ML Engineer Jobs for OPT Students
ML Engineer jobs are among the most OPT-friendly roles in tech. Most positions require a master's or PhD in computer science, machine learning, or a related field, which aligns well with STEM OPT extension eligibility and gives you up to 36 months of authorized work experience to secure H-1B sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout Brain Co.
Brain Co. is an applied AI startup co-founded by Jared Kushner and Elad Gil, and backed by leading Silicon Valley builders including Patrick Collison and Andrej Karpathy.
We are building AI applications for the world’s most important institutions, delivering impact on real-world problems across governments, healthcare systems, and critical industries.
Our progress so far:
- Automated construction permitting for a sovereign government → 80% faster, unlocking $375M+ in value
- Optimized supply chains for a leading global energy company → 30% lower cost, 99% reliability, preventing $100M+ in losses
- Streamlined hospital patient care across national health systems → 40% better outcomes, 80% less admin work
Company momentum:
- Raised a $55M Series A from leading investors
- Built a team of 70+ AI experts from Tesla, Google DeepMind, NVIDIA, and Databricks
At Brain Co., we focus on applying frontier AI to real institutional challenges, working alongside governments, healthcare systems, and critical industries to modernize how essential services operate.
We are looking for leaders who want to help bring new technology into institutions that impact millions of people.
About The Role
As an AI/ML Engineer at Brain Co., you will play a crucial role in deploying state-of-the-art models to automate various real world problems in sectors such as healthcare, government and energy. Part of the role will involve turning research breakthroughs into practical solutions for various nation states. This role is your opportunity to make a significant impact by making AI technology both accessible and influential.
In This Role, You Will:
- Innovate and Deploy: Design and deploy advanced LLM models to tackle real-world problems, particularly in automating complex, manual processes in a range of real-world verticals.
- Optimize and Scale: Build scalable data pipelines, optimize models for performance and accuracy, and prepare them for production. Monitor and maintain deployed models to ensure they continue delivering value across various governments worldwide.
- Make a Difference: Engage in projects including but not limited to optimizing the world's most advanced energy production systems, modernizing core government workflows, or improving patient outcomes in advanced public healthcare systems. Your work will directly impact how AI benefits individuals, businesses, and society at large.
- Engage with Leaders: interact directly with government officials in various countries and apply the first of its kind AI solutions while working alongside experienced ex. Founders, AI researchers, and software engineers to understand complex business challenges and deliver AI-powered solutions. Join a dynamic team where ideas are exchanged freely and creativity flourishes. You will be able to wear many hats: software building, product management, sales, interpersonal skills.
- Learn and Lead: Keep abreast of the latest developments in machine learning and AI. Participate in code reviews, share knowledge, and set an example with high-quality engineering practices.
You Might Thrive In This Role If You:
- Have 0-2 years of industry experience in applied machine learning or related AI work.
- Hold a BSc/Master’s/PhD degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field.
- Have hands-on experience building GenAI-focused applications (e.g., agents, reasoning workflows, or RAG) and a solid understanding of how large language models are architected and operated.
- Have personally implemented models in common ML frameworks such as PyTorch, Jax or TensorFlow.
- Possess a strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering principles.
- Exhibit excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with a proactive approach to challenges.
- Can work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
- Thrive in fast-paced environments where priorities or deadlines may compete.
- Are eager to own problems end-to-end and willing to acquire any necessary knowledge to get the job done.
Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Medical, Dental, and Vision (100% Coverage)
- Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave
- 401(k)
- Daily Lunches
- Commuter Benefits
- Unlimited PTO
Why Join Us
- Ship quickly, iterate constantly and see your work deployed at global scale
- Collaborate with industry veterans from Tesla, DeepMind, Databricks, and more
- Accelerate your career with ownership based on impact, not tenure
- Earn competitive compensation + meaningful equity in a high-growth company
- Thrive in a culture built on speed, curiosity, and impact
If you want to see your work deployed at scale with real impact, Brain Co. is the place to build.
About Brain Co.
Brain Co. is an applied AI startup co-founded by Jared Kushner and Elad Gil, and backed by leading Silicon Valley builders including Patrick Collison and Andrej Karpathy.
We are building AI applications for the world’s most important institutions, delivering impact on real-world problems across governments, healthcare systems, and critical industries.
Our progress so far:
- Automated construction permitting for a sovereign government → 80% faster, unlocking $375M+ in value
- Optimized supply chains for a leading global energy company → 30% lower cost, 99% reliability, preventing $100M+ in losses
- Streamlined hospital patient care across national health systems → 40% better outcomes, 80% less admin work
Company momentum:
- Raised a $55M Series A from leading investors
- Built a team of 70+ AI experts from Tesla, Google DeepMind, NVIDIA, and Databricks
At Brain Co., we focus on applying frontier AI to real institutional challenges, working alongside governments, healthcare systems, and critical industries to modernize how essential services operate.
We are looking for leaders who want to help bring new technology into institutions that impact millions of people.
About The Role
As an AI/ML Engineer at Brain Co., you will play a crucial role in deploying state-of-the-art models to automate various real world problems in sectors such as healthcare, government and energy. Part of the role will involve turning research breakthroughs into practical solutions for various nation states. This role is your opportunity to make a significant impact by making AI technology both accessible and influential.
In This Role, You Will:
- Innovate and Deploy: Design and deploy advanced LLM models to tackle real-world problems, particularly in automating complex, manual processes in a range of real-world verticals.
- Optimize and Scale: Build scalable data pipelines, optimize models for performance and accuracy, and prepare them for production. Monitor and maintain deployed models to ensure they continue delivering value across various governments worldwide.
- Make a Difference: Engage in projects including but not limited to optimizing the world's most advanced energy production systems, modernizing core government workflows, or improving patient outcomes in advanced public healthcare systems. Your work will directly impact how AI benefits individuals, businesses, and society at large.
- Engage with Leaders: interact directly with government officials in various countries and apply the first of its kind AI solutions while working alongside experienced ex. Founders, AI researchers, and software engineers to understand complex business challenges and deliver AI-powered solutions. Join a dynamic team where ideas are exchanged freely and creativity flourishes. You will be able to wear many hats: software building, product management, sales, interpersonal skills.
- Learn and Lead: Keep abreast of the latest developments in machine learning and AI. Participate in code reviews, share knowledge, and set an example with high-quality engineering practices.
You Might Thrive In This Role If You:
- Have 0-2 years of industry experience in applied machine learning or related AI work.
- Hold a BSc/Master’s/PhD degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field.
- Have hands-on experience building GenAI-focused applications (e.g., agents, reasoning workflows, or RAG) and a solid understanding of how large language models are architected and operated.
- Have personally implemented models in common ML frameworks such as PyTorch, Jax or TensorFlow.
- Possess a strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering principles.
- Exhibit excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with a proactive approach to challenges.
- Can work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
- Thrive in fast-paced environments where priorities or deadlines may compete.
- Are eager to own problems end-to-end and willing to acquire any necessary knowledge to get the job done.
Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Medical, Dental, and Vision (100% Coverage)
- Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave
- 401(k)
- Daily Lunches
- Commuter Benefits
- Unlimited PTO
Why Join Us
- Ship quickly, iterate constantly and see your work deployed at global scale
- Collaborate with industry veterans from Tesla, DeepMind, Databricks, and more
- Accelerate your career with ownership based on impact, not tenure
- Earn competitive compensation + meaningful equity in a high-growth company
- Thrive in a culture built on speed, curiosity, and impact
If you want to see your work deployed at scale with real impact, Brain Co. is the place to build.
How to Get Visa Sponsorship as a ML Engineer
Raise sponsorship in the offer negotiation stage, not earlier
Wait until you have an offer in hand before discussing H-1B sponsorship. Raising it during screening signals uncertainty and can eliminate you early, especially when competing against candidates who don't need authorization.
Frame your ML research as direct production value
Recruiters at sponsoring companies care about deployment, not just experimentation. Connect your thesis work, research projects, or academic publications to real-world applications like recommendation systems, NLP pipelines, or computer vision at scale.
Apply to Series B and later startups, not just large tech firms
Growth-stage companies often sponsor ML Engineers because the talent pool is thin and the visa cost is a small fraction of the role's value. Many OPT students overlook this tier and limit themselves to big tech.
File your STEM OPT extension well before your initial OPT expires
USCIS recommends filing at least 90 days before expiration. A timely filing preserves your work authorization automatically during processing. Missing the window creates gaps that can disqualify you from roles mid-interview process.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Can I work as an ML Engineer on OPT without H-1B sponsorship?
Yes. OPT authorizes full-time employment in a role directly related to your degree, so you can work as an ML Engineer immediately after graduation. The H-1B becomes relevant once your OPT period ends. If your degree is STEM-designated, you have up to 36 months total before needing a different visa status.
Do ML Engineer roles typically qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Almost all ML Engineer positions qualify, because the role requires applied knowledge from a STEM field and the work is directly tied to that degree. The key requirement is that your academic program holds a STEM designation, not the job title itself. Degrees in computer science, electrical engineering, statistics, and data science all commonly qualify.
Where can I find ML Engineer jobs that are open to OPT students?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT and visa-sponsored candidates. You can browse ML Engineer listings filtered by sponsorship willingness, which saves significant time compared to applying broadly and discovering late in the process that a company won't sponsor. It's the most direct way to focus your search on employers who are already open to hiring international talent.
Does my ML Engineer role need to match my degree field exactly to count toward OPT?
It needs to be directly related to your degree, but an exact title match isn't required. A computer science graduate working as an ML Engineer satisfies the requirement clearly. If your degree is in a neighboring field like applied mathematics or statistics, you'll want to document how the role draws on that academic background in case your DSO or USCIS asks.
What happens to my OPT if my ML Engineer job ends before I find a new one?
You have a cumulative 90-day unemployment allowance during your OPT period, and an additional 60 days during the STEM extension, for a total of 150 days. These periods don't reset between jobs. You must report any employment gap to your DSO promptly, and your next role still needs to be directly related to your degree field.
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