OPT Machine Learning Scientist Jobs
Machine Learning Scientist roles are among the most actively sponsored positions for F-1 OPT students, with STEM OPT extensions available for up to three years. Most employers require a master's or PhD in computer science, statistics, or a related field, and STEM designation makes these roles strong candidates for H-1B visa sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsSalary Range: $176,000 - $184,250 per year. Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the annual base salary only and do not include equity.
Who We Are:
Wayfair is an online retail platform with the mission to enable everyone to live in a home they love. To do this, Wayfair builds and leverages cutting-edge Machine Learning and AI products. Within the broader Science Org, the Supply Chain and Retail Technology (SCRT) Science team drives growth by tackling fundamental challenges pertaining to supply chain and post-order customer experience; for example, building end-to-end systems to predict delivery dates at different points in the shopping funnel, optimizing for customer trust and key operational KPIs, while accounting for dynamic changes in the delivery network.
Some of the other key projects our team works on include:
- Graph Neural Network based Policy Abuse detection: GNN model that is robust to sophisticated identity manipulation (Blog)
- Personalization: Uplift model for predicting the effectiveness of different customer service policy
- Vision-LLM: Gen AI model for automating visual diagnostics and resolution for product refund
What You’ll Do:
- Drive significant business impact by designing, building, and deploying large-scale machine learning models balancing short- and long-term value
- Conduct exploratory data analysis to uncover data patterns, relationships, and key features for model training.
- Work cross-functionally with product managers and commercial stakeholders to understand business problems or opportunities, and iteratively develop ML solutions maximizing business ROI
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional engineering partners
- Develop key success metrics and build evaluation frameworks to regularly assess model output quality
We Are a Match Because You Have:
- PhD with 0-1+ years of experience or Master’s in a STEM field (Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related quantitative field) with 2+ years of full-time industry experience in applied research
- Proven track record of delivering successful machine learning projects from conception to production, demonstrating strong deployment, problem-solving, and maintenance skills.
- Professional coding expertise in Python, proficiency in SQL, and experience with data visualization tools; skilled in using ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and version control best practices.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with an ability to articulate complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences while collaborating within and across teams.
Nice to Have:
- Familiarity with GCP (or AWS, Azure), MLOps (feature store, MLflow etc) and orchestration tools (Kubeflow, Airflow)
- Experience with containerization tools (Docker)
- Familiarity with causal inference, multi-armed bandits, personalisation
- Hands-on experience with LLMs
Why You will Love Working With Us
- Fun team outings like kayaking the Charles and Boda Borg
- Early adopters of new technology within Wayfair
- Hackathons to explore new ideas
Time Off:
- + Paid Holidays
- + Paid Time Off (PTO)
Health & Wellness:
- + Full Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA/FSA)
- + Life Insurance
- + Disability Protection (Short Term & Long Term Disability)
- + Global Wellbeing: Gym/Fitness discounts (including US Peloton, Global ClassPass, and various regional gym memberships)
- + Mental Health Support (Global Mental Health, Global Wayhealthy Recordings)
- + Caregiver Services
Financial Growth & Security:
- + 401K Matching (Employee Matching Program)
- + Tuition Reimbursement
- + Financial Health Education (Knowledge of Financial Education - KOFE)
- + Tax Advantaged Accounts
Family Support:
- + Family Planning Support
- + Parental Leave
- + Global Surrogacy & Adoption Policy
Professional Development & Recognition:
- + Rewards & Recognition
- + Global Employee Anniversary Awards
- + Paid Volunteer Work
Unique Perks:
- + Employee Discount
- + U.S. Bluebikes Membership
- + Global Pod Outings
LOCATION
This is a hybrid position based in Boston, MA. Our teams are in-office Tuesday-Thursday and remote on Monday and Friday.
Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities
Wayfair is fully committed to providing equal opportunities for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities. As part of this commitment, Wayfair will make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on business operations. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please let us know by completing our Accomodations for Applicants form.
Need Technical Assistance?
For more information about applying for a career at Wayfair, visit our FAQ page here.
About Wayfair Inc.
Wayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. Whether you work in our global headquarters in Boston, or in our warehouses or offices throughout the world, we’re reinventing the way people shop for their homes. Through our commitment to industry-leading technology and creative problem-solving, we are confident that Wayfair will be home to the most rewarding work of your career. If you’re looking for rapid growth, constant learning, and dynamic challenges, then you’ll find that amazing career opportunities are knocking.
No matter who you are, Wayfair is a place you can call home. We’re a community of innovators, risk-takers, and trailblazers who celebrate our differences, and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our employees, customers, community, and suppliers to help guide us as we build a better Wayfair – and world – for all. Every voice, every perspective matters. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic.
Your personal data is processed in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Notice. If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights under applicable privacy and data protection laws, please contact us at dataprotectionofficer@wayfair.com.
Salary Range: $176,000 - $184,250 per year. Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the annual base salary only and do not include equity.
Who We Are:
Wayfair is an online retail platform with the mission to enable everyone to live in a home they love. To do this, Wayfair builds and leverages cutting-edge Machine Learning and AI products. Within the broader Science Org, the Supply Chain and Retail Technology (SCRT) Science team drives growth by tackling fundamental challenges pertaining to supply chain and post-order customer experience; for example, building end-to-end systems to predict delivery dates at different points in the shopping funnel, optimizing for customer trust and key operational KPIs, while accounting for dynamic changes in the delivery network.
Some of the other key projects our team works on include:
- Graph Neural Network based Policy Abuse detection: GNN model that is robust to sophisticated identity manipulation (Blog)
- Personalization: Uplift model for predicting the effectiveness of different customer service policy
- Vision-LLM: Gen AI model for automating visual diagnostics and resolution for product refund
What You’ll Do:
- Drive significant business impact by designing, building, and deploying large-scale machine learning models balancing short- and long-term value
- Conduct exploratory data analysis to uncover data patterns, relationships, and key features for model training.
- Work cross-functionally with product managers and commercial stakeholders to understand business problems or opportunities, and iteratively develop ML solutions maximizing business ROI
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional engineering partners
- Develop key success metrics and build evaluation frameworks to regularly assess model output quality
We Are a Match Because You Have:
- PhD with 0-1+ years of experience or Master’s in a STEM field (Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related quantitative field) with 2+ years of full-time industry experience in applied research
- Proven track record of delivering successful machine learning projects from conception to production, demonstrating strong deployment, problem-solving, and maintenance skills.
- Professional coding expertise in Python, proficiency in SQL, and experience with data visualization tools; skilled in using ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and version control best practices.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with an ability to articulate complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences while collaborating within and across teams.
Nice to Have:
- Familiarity with GCP (or AWS, Azure), MLOps (feature store, MLflow etc) and orchestration tools (Kubeflow, Airflow)
- Experience with containerization tools (Docker)
- Familiarity with causal inference, multi-armed bandits, personalisation
- Hands-on experience with LLMs
Why You will Love Working With Us
- Fun team outings like kayaking the Charles and Boda Borg
- Early adopters of new technology within Wayfair
- Hackathons to explore new ideas
Time Off:
- + Paid Holidays
- + Paid Time Off (PTO)
Health & Wellness:
- + Full Health Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA/FSA)
- + Life Insurance
- + Disability Protection (Short Term & Long Term Disability)
- + Global Wellbeing: Gym/Fitness discounts (including US Peloton, Global ClassPass, and various regional gym memberships)
- + Mental Health Support (Global Mental Health, Global Wayhealthy Recordings)
- + Caregiver Services
Financial Growth & Security:
- + 401K Matching (Employee Matching Program)
- + Tuition Reimbursement
- + Financial Health Education (Knowledge of Financial Education - KOFE)
- + Tax Advantaged Accounts
Family Support:
- + Family Planning Support
- + Parental Leave
- + Global Surrogacy & Adoption Policy
Professional Development & Recognition:
- + Rewards & Recognition
- + Global Employee Anniversary Awards
- + Paid Volunteer Work
Unique Perks:
- + Employee Discount
- + U.S. Bluebikes Membership
- + Global Pod Outings
LOCATION
This is a hybrid position based in Boston, MA. Our teams are in-office Tuesday-Thursday and remote on Monday and Friday.
Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities
Wayfair is fully committed to providing equal opportunities for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities. As part of this commitment, Wayfair will make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on business operations. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please let us know by completing our Accomodations for Applicants form.
Need Technical Assistance?
For more information about applying for a career at Wayfair, visit our FAQ page here.
About Wayfair Inc.
Wayfair is one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home. Whether you work in our global headquarters in Boston, or in our warehouses or offices throughout the world, we’re reinventing the way people shop for their homes. Through our commitment to industry-leading technology and creative problem-solving, we are confident that Wayfair will be home to the most rewarding work of your career. If you’re looking for rapid growth, constant learning, and dynamic challenges, then you’ll find that amazing career opportunities are knocking.
No matter who you are, Wayfair is a place you can call home. We’re a community of innovators, risk-takers, and trailblazers who celebrate our differences, and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our employees, customers, community, and suppliers to help guide us as we build a better Wayfair – and world – for all. Every voice, every perspective matters. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic.
Your personal data is processed in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Notice. If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights under applicable privacy and data protection laws, please contact us at dataprotectionofficer@wayfair.com.
See all 382+ OPT Machine Learning Scientist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Machine Learning Scientist Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Machine Learning Scientist
Target research-driven employers
Companies with dedicated AI research divisions, such as large tech firms and well-funded startups, file H-1B visa petitions at far higher rates than generalist employers. Search Migrate Mate to find Machine Learning Scientist roles at employers with verified sponsorship history.
Emphasize your STEM OPT timeline
Your STEM OPT extension gives you up to 36 months of work authorization. Framing this clearly in applications reassures employers that you have enough runway to complete the H-1B sponsorship process without disruption to your employment.
Lead with published research and benchmarks
Hiring managers for Machine Learning Scientist roles respond to concrete outcomes: papers published, benchmark improvements, and model performance gains. Quantified contributions signal genuine research depth and reduce perceived risk around visa sponsorship investment.
Prioritize roles requiring a master's or PhD
Positions that explicitly require an advanced degree in a specific technical field are stronger specialty occupation cases for H-1B purposes. Targeting these roles from the start makes the eventual sponsorship pathway more straightforward for both you and your employer.
Prepare your employer for the sponsorship conversation
Many hiring managers are unfamiliar with STEM OPT details. Coming prepared with a clear one-page summary of your authorization timeline, extension eligibility, and H-1B lottery timing removes friction and helps the employer make a faster, more confident decision.
Build relationships within research and ML communities
Referrals dramatically increase your chances at sponsoring employers. Contributing to open-source projects, presenting at workshops, or collaborating on preprints creates professional visibility that often leads to introductions before a role is ever posted publicly.
Machine Learning Scientist OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a Machine Learning Scientist on F-1 OPT?
Yes. Machine Learning Scientist is a STEM-designated role, so F-1 students who graduate from a qualifying program in computer science, statistics, or a related field are eligible for both standard 12-month OPT and the 24-month STEM OPT extension, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization total. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify to support the STEM extension.
Do Machine Learning Scientist employers commonly sponsor visas?
Sponsorship rates are higher for this role than for most. Machine Learning Scientists are classified as specialty occupation workers under the H-1B, and demand for qualified candidates consistently outpaces supply. Research-intensive employers at large tech companies, AI labs, and well-funded startups sponsor at high rates. Browse verified sponsoring employers on Migrate Mate to narrow your search to companies with a demonstrated track record.
Does my degree field affect OPT eligibility for this role?
It does, particularly for the STEM OPT extension. Your degree must be from STEM-designated CIP code programs, such as computer science, applied mathematics, statistics, or electrical engineering. A degree in a non-STEM field can still support standard 12-month OPT, but the extension requires the STEM designation. The connection between your degree field and the Machine Learning Scientist role also matters for H-1B specialty occupation classification later.
What is the 24-month STEM OPT extension and how does it apply here?
The STEM OPT extension adds 24 months to your standard 12-month OPT period, for a total of 36 months. To qualify, your degree must be in a STEM field, your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and you must submit a formal training plan using Form I-983. For Machine Learning Scientists, most roles at qualifying employers meet these requirements. You must apply before your current OPT expires.
What should I expect from the H-1B transition process after OPT?
Most Machine Learning Scientists transition from OPT to H-1B sponsorship. Your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf, subject to the annual lottery held each April for an October 1 start date. With 36 months of STEM OPT, you have enough runway to enter the lottery up to three times if needed. Your role's advanced degree requirement strengthens the specialty occupation argument, which is one of the more scrutinized parts of the petition.