliability mindset.
Preferred Skills
- Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
- 1+ year professional experience in Python web application development with either Flask or Django.
- Experience in RESTful API development in Python.
- Understanding of Python web application frameworks such as Flask or Django.
- Experience with Cloud services, such as AWS.
- Experience with Vertex AI and GCP fundamentals (IAM, logging/monitoring, CloudRun/GKE, storage).
- Knowledge graphs for RAG (entity linking, graph traversal + retrieval fusion).
- Streaming/messaging (Pub/Sub, Kafka), document pipelines (Document AI), and multilingual retrieval.
- Experience with evaluation tooling (RAGAS, TruLens, custom eval harnesses), prompt/version management.
- Frontend integration (basic React/Next.js) or platform enablement (internal developer tooling).
Pay range and compensation package
BeaconFire is an E-verified company and provides equal employment opportunities (visa sponsorship provided).
Equal Opportunity Statement
BeaconFire is committed to diversity and inclusivity.
See all 421+ OPT AI Program Manager Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as an AI Program Manager
Target STEM-designated programs
Confirm your degree's CIP code qualifies for STEM OPT before applying. AI Program Manager roles almost always require a technical background, and a STEM OPT extension gives you three years to secure H-1B sponsorship.
Lead with both technical and cross-functional experience
Employers want program managers who can communicate between engineering and business teams. Highlight projects where you coordinated AI or ML initiatives, managed timelines, and translated technical requirements into stakeholder deliverables on your resume.
Prioritize companies with established H-1B sponsorship history
Large tech employers and AI-focused companies sponsor far more work visas than early-stage startups. Research a company's sponsorship track record before applying to avoid investing time in roles that won't lead to long-term work authorization.
File your STEM OPT extension early
Submit your STEM OPT extension application at least 90 days before your initial OPT expires. Processing delays happen, and a late filing could create a gap in your work authorization that forces you to stop working.
Negotiate your start date around OPT timelines
If your OPT start date hasn't arrived yet, be transparent with employers about your earliest available date. Most companies hiring program managers can accommodate a few weeks, and honesty prevents complications with your authorization status later.
Build relationships with hiring managers, not just recruiters
Sponsorship decisions for senior program management roles often come from department heads, not HR. Connecting directly with AI team leads and senior PMs increases your chances of finding a champion who will advocate for your visa sponsorship.
AI Program Manager OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do AI Program Manager jobs qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Most do, but it depends on your degree's CIP code, not the job title. If your degree is in computer science, data science, information systems, or a related STEM field, your program manager role will likely qualify. Your DSO confirms eligibility, and your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify to participate in STEM OPT.
How do I find AI Program Manager jobs that sponsor OPT students?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for OPT-eligible candidates, so you can browse AI Program Manager roles from employers open to sponsorship without sifting through postings that exclude international students. Focusing your search on companies with a history of H-1B filings in technical program management roles will also improve your odds significantly.
Can I work as an AI Program Manager at a startup on OPT?
Yes, but startups carry more risk for OPT students. To participate in STEM OPT, your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, which some early-stage companies haven't completed. Startups also have less predictable sponsorship timelines, and if funding runs out before your H-1B is filed, you could lose your work authorization window.
What happens to my OPT if I get laid off from an AI Program Manager role?
You have a 60-day grace period from the date your employment ends to find a new position, transfer to a different visa status, or prepare to leave the United States. You cannot work during this period. Reporting the employment change to your DSO promptly is required, and finding a new OPT-eligible employer before the 60 days expire is critical.
Is an AI Program Manager role considered a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Generally yes, when the role requires a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific technical field such as computer science, engineering, or data science. If the job description allows any bachelor's degree regardless of field, it may face scrutiny during H-1B adjudication. Employers typically strengthen the petition by tying specific AI or ML technical requirements to the degree requirement.