OPT Backend Infrastructure Engineer Jobs
Backend Infrastructure Engineer roles are among the most OPT-friendly positions in tech, with high demand from employers already running H-1B visa sponsorship pipelines. Most roles require proficiency in distributed systems, cloud platforms like AWS or GCP, and infrastructure-as-code tools. STEM OPT extension applies, giving you up to three years of work authorization.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
As a Software Engineer on the ML Infrastructure team, you will design and build platforms for scalable, reliable, and efficient serving of LLMs. Our platform powers cutting-edge research and production systems, supporting both internal and external use cases across various environments. The ideal candidate combines strong ML fundamentals with deep expertise in backend system design. You’ll work in a highly collaborative environment, bridging research and engineering to deliver seamless experiences to our customers and accelerate innovation across the company.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
You will:
- Build and maintain fault-tolerant, high-performance systems for serving LLMs workloads at scale.
- Build an internal platform to empower LLM capability discovery.
- Collaborate with researchers and engineers to integrate and optimize models for production and research use cases.
- Conduct architecture and design reviews to uphold best practices in system design and scalability.
- Develop monitoring and observability solutions to ensure system health and performance.
- Lead projects end-to-end, from requirements gathering to implementation, in a cross-functional environment.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Ideally you'd have:
- 5+ years of experience building large-scale, high-performance backend systems.
- Strong programming skills in one or more languages (e.g., Python, Go, Rust, C++).
- Experience with LLM serving and routing fundamentals (e.g. rate limiting, token streaming, load balancing, budgets, etc.).
- Experience with LLM capabilities and concepts such as reasoning, tool calling, prompt templates, etc.
- Experience with containers and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
- Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP) and infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform).
- Proven ability to solve complex problems and work independently in fast-moving environments.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Nice to haves:
- Experience with modern LLM serving frameworks such as vLLM, SGLang, TensorRT-LLM, or text-generation-inference.
COMPENSATION
Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.
LOCATION
Please reference the job posting's subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the locations of San Francisco, New York, Seattle is: $216,200—$270,250 USD.
PLEASE NOTE:
Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
About us:
At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Cisco, DLA Piper, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.
We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.
We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information. We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.
PLEASE NOTE:
We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.
INTRODUCTION
As a Software Engineer on the ML Infrastructure team, you will design and build platforms for scalable, reliable, and efficient serving of LLMs. Our platform powers cutting-edge research and production systems, supporting both internal and external use cases across various environments. The ideal candidate combines strong ML fundamentals with deep expertise in backend system design. You’ll work in a highly collaborative environment, bridging research and engineering to deliver seamless experiences to our customers and accelerate innovation across the company.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
You will:
- Build and maintain fault-tolerant, high-performance systems for serving LLMs workloads at scale.
- Build an internal platform to empower LLM capability discovery.
- Collaborate with researchers and engineers to integrate and optimize models for production and research use cases.
- Conduct architecture and design reviews to uphold best practices in system design and scalability.
- Develop monitoring and observability solutions to ensure system health and performance.
- Lead projects end-to-end, from requirements gathering to implementation, in a cross-functional environment.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Ideally you'd have:
- 5+ years of experience building large-scale, high-performance backend systems.
- Strong programming skills in one or more languages (e.g., Python, Go, Rust, C++).
- Experience with LLM serving and routing fundamentals (e.g. rate limiting, token streaming, load balancing, budgets, etc.).
- Experience with LLM capabilities and concepts such as reasoning, tool calling, prompt templates, etc.
- Experience with containers and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
- Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP) and infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform).
- Proven ability to solve complex problems and work independently in fast-moving environments.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Nice to haves:
- Experience with modern LLM serving frameworks such as vLLM, SGLang, TensorRT-LLM, or text-generation-inference.
COMPENSATION
Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.
LOCATION
Please reference the job posting's subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the locations of San Francisco, New York, Seattle is: $216,200—$270,250 USD.
PLEASE NOTE:
Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
About us:
At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Cisco, DLA Piper, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.
We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.
We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information. We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.
PLEASE NOTE:
We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Backend Infrastructure Engineer
Target companies with existing H-1B sponsorship history
Companies that have previously sponsored H-1B visas for infrastructure engineers are far more likely to hire OPT students. Search OFLC disclosure data to identify employers with backend engineering job titles in their filing history before applying.
Emphasize cloud certifications on your resume
AWS, GCP, and Azure certifications signal concrete skills that infrastructure teams need immediately. Certified candidates reduce onboarding time, which makes hiring managers more willing to work through OPT paperwork and future sponsorship conversations with legal.
Apply to companies with dedicated immigration support teams
Mid-to-large tech companies typically have in-house immigration counsel or established law firm relationships. These employers process OPT and H-1B paperwork routinely, meaning your sponsorship request is a known workflow rather than an unfamiliar burden.
Start your OPT EAD application 90 days before graduation
USCIS recommends filing your EAD application up to 90 days before your program end date. Late filings can create work authorization gaps, which disqualify you from roles with immediate start dates common in infrastructure hiring.
Highlight infrastructure-as-code and automation experience prominently
Terraform, Ansible, and Kubernetes experience directly addresses the skills shortage in infrastructure teams. Demonstrating these competencies in your resume and interviews positions you as a high-value hire, making sponsorship a worthwhile investment for employers.
Address OPT duration and STEM extension proactively with recruiters
Telling recruiters upfront that your STEM OPT provides up to three years of authorization removes ambiguity early. Most infrastructure hiring cycles close well within that window, making OPT a practical near-term solution before H-1B sponsorship begins.
Backend Infrastructure Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Backend Infrastructure Engineer a STEM-eligible role for OPT extension?
Yes. Backend Infrastructure Engineer roles almost always fall under STEM-eligible CIP codes, typically Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Information Technology. If your degree qualifies and your employer is E-Verify registered, you can apply for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, giving you up to three years of total OPT work authorization.
Do Backend Infrastructure Engineer employers commonly sponsor OPT students?
Sponsorship rates are high relative to other engineering disciplines because infrastructure talent is genuinely scarce. Companies running large cloud environments, particularly in fintech, enterprise SaaS, and hyperscaler ecosystems, regularly hire on OPT with intent to sponsor H-1B. Migrate Mate filters for sponsoring employers specifically, so you can focus applications on companies that have already committed to the process.
Can I work as a contractor or on a W-2 basis as a Backend Infrastructure Engineer on OPT?
W-2 employment is the cleanest arrangement on OPT and what most employers prefer. Contract roles through a staffing agency on W-2 also qualify. Self-employment and 1099 independent contractor arrangements require careful documentation showing you are working for your own established business, and USCIS scrutinizes these arrangements closely during STEM OPT reporting periods.
What happens to my OPT status if my Backend Infrastructure Engineer employer does layoffs?
You have a 60-day grace period from the date your employment ends to find new authorized employment, transfer to a different visa status, or depart the United States. During this window you cannot work. For infrastructure engineers, 60 days is a tight job search timeline, so maintaining a pipeline of active applications before any employment ends is strongly advisable.
How do I verify that a Backend Infrastructure Engineer role qualifies as directly related to my degree for OPT?
Your role must be directly related to your major field of study as listed on your I-20. For a Computer Science or Information Systems graduate, Backend Infrastructure Engineer work involving distributed systems, cloud architecture, or systems programming clearly qualifies. Your DSO at your university makes the final determination, and you should confirm the connection with them before accepting an offer to avoid any compliance issues.