Design Engineer Jobs for OPT Students
Design Engineer jobs on OPT require a STEM-designated degree in mechanical, electrical, or industrial engineering, which qualifies you for 24-month OPT extension. Most employers in this field file H-1B petitions for strong candidates, making it one of the more sponsorship-friendly paths for international engineers.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout Etched
Etched is building the world’s first AI inference system purpose-built for transformers - delivering over 10x higher performance and dramatically lower cost and latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.
Job Summary
As an RTL Engineer at Etched, you will be critical in ensuring that our AI chips operate correctly and efficiently. You will develop and implement design verification strategies for both our existing and upcoming ASIC designs.
In this role, you will work closely with state-of-the-art architectures for machine learning. You do not need to have experience working with these yet, but you will be willing and able to learn quickly. You will work in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of autonomy, and be responsible for a key part of Etched’s success.
Representative projects
- Implement a block to efficiently compute floating point math operators
- Provide feedback to the uArch team to make sure blocks meet timing and area constraints
You may be a good fit if you
- At least 5 years of work experience in RTL development.
- Experience with high-speed digital logic.
- Proficiency in standard RTL design and synthesis tools
- Familiarity with verification work and writing test benches
- Are able to learn quickly about transformers and other aspects of modern artificial intelligence
- Willing to start quickly
Strong candidates may also have experience with (Nice-to-have qualifications)
- Experience with PCIe, Ethernet, or HBM technologies
- Familiarity with transformer models and machine learning.
- Familiarity with numerical representations and functions
- Ability to program with Python or another scripting language
We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
- $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
- Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office
- Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)
- Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more
- Daily lunch + dinner in our office
How we’re different:
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.
About Etched
Etched is building the world’s first AI inference system purpose-built for transformers - delivering over 10x higher performance and dramatically lower cost and latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.
Job Summary
As an RTL Engineer at Etched, you will be critical in ensuring that our AI chips operate correctly and efficiently. You will develop and implement design verification strategies for both our existing and upcoming ASIC designs.
In this role, you will work closely with state-of-the-art architectures for machine learning. You do not need to have experience working with these yet, but you will be willing and able to learn quickly. You will work in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of autonomy, and be responsible for a key part of Etched’s success.
Representative projects
- Implement a block to efficiently compute floating point math operators
- Provide feedback to the uArch team to make sure blocks meet timing and area constraints
You may be a good fit if you
- At least 5 years of work experience in RTL development.
- Experience with high-speed digital logic.
- Proficiency in standard RTL design and synthesis tools
- Familiarity with verification work and writing test benches
- Are able to learn quickly about transformers and other aspects of modern artificial intelligence
- Willing to start quickly
Strong candidates may also have experience with (Nice-to-have qualifications)
- Experience with PCIe, Ethernet, or HBM technologies
- Familiarity with transformer models and machine learning.
- Familiarity with numerical representations and functions
- Ability to program with Python or another scripting language
We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision packages with generous premium coverage
- $500 per month credit for waiving medical benefits
- Housing subsidy of $2k per month for those living within walking distance of the office
- Relocation support for those moving to San Jose (Santana Row)
- Various wellness benefits covering fitness, mental health, and more
- Daily lunch + dinner in our office
How we’re different:
Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson. We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.
We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.
How to Get Visa Sponsorship as a Design Engineer
Target STEM-heavy industries first
Aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, and medical device companies hire Design Engineers at scale and have established visa sponsorship pipelines. These industries are more experienced with OPT timelines and H-1B transitions than general manufacturing or small firms.
Highlight CAD and simulation tools prominently
Proficiency in SolidWorks, CATIA, AutoCAD, or ANSYS signals job-readiness immediately. Employers sponsoring OPT students want candidates who contribute from day one, so tool-specific experience reduces their perceived risk of hiring someone on work authorization.
Apply well before your OPT start date
Design Engineer roles often involve security clearance checks, background screening, or hardware procurement approvals. Starting your search three to four months early gives employers enough lead time to process onboarding without rushing your authorization paperwork.
Ask directly about sponsorship during the offer stage
Frame the conversation around your STEM OPT extension: you have up to three years of authorized work time before H-1B sponsorship is required. Many hiring managers do not realize this, and clarifying it early removes the biggest objection to hiring international candidates.
Build a portfolio around real engineering deliverables
Capstone projects, internship work, or personal builds that show tolerancing decisions, material selection, or prototype iteration demonstrate engineering judgment. Employers sponsoring OPT students need confidence in technical output, and a portfolio provides that evidence faster than a resume alone.
Prioritize companies with H-1B filing history
Companies that have filed H-1B petitions for Design Engineers in the past are far more likely to sponsor again. This filing history is public record, and filtering for it before applying helps you spend time on employers who already understand the sponsorship process.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Do Design Engineer jobs typically qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension?
Yes. Design Engineer roles almost always qualify for the STEM OPT extension because they require a degree in engineering, which appears on the DHS STEM designated degree list. To apply for the extension, your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and you must file Form I-765 before your initial 12-month OPT expires.
How do I find Design Engineer employers who sponsor OPT students?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for employers willing to sponsor F-1 OPT and H-1B candidates, so you are not applying to roles that will screen you out at the authorization question. Focusing your search there saves significant time compared to sorting through general job postings where sponsorship willingness is unclear.
Can I work as a Design Engineer during the 60-day grace period between jobs?
No. You cannot perform any work during the 60-day grace period following the end of your authorized OPT employment. You must have a new OPT job offer that falls within your authorized period, or transition to a new status. Working without authorization during the grace period creates serious immigration consequences.
Does a Design Engineer role at a startup or small company count for OPT purposes?
Yes, company size does not affect OPT work authorization eligibility. Any legitimate U.S. employer can hire you on OPT, including startups. The key requirements are that the work is directly related to your degree field and, for the STEM extension, the employer is enrolled in E-Verify. Smaller companies may be less familiar with the process, so be prepared to walk them through the E-Verify enrollment requirement.
What happens to my Design Engineer OPT authorization if my employer files an H-1B petition for me?
If your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf before your OPT expires, and your status is still active on April 1, you may be eligible for cap-gap protection. This automatically extends your OPT authorization through September 30 of that year, allowing you to continue working as a Design Engineer without any gap in employment authorization while the petition is pending.
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