OPT Application Development Lead Jobs
Application Development Lead jobs are open to F-1 OPT students with a degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field. Most roles require both hands-on coding ability and team leadership experience. Your OPT period gives you up to 12 months of authorized work, with a 24-month STEM extension available for qualifying degrees.
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Description
The Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA) is offering a challenging and rewarding opportunity for the right individual to make a difference through serving the state of Washington. Our employees are our most valuable resource: diverse, energetic, innovative thinkers who care equally about producing quality work and serving the public. We are committed to preserving our culture of diversity and inclusion and to providing a work environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. You can read the BIIA's Pro-Equity Anti-Racism statement here.
About the Agency
The BIIA's mission is to serve the public by resolving appeals in a consistent, impartial, timely, and efficient manner. The BIIA rules on approximately 14,000 annual appeals related to orders, decisions, and awards of the Department of Labor and Industries. The BIIA plays a significant role in the state's multi-billion dollar industrial insurance economic sector. Key stakeholders include the Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Labor and Industries, and business and labor groups representing over 179,000 employers and over 3,000,000 workers. The agency's jurisdiction includes disputes involving workers' compensation, premium assessment, industrial safety and health, and crime victims' compensation, among others. The agency is also the final authority on all proposed structured settlements.
The Board is a full-time, quasi-judicial, three-member board appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The agency has approximately 140 employees and a biennial budget of approximately $56 million. Headquartered in Olympia, the BIIA also has staffed offices in Lakewood, Renton, Richland, Spokane, Vancouver, and Yakima.
The BIIA is a great place to work! We offer flexibility and mobility in the workplace to enhance work/life balance, to improve wellness, and to support a productive work environment, increased job satisfaction and engagement. You can read employee testimonials on our website at http://www.biia.wa.gov/Jobs.html.
Great Benefits! This position includes medical, dental, life insurance, long-term disability, retirement, deferred compensation, flexible spending account, dependent care assistance, paid time off (sick leave, vacation leave, personal holiday, personal leave day), 11 paid holidays, and an Employee Assistance Program. Tuition Reimbursement is available for eligible employees subject to guidelines and funding. You can find more information about benefits at Benefits - careers.wa.gov.
Duties
About the Position
This position is a member of a five-person application development team. Duties include, but are not limited to:
- Designing, writing, and deploying maintainable code to enhance the agency's Salesforce-based case management system and other agency applications.
- Creating and maintaining dynamic document templates using DocuSign CLM integrated with MS Word for automated legal document generation.
- Designing, maintaining, and supporting the agency's MS Word macros, MS Word alt text, Positive Time Reporting application, Internet and Intranet websites, and various other Web applications. This includes analysis, design, coding, troubleshooting, maintenance, and problem resolution.
- Maintaining and supporting the Microsoft SQL Server environment hosting historical data in the agency's legacy system. Analyzing and extracting reporting logic from the legacy system to build reports in the Salesforce-based case management system to ensure business intelligence continuity.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- Associate's degree or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field. Relevant work experience may substitute, year for year, for the required education.
- At least one (1) year of experience developing business requirements and designing and architecting complex computing solutions in a business environment.
- At least one (1) year of experience programming in Salesforce.
The experience may have been gained concurrently.
Desired Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- At least three (3) years of experience programming with Microsoft VBA and VB.net.
- At least three (3) years of experience programming with MS SQL Server Query and MS Visual Studio.
- At least two (2) years of experience programming with ASP.Net, C#.Net, VBScript, or JavaScript developing business requirements and designing and architecting complex computing systems.
- At least two (2) years of experience programming in Salesforce.
- At least one (1) year of experience programming with Docusign CLM.
Job-Specific Competencies
Demonstrated ability to:
- Program and develop applications using Salesforce, DocuSign, CLM, MS Word, MuleSoft, VBScript, VB.Net, C#, ASP.Net, JavaScript, and HTML.
- Review and rewrite previously written code in compliance with specifications and standards.
- Provide adequate, simple, easy-to-follow documentation for all essential items, with pictures if they help to clarify the process.
- Develop, maintain, and answer questions about queries and reports using Salesforce Report Writer, SOQL, and Apex Scripting.
BIIA Competencies
- Accountability: Takes responsibility for own actions and can be relied upon to achieve excellent results with little oversight.
- Adaptability to Changing Needs/Flexibility: Embraces changing business needs and adapts approach, goals, and methods to achieve success.
- Customer Focus: Builds and maintains internal and external customer satisfaction with the services offered by the organization.
- Diversity and Inclusion: Recognizes the value of cultural, ethnic, gender and other individual differences. Understands differences in and responds appropriately to others.
- Effective Respectful Communications: In a respectful manner, conveys clear messages that are effective in communicating information and ideas with others.
- Ethics and Integrity: Earns trust, respect, and confidence of coworkers and customers through honesty, candor, and professionalism in all interactions.
- Relationship Building: Builds constructive working relationships characterized by a high level of teamwork, cooperation and mutual regard.
- Safety Focus: Adheres to all workplace safety laws, regulations, standards and practices.
Statewide Equity Competencies
- The ability to take action to learn and grow: Takes responsibility for knowing their own strengths and weaknesses and uses their learning to make government programs and processes more efficient and effective to serve all in Washington.
- The ability to take action to meet the needs of others: Flexible, adaptable, customer-service focused, and willing and able to empathetically respond to the unique needs of the people they work with and serve.
Supplemental Information
Notes:
- This position requires in-person work in the Olympia Office five days a week during the initial training period. This will be reduced to three days per week and eventually to an optional full-time telework position.
- Extended hours and/or work on weekends/holidays may be required if the need arises.
- Travel is required on occasion to attend training and meetings.
- This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees.
Application Process:
Interested candidates must apply online. Your online application must include at least three professional references. You must also attach the following:
- A cover letter specifying how you meet the qualifications listed above (no more than two pages).
- A current resume.
Please attach the required documents in the "provide attachment" section of the online application. Only applicants who meet the required qualifications and submit all of the required documents by the closing date will be considered.
Questions? If you have any questions about the position or application process, please contact Christy Sterling, Human Resources Manager, at (360) 753-6823, ext. 1123 or christy.sterling@biia.wa.gov.
The Washington State Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, gender identity/expression, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Persons requiring reasonable accommodation in the application process or requiring this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at HROffice@biia.wa.gov or call 360-753-9639.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship in Application Development Lead
Lead with technical depth, not just management
Application Development Lead roles at OPT-sponsoring companies expect you to write and review code, not just manage tickets. Highlight specific languages, frameworks, and architecture decisions you've owned. Employers sponsoring OPT want technical credibility before they invest in visa paperwork.
Target STEM-designated programs to extend your runway
If your degree is in computer science, software engineering, or a related STEM field, you're eligible for a 24-month OPT extension. Apply to roles at E-Verify employers early, since that requirement is mandatory for the STEM extension and eliminates a large portion of smaller companies.
Quantify the teams and projects you've led
Generic leadership claims don't move the needle. Name the team size, the project scope, and measurable outcomes you delivered. Sponsoring an Application Development Lead is a significant commitment, and hiring managers need concrete evidence you can handle the responsibility from day one.
Address your OPT timeline proactively in conversations
Don't wait for employers to raise the visa question. Early in the process, confirm they've sponsored H-1B visa or similar visas before. Companies with no sponsorship history are unlikely to start for a lead-level hire, no matter how strong your technical background is.
Emphasize cross-functional collaboration in your application
Application Development Leads regularly work with product, QA, and infrastructure teams. Show concrete examples of cross-functional projects you've driven. Employers sponsoring OPT want leads who reduce friction across teams, not just engineers who write clean code within a single team.
Apply early relative to your OPT end date
Lead-level hiring processes run longer than individual contributor roles, often eight to twelve weeks from first interview to offer. Factor in H-1B cap seasons and your OPT expiration date. Starting your search at least six months before your authorization expires gives you a realistic buffer.
Application Development Lead OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can F-1 OPT students work as Application Development Leads?
Yes. An Application Development Lead role qualifies for OPT as long as it's directly related to your field of study, which is typically satisfied by a degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, or a related technical discipline. Your employer doesn't need to file any petition to start employment, but they must report your hire through the SEVIS system within 10 days.
Do Application Development Lead employers typically sponsor H-1B visas?
Mid-size and large technology companies, financial institutions, and enterprise software firms regularly sponsor H-1B visas for Application Development Lead roles. Smaller startups and consulting firms are less consistent. Migrate Mate filters job listings by sponsorship history, so you can focus your search on employers who have a documented track record of sponsoring candidates at this level.
Does an Application Development Lead role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your degree, not the job title. If your degree appears on the STEM Designated Degree Program list and your employer is enrolled in E-Verify, you can apply for the 24-month extension. Most Application Development Lead roles align well with qualifying STEM fields, but confirm your specific degree classification with your Designated School Official before assuming you're eligible.
What happens if my OPT expires before my H-1B is approved?
If you've filed a cap-subject H-1B petition before your OPT expires and your employer selected you in the lottery, you may be eligible for a 60-day cap-gap extension that bridges the gap from OPT expiration to October 1, when H-1B status begins. STEM OPT holders get an automatic extension through September 30 if the H-1B petition is filed and selected. Confirm the specifics with your DSO immediately after lottery results are announced.
How can I find Application Development Lead jobs that sponsor OPT and H-1B?
The most efficient approach is to search within a platform that has already filtered for sponsorship. Migrate Mate aggregates Application Development Lead roles from employers with confirmed sponsorship histories, so you're not manually screening hundreds of listings to find the ones relevant to your visa situation. Filter by role level and employment type to narrow to full-time positions most likely to support long-term sponsorship.