Engineering Team Lead Jobs for OPT Students
Engineering Team Lead jobs on OPT require employers willing to sponsor H-1B or extend STEM OPT, since the role's leadership scope typically demands a STEM-qualifying degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field. Most hiring companies expect 5-plus years of hands-on engineering experience alongside demonstrated people management.
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Get Access To All JobsJoin the team that's shaping the future of autonomous robotics and material handling. As an R&D Software Engineering Team Lead at Bastian Solutions, you'll develop the brains behind intelligent robotic systems, from low-level hardware control to high-level autonomy and perception.
You'll work on real robots. You'll ship real code. You'll help launch entirely new automation products into warehouses and factories across the world.
We don't just build software; we build the future of logistics.
About us
Bastian Solutions R&D is the New Product Development (NPD) division of Bastian Solutions, a Toyota Advanced Logistics company. Our mission is to develop original products that expand Bastian's automation capabilities — enabling our commissioning and systems teams to deliver integrated solutions that give our customers a competitive edge.
Our ~70-person team is distributed between our Boise, Dallas, and Indianapolis offices, and includes experts in mechanical, electrical, software, and AI disciplines, all with a strong foundation in robotics technology. Beyond our Bastian offices, we collaborate heavily with our Toyota partners to innovate and share our technology globally.
Software engineers on our team are true full-stack robotics developers, with opportunities to work across the entire software stack — from high-level autonomy, AI, and perception to low-level motor control, hardware interfaces, and everything in-between. We take products from concept to production-ready designs, and we execute our software on real robot hardware in live customer environments.
Above all else, we know that our strength lies in our people. Through strong mentorship, thoughtful planning, and a supportive team culture, we create space for engineers to grow while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Your Mission
As a R&D Software Engineering Team Lead, you will operate as the direct manager for a small team of three to six software engineers, and report directly to the Software Engineering Manager. Our R&D software organization includes ~25 software engineers distributed amongst a small group of Team Leads. You will work closely with your fellow Team Leads and the Software Engineering Manager to help drive our organization towards success.
Your primary mission as Team Lead is to build, mentor, guide, and grow your direct reports, and to enable your team to be successful. You will work closely with your team members to establish yearly goals and growth plans and will engage in regular one-on-one and mentorship sessions. Proactivity is your greatest strength – you will practice Extreme Ownership and spearhead initiatives to improve our processes and team culture. Our Team Leads are our force multipliers – growing your people and building a strong team is your #1 objective.
As the Team Lead, you will also put a strong emphasis on enhancing our best practices and processes. You are responsible for ensuring that your team creates effective software with strong design methodologies. You will play a key role in design reviews and PRs and will help drive our Software Development Life Cycle. You will operate as SCRUM Master for your team, lead standup meetings, and guide your team members towards our development best practices.
In addition to your strong leadership skills, you are also an experienced software developer with a deep understanding of the technologies relevant to Robotics and Autonomous Mobile Robot systems. You are a fast learner, eager to understand our processes and toolchains, and to build the technical skills required to mentor and guide your team through complex problems. You will regularly engage in the design of software components and have the skills to directly spearhead the implementation of these designs.
Job Functions
Leadership
- Direct Manager for small team of R&D software engineers
- Build, Mentor, Guide, and Grow team members
- Embody Values-based culture, and cultivate this culture amongst team members
- Proactively identify and drive initiatives to improve our processes and team culture
- Establish and embody software development best practices
- Lead sprint planning and team standups
- Mentor team members through the design and development of software components
- Engage in regular partner programming sessions
- Collaborate with other discipline leads and project managers
- Collaborate with other Bastian divisions, including Manufacturing, Commissioning, and Support teams
Technical
- Directly engage in our Software Development Life Cycle
- Architect, Design, and Implement software components
- Get hands-on with real hardware to test your software on live systems
- Engage in planning, estimating, and strategy creation for new products
- Champion and innovate our development best practices
Required Qualifications
- Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
- Strong mentorship skills
- Strong desire to grow and build team members and cultivate strong team culture
- Experience leading software engineers and software development
- Experience designing and architecting new software products or systems
- Experience scoping and estimating timelines for new software development
- Demonstrated project management capabilities
- Experience with software release and support strategies
- Skilled in C++ & Python
- Experience with multi-threading and parallel applications
- Strong skillset with Linux & Ubuntu OS (Terminal, Bash, Kernel, etc)
- Version control experience (Git)
- Experience creating CI/CD Pipelines
Preferred Qualifications
- Robot Operating System (ROS, ROS2) experience
- Containerization experience (Docker, Singularity, etc)
- Web Development skills (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Web Frameworks)
- Working experience with Robotics Industry technology (Microcontrollers, Motor Controllers, LiDAR, Encoders, Sensors)
- Experience with common hardware interfaces (CANOpen, Serial, SPI, Ethernet/IP, Sockets)
- Knowledge of Computer Vision systems including, but not limited to, OpenCV, 3D Point Clouds (PCL Library)
- Exposure to, or experience with, Autonomous Navigation (SLAM, LiDAR, ROS Nav Stack, etc.)
Travel Requirements
- Up To 10% overnight travel (Travel expenses paid by Bastian Solutions)
About Bastian Solutions
Bastian Solutions, a Toyota Advanced Logistics company, is an independent material handling and robotics system integrator providing automated solutions for distribution, manufacturing, and order fulfillment centers around the world. Our team specializes in consulting, system design, project management, maintenance, and installation, while sourcing the best equipment and automation technology. We take great pride in providing exceptional service and flexibility to our customers.
In addition to exciting work at a growing company, we offer the following benefits:
- Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Plan with a company match
- Vacation/Holiday Pay
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Flexible Work Schedules
- Volunteer Work
- Professional Associations, Conferences and Subscriptions
- Company Meetings & Events
Bastian Solutions does not work outside recruiting agencies. No solicitation phone calls please.
Join the team that's shaping the future of autonomous robotics and material handling. As an R&D Software Engineering Team Lead at Bastian Solutions, you'll develop the brains behind intelligent robotic systems, from low-level hardware control to high-level autonomy and perception.
You'll work on real robots. You'll ship real code. You'll help launch entirely new automation products into warehouses and factories across the world.
We don't just build software; we build the future of logistics.
About us
Bastian Solutions R&D is the New Product Development (NPD) division of Bastian Solutions, a Toyota Advanced Logistics company. Our mission is to develop original products that expand Bastian's automation capabilities — enabling our commissioning and systems teams to deliver integrated solutions that give our customers a competitive edge.
Our ~70-person team is distributed between our Boise, Dallas, and Indianapolis offices, and includes experts in mechanical, electrical, software, and AI disciplines, all with a strong foundation in robotics technology. Beyond our Bastian offices, we collaborate heavily with our Toyota partners to innovate and share our technology globally.
Software engineers on our team are true full-stack robotics developers, with opportunities to work across the entire software stack — from high-level autonomy, AI, and perception to low-level motor control, hardware interfaces, and everything in-between. We take products from concept to production-ready designs, and we execute our software on real robot hardware in live customer environments.
Above all else, we know that our strength lies in our people. Through strong mentorship, thoughtful planning, and a supportive team culture, we create space for engineers to grow while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Your Mission
As a R&D Software Engineering Team Lead, you will operate as the direct manager for a small team of three to six software engineers, and report directly to the Software Engineering Manager. Our R&D software organization includes ~25 software engineers distributed amongst a small group of Team Leads. You will work closely with your fellow Team Leads and the Software Engineering Manager to help drive our organization towards success.
Your primary mission as Team Lead is to build, mentor, guide, and grow your direct reports, and to enable your team to be successful. You will work closely with your team members to establish yearly goals and growth plans and will engage in regular one-on-one and mentorship sessions. Proactivity is your greatest strength – you will practice Extreme Ownership and spearhead initiatives to improve our processes and team culture. Our Team Leads are our force multipliers – growing your people and building a strong team is your #1 objective.
As the Team Lead, you will also put a strong emphasis on enhancing our best practices and processes. You are responsible for ensuring that your team creates effective software with strong design methodologies. You will play a key role in design reviews and PRs and will help drive our Software Development Life Cycle. You will operate as SCRUM Master for your team, lead standup meetings, and guide your team members towards our development best practices.
In addition to your strong leadership skills, you are also an experienced software developer with a deep understanding of the technologies relevant to Robotics and Autonomous Mobile Robot systems. You are a fast learner, eager to understand our processes and toolchains, and to build the technical skills required to mentor and guide your team through complex problems. You will regularly engage in the design of software components and have the skills to directly spearhead the implementation of these designs.
Job Functions
Leadership
- Direct Manager for small team of R&D software engineers
- Build, Mentor, Guide, and Grow team members
- Embody Values-based culture, and cultivate this culture amongst team members
- Proactively identify and drive initiatives to improve our processes and team culture
- Establish and embody software development best practices
- Lead sprint planning and team standups
- Mentor team members through the design and development of software components
- Engage in regular partner programming sessions
- Collaborate with other discipline leads and project managers
- Collaborate with other Bastian divisions, including Manufacturing, Commissioning, and Support teams
Technical
- Directly engage in our Software Development Life Cycle
- Architect, Design, and Implement software components
- Get hands-on with real hardware to test your software on live systems
- Engage in planning, estimating, and strategy creation for new products
- Champion and innovate our development best practices
Required Qualifications
- Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
- Strong mentorship skills
- Strong desire to grow and build team members and cultivate strong team culture
- Experience leading software engineers and software development
- Experience designing and architecting new software products or systems
- Experience scoping and estimating timelines for new software development
- Demonstrated project management capabilities
- Experience with software release and support strategies
- Skilled in C++ & Python
- Experience with multi-threading and parallel applications
- Strong skillset with Linux & Ubuntu OS (Terminal, Bash, Kernel, etc)
- Version control experience (Git)
- Experience creating CI/CD Pipelines
Preferred Qualifications
- Robot Operating System (ROS, ROS2) experience
- Containerization experience (Docker, Singularity, etc)
- Web Development skills (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Web Frameworks)
- Working experience with Robotics Industry technology (Microcontrollers, Motor Controllers, LiDAR, Encoders, Sensors)
- Experience with common hardware interfaces (CANOpen, Serial, SPI, Ethernet/IP, Sockets)
- Knowledge of Computer Vision systems including, but not limited to, OpenCV, 3D Point Clouds (PCL Library)
- Exposure to, or experience with, Autonomous Navigation (SLAM, LiDAR, ROS Nav Stack, etc.)
Travel Requirements
- Up To 10% overnight travel (Travel expenses paid by Bastian Solutions)
About Bastian Solutions
Bastian Solutions, a Toyota Advanced Logistics company, is an independent material handling and robotics system integrator providing automated solutions for distribution, manufacturing, and order fulfillment centers around the world. Our team specializes in consulting, system design, project management, maintenance, and installation, while sourcing the best equipment and automation technology. We take great pride in providing exceptional service and flexibility to our customers.
In addition to exciting work at a growing company, we offer the following benefits:
- Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Plan with a company match
- Vacation/Holiday Pay
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Flexible Work Schedules
- Volunteer Work
- Professional Associations, Conferences and Subscriptions
- Company Meetings & Events
Bastian Solutions does not work outside recruiting agencies. No solicitation phone calls please.
How to Get Visa Sponsorship in Engineering Team Lead
Target STEM OPT-eligible employers first
Engineering Team Lead roles overwhelmingly sit within STEM-designated degree programs, giving you up to 24 months of STEM OPT extension. Prioritize companies registered with E-Verify, which is a legal requirement for STEM OPT authorization from your DSO.
Highlight both technical depth and people management
Hiring managers for this role need evidence you can architect solutions and develop engineers simultaneously. Quantify team size, retention outcomes, and delivery metrics in your resume to separate yourself from individual contributors pursuing the same positions.
Raise OPT early in conversations with smaller companies
Startups and mid-size engineering firms often lack an immigration attorney on retainer. Framing your OPT as a low-cost, low-paperwork authorization compared to H-1B sponsorship reduces hesitation and keeps your candidacy moving through their process faster.
Demonstrate experience managing engineering roadmaps
Team Lead roles require cross-functional influence, not just code review. Document instances where you drove sprint planning, resolved scope conflicts, or aligned engineering priorities with product goals to show you are already operating at this level.
Understand your OPT reporting obligations before accepting an offer
Engineering Team Lead positions sometimes involve consulting arrangements or hybrid contractor structures. Any change in employer, role, or work location must be reported to your DSO within 10 days to maintain valid F-1 status throughout your employment.
Build internal sponsorship advocates before H-1B season
Register cutoffs for H-1B lottery fall in March each year. Securing a Team Lead role well before January gives your employer time to engage immigration counsel, build the sponsorship case, and file without rushing, which improves petition quality significantly.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Can I work as an Engineering Team Lead on OPT without H-1B sponsorship?
Yes, for the duration of your OPT period. If your degree is in a STEM field like computer science or electrical engineering, you may qualify for a 24-month STEM OPT extension beyond the initial 12 months, giving you up to three years total to work before H-1B sponsorship becomes necessary. Your employer must be E-Verify registered for STEM OPT.
Does an Engineering Team Lead role qualify for STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your underlying degree, not the job title. If you graduated with a STEM-designated degree and your Team Lead role applies that technical knowledge directly, it typically qualifies. Roles that are purely administrative without meaningful engineering responsibilities risk rejection by your DSO. You will need to show the position uses your STEM field substantively.
What should I look for in an employer willing to sponsor an Engineering Team Lead on OPT?
Look for companies with existing H-1B filing history, an in-house or retained immigration attorney, and a pattern of promoting international employees into leadership. Migrate Mate filters Engineering Team Lead listings by sponsorship willingness, so you can focus on employers who have already demonstrated they support visa pathways rather than guessing from job descriptions.
How does the 60-day grace period affect me if I lose an Engineering Team Lead job on OPT?
If your employment ends before your OPT expires, you enter a 60-day grace period during which you cannot work but can remain in the U.S. to find a new position. Engineering Team Lead roles can take longer to close given their seniority, so start your search immediately. Accepting a new offer and updating your DSO reactivates your work authorization.
Is an Engineering Team Lead role considered a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Generally yes. Engineering Team Lead positions require at least a bachelor's degree in a specific technical field, which satisfies the specialty occupation definition USCIS uses to evaluate H-1B petitions. The stronger your job description ties leadership responsibilities to applied engineering knowledge, the cleaner the specialty occupation argument your employer can make in the petition.
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