OPT Generative AI Engineer Jobs
Generative AI Engineer jobs are among the most actively sponsored OPT roles in tech right now. Employers filing H-1B visa petitions for this title have surged over the past two years, making it a strong fit for F-1 students on STEM OPT extensions. Most roles qualify under computer science or electrical engineering degree fields.
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Get Access To All JobsResponsibilities
We are looking for talented individuals to join our team. As a graduate, you will get opportunities to pursue bold ideas, tackle complex challenges, and unlock limitless growth. Successful candidates must be able to commit to an onboarding date by the end of the year. Please state your availability and graduation date clearly in your resume.
About The Team
The Intelligent Creation – Global GenAI team focuses on applied research in Generative AI, delivering intelligent creation solutions for the TikTok platform. Our mission is to empower users to create and share high-quality content with ease. The team works on cutting-edge areas including multimodal foundation models, image and video generation and editing, efficient model design, and world models.
About The Role
With rapid advances in AGI and foundation models, multimodal content creation across text, image, and video is undergoing a fundamental transformation. This role focuses on building next-generation multimodal and agentic foundation models that enable intelligent, efficient, and end-to-end creative workflows. You will work on full-modal understanding, AIGC-based image and video generation, and agentic systems, optimizing models through large-scale training and post-training (e.g., SFT, RL). The role also involves designing efficient model architectures and advancing reinforcement learning techniques to improve model capability, scalability, and real-world performance in creation scenarios.
Responsibilities
- Conduct research and development in generative AI and multimodal models (e.g., image, video).
- Develop large-scale foundation models (LLMs/VLMs), through post-training techniques.
- Design and build models for creative applications on the TikTok platform, driving end-to-end impact from research to production through cross-functional collaboration.
- Explore new AI-driven product opportunities and contribute to next-generation creative experiences.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- Individuals who are completing or have recently completed a PhD degree in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline
- Proficiency in training generative AI or large models using frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.
- Strong programming skills and solid fundamentals in machine learning.
- Strong problem-solving ability and motivation to tackle real-world challenges.
- Good communication and collaboration skills in fast-paced environments.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Strong research background in one or more areas: generative AI, LLMs/VLMs, or ML systems.
- Hands-on experience in at least one of the following areas: Image/video generation and editing; VLM/LLM fine-tuning; Efficient model design and optimization; Reinforcement learning methods (e.g., RLHF, DPO, GRPO)
- Track record of research publications in conferences such as CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, NeurIPS, ICLR, SIGGRAPH, or SIGGRAPH Asia.
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $241680 - $456000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units. Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure). The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
- Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
- Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
- Exercising sound judgment.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
Responsibilities
We are looking for talented individuals to join our team. As a graduate, you will get opportunities to pursue bold ideas, tackle complex challenges, and unlock limitless growth. Successful candidates must be able to commit to an onboarding date by the end of the year. Please state your availability and graduation date clearly in your resume.
About The Team
The Intelligent Creation – Global GenAI team focuses on applied research in Generative AI, delivering intelligent creation solutions for the TikTok platform. Our mission is to empower users to create and share high-quality content with ease. The team works on cutting-edge areas including multimodal foundation models, image and video generation and editing, efficient model design, and world models.
About The Role
With rapid advances in AGI and foundation models, multimodal content creation across text, image, and video is undergoing a fundamental transformation. This role focuses on building next-generation multimodal and agentic foundation models that enable intelligent, efficient, and end-to-end creative workflows. You will work on full-modal understanding, AIGC-based image and video generation, and agentic systems, optimizing models through large-scale training and post-training (e.g., SFT, RL). The role also involves designing efficient model architectures and advancing reinforcement learning techniques to improve model capability, scalability, and real-world performance in creation scenarios.
Responsibilities
- Conduct research and development in generative AI and multimodal models (e.g., image, video).
- Develop large-scale foundation models (LLMs/VLMs), through post-training techniques.
- Design and build models for creative applications on the TikTok platform, driving end-to-end impact from research to production through cross-functional collaboration.
- Explore new AI-driven product opportunities and contribute to next-generation creative experiences.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- Individuals who are completing or have recently completed a PhD degree in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline
- Proficiency in training generative AI or large models using frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.
- Strong programming skills and solid fundamentals in machine learning.
- Strong problem-solving ability and motivation to tackle real-world challenges.
- Good communication and collaboration skills in fast-paced environments.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Strong research background in one or more areas: generative AI, LLMs/VLMs, or ML systems.
- Hands-on experience in at least one of the following areas: Image/video generation and editing; VLM/LLM fine-tuning; Efficient model design and optimization; Reinforcement learning methods (e.g., RLHF, DPO, GRPO)
- Track record of research publications in conferences such as CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, NeurIPS, ICLR, SIGGRAPH, or SIGGRAPH Asia.
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $241680 - $456000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units. Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure). The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
- Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
- Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
- Exercising sound judgment.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
See all OPT Generative AI Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Generative AI Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Generative AI Engineer
Target companies with active LCA filings
Employers who have filed Labor Condition Applications for AI or machine learning roles in the past 12 months are far more likely to sponsor again. This filing history is public record and signals genuine sponsorship infrastructure, not just intent.
Lead with your model fine-tuning experience
Hiring managers for generative AI roles prioritize hands-on work with large language models. Specify the models you've fine-tuned, the frameworks you used, and the downstream tasks your work improved. Vague AI experience won't move your resume forward.
Clarify your OPT timeline upfront with recruiters
STEM OPT gives you up to three years of work authorization. Telling recruiters your exact end date and H-1B visa eligibility window removes ambiguity and helps them assess sponsorship timing before investing in interviews.
Prioritize startups backed by major AI investors
Well-funded AI startups often move faster on sponsorship decisions than large enterprises. Companies backed by established venture firms typically have legal counsel already familiar with H-1B filings for engineering roles.
Build a public portfolio of generative AI projects
A GitHub repository or demo application showing retrieval-augmented generation, prompt engineering, or multimodal model work gives hiring managers something concrete to evaluate before your interview, which reduces perceived sponsorship risk.
Frame your degree field precisely on applications
Generative AI Engineer roles qualify as specialty occupations under computer science, electrical engineering, or mathematics. State your degree field explicitly on applications and in interviews so employers understand the OPT authorization is already well-established for this role.
Generative AI Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Generative AI Engineer roles qualify for STEM OPT extension?
Yes. Generative AI Engineer positions fall under CIP codes tied to computer science, electrical engineering, and related STEM fields, which are all on the STEM OPT designated degree program list. If your degree is in one of those fields, you're eligible for the 24-month STEM OPT extension on top of your initial 12-month OPT period, giving you up to three years of work authorization.
How hard is it to find a Generative AI Engineer job that sponsors OPT?
Generative AI is one of the fastest-growing engineering disciplines, and employer demand has outpaced domestic supply consistently over the past two years. Many companies actively recruiting for these roles already have H-1B sponsorship infrastructure in place. Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for OPT-sponsoring employers, so you're not wading through postings that will reject you at the authorization question.
What degree fields support OPT authorization for Generative AI Engineer roles?
Computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, statistics, and data science degrees all commonly support OPT authorization for generative AI positions. USCIS evaluates whether a direct relationship exists between your degree field and the job duties. For generative AI roles involving model training, fine-tuning, and deployment, computer science and electrical engineering degrees have the clearest precedent.
Can I work as a Generative AI Engineer at a startup on OPT?
Yes, with one important caveat: the employer must sign your STEM OPT I-983 training plan and meet the E-Verify requirement. Startups are eligible sponsors as long as they're enrolled in E-Verify. Many well-funded AI startups already meet this requirement. Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting an offer, because without it your STEM OPT extension cannot be authorized.
What should I look for in a Generative AI Engineer job posting to assess sponsorship likelihood?
Look for explicit H-1B or OPT sponsorship language in the posting, E-Verify enrollment, and prior LCA filings for similar roles. Companies that mention visa sponsorship availability, even briefly, are signaling existing infrastructure. Postings that say 'must be authorized to work without sponsorship' are disqualifying. Filtering by sponsorship-open employers from the start saves significant time.