OPT Founding Engineer Jobs
Founding Engineer jobs are among the most OPT-friendly roles in early-stage tech because startups move fast, care about skills over paperwork, and often sponsor H-1B visa or O-1 visas after OPT ends. Your 12-month OPT window, plus a potential 24-month STEM extension, gives you real runway to prove yourself and secure long-term sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsABOUT MERIDIAN
Meridian is building the world's first multi-agent platform that helps enterprise brands market and sell to AI.
Search is shifting from traditional search engines to AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude; systems that generate answers and increasingly take actions on behalf of users. Businesses now need to ensure they are visible and correctly represented inside these systems.
We're building the platform that enables this. The product is already being used by hundreds of customers, the core idea is validated, and the company is still small enough for your work to define its trajectory.
THE ROLE
As a Founding Engineer, you'll work directly with the founders to build the core systems that power Meridian. You'll take ownership of ambiguous, high-impact problems and turn them into reliable software that runs autonomously in production.
This is a role for engineers who want extreme ownership, fast execution, and the opportunity to shape a company from the ground up.
- Own problems end-to-end: take loosely defined business problems and drive them from idea → system design → implementation → iteration; you're responsible not just for writing code, but for defining what should be built and ensuring it works in the real world
- Design and build agents: create the internal tools and systems that allow Meridian to define, execute, and monitor complex workflows; over time, these systems will increasingly design and run workflows autonomously
- Work on real data and decision systems: build and improve the pipelines that power our platform: data ingestion and analysis, AI model orchestration, evaluation and accuracy measurement, and feedback loops that improve system performance over time
- Solve hard, practical problems: understand what people and agents are searching for across markets, identify the signals AI systems use to generate answers, and build fully autonomous workflows
- Make high-leverage technical decisions: make tradeoffs that impact the long-term trajectory of the product and company, prioritizing the actions that move the needle most toward our mission
- Shape the company: work closely with the founders and early team to influence product direction, system architecture, and engineering culture
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- You own problems: clear examples of taking a loosely defined problem and driving it to completion without step-by-step guidance; you don't wait for perfect specs
- You're a strong technical generalist: you can move across the stack and quickly learn new tools; languages and frameworks matter less than your ability to design systems and ship results
- You have exceptional attention to detail: you care deeply about the quality of what you ship and can distill an envisioned outcome into reality; we don't ship AI slop, we ship art
- You move fast: bias toward execution; you prefer shipping, learning, and improving over endless planning
- You're ambitious: this role should feel like a career accelerator
- You communicate clearly: you can communicate effectively across engineers, customers, and non-technical teammates; strong communication is essential for moving fast and making good decisions
WHAT YOU'LL GET
- Competitive salary + equity
- Health, dental, and vision
- In-person team in Manhattan with tight feedback loops and direct access to founders
- Outsized scope and ownership from day one
ABOUT MERIDIAN
Meridian is building the world's first multi-agent platform that helps enterprise brands market and sell to AI.
Search is shifting from traditional search engines to AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude; systems that generate answers and increasingly take actions on behalf of users. Businesses now need to ensure they are visible and correctly represented inside these systems.
We're building the platform that enables this. The product is already being used by hundreds of customers, the core idea is validated, and the company is still small enough for your work to define its trajectory.
THE ROLE
As a Founding Engineer, you'll work directly with the founders to build the core systems that power Meridian. You'll take ownership of ambiguous, high-impact problems and turn them into reliable software that runs autonomously in production.
This is a role for engineers who want extreme ownership, fast execution, and the opportunity to shape a company from the ground up.
- Own problems end-to-end: take loosely defined business problems and drive them from idea → system design → implementation → iteration; you're responsible not just for writing code, but for defining what should be built and ensuring it works in the real world
- Design and build agents: create the internal tools and systems that allow Meridian to define, execute, and monitor complex workflows; over time, these systems will increasingly design and run workflows autonomously
- Work on real data and decision systems: build and improve the pipelines that power our platform: data ingestion and analysis, AI model orchestration, evaluation and accuracy measurement, and feedback loops that improve system performance over time
- Solve hard, practical problems: understand what people and agents are searching for across markets, identify the signals AI systems use to generate answers, and build fully autonomous workflows
- Make high-leverage technical decisions: make tradeoffs that impact the long-term trajectory of the product and company, prioritizing the actions that move the needle most toward our mission
- Shape the company: work closely with the founders and early team to influence product direction, system architecture, and engineering culture
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
- You own problems: clear examples of taking a loosely defined problem and driving it to completion without step-by-step guidance; you don't wait for perfect specs
- You're a strong technical generalist: you can move across the stack and quickly learn new tools; languages and frameworks matter less than your ability to design systems and ship results
- You have exceptional attention to detail: you care deeply about the quality of what you ship and can distill an envisioned outcome into reality; we don't ship AI slop, we ship art
- You move fast: bias toward execution; you prefer shipping, learning, and improving over endless planning
- You're ambitious: this role should feel like a career accelerator
- You communicate clearly: you can communicate effectively across engineers, customers, and non-technical teammates; strong communication is essential for moving fast and making good decisions
WHAT YOU'LL GET
- Competitive salary + equity
- Health, dental, and vision
- In-person team in Manhattan with tight feedback loops and direct access to founders
- Outsized scope and ownership from day one
See all OPT Founding Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Founding Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Founding Engineer
Target seed to Series B startups
Early-stage companies hiring their first or second engineer rarely have rigid HR policies blocking OPT candidates. Founders make hiring decisions directly, which means a strong technical impression often outweighs sponsorship hesitation faster than at larger organizations.
Lead with your STEM OPT timeline
If your degree is in computer science, engineering, or a related STEM field, you have up to 36 months of work authorization. Framing this upfront reassures founders that sponsorship conversations happen well into your tenure, not immediately after onboarding.
Demonstrate ownership, not just contribution
Founding Engineer roles demand someone who can own entire systems, not just close tickets. Highlight projects where you made architectural decisions, shipped independently, or built something from scratch. Equity-minded founders want builders who think like co-founders.
Ask about visa sponsorship history, not intent
Instead of asking if a startup will sponsor visas, ask whether they have sponsored before. Past behavior signals genuine willingness. Startups that have navigated H-1B visa or O-1 for previous engineers understand the process and are far less likely to back out later.
Negotiate a sponsorship commitment in writing
Before accepting an offer, confirm the company will sponsor your H-1B or O-1 before your OPT expires. A written commitment in your offer letter or a side letter protects you and signals the company has genuinely thought through your long-term employment.
Position your international background as a product asset
Startups building global products value engineers who understand international markets, payment systems, and user behavior across regions. Frame your background as a competitive advantage, not a compliance issue. This reframe shifts the sponsorship conversation from cost to strategic value.
Founding Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a Founding Engineer on OPT?
Yes. Founding Engineer roles are standard full-time positions, and OPT authorizes full-time employment in a field directly related to your degree. Most Founding Engineer jobs require a computer science, software engineering, or related STEM degree, which aligns with OPT eligibility requirements. Confirm your job duties match your degree field before accepting an offer.
Does working at a startup affect my OPT or STEM extension eligibility?
No, startup employment is treated the same as any other employer under OPT rules, with one exception: for the STEM OPT extension, your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify. Many early-stage startups are not enrolled by default. Before accepting, ask your employer to confirm E-Verify enrollment or whether they are willing to register, since this is required to approve your STEM extension.
How do I find Founding Engineer jobs that are open to OPT candidates?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and filters job listings by visa sponsorship willingness, so you are not wasting time applying to roles that will not move forward. Founding Engineer positions on the platform are sourced from companies that have demonstrated openness to international candidates, which significantly improves your conversion rate from application to interview.
What happens to my Founding Engineer role if the startup runs out of funding before my H-1B is filed?
If your employment ends before your H-1B is filed, you enter the 60-day grace period. You must find a new employer and either transfer your OPT or secure a new visa status within that window. This is a real risk at early-stage companies. One mitigation strategy is negotiating for H-1B sponsorship filing as early as possible, ideally before your second year of employment.
Is a Founding Engineer role a strong position for an O-1A visa case later?
Yes, and often more so than a standard senior engineering role. O-1A requires evidence of extraordinary ability, and Founding Engineer positions naturally generate strong supporting material: original contributions to a product, a critical role in a company's technical foundation, and sometimes press coverage or investor recognition. Document your work thoroughly from day one, including architectural decisions, patents, and measurable business impact.