OPT ML Software Engineer Jobs
ML Software Engineer jobs are among the most OPT-friendly roles in tech, with strong employer demand for F-1 students from computer science, data science, and electrical engineering backgrounds. Most roles qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, giving you up to three years of total work authorization.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout the role and team
Engineering at Uber means building for real-world impact under real-world constraints. As a Software Engineer II (MLE), you will architect innovative products and scalable systems that keep the marketplace efficient, reliable, and ready for continued growth. Our systems power hundreds of millions of consumers and millions of merchants around the world, and that footprint is expanding rapidly. You will be solving complex challenges at the intersection of low latency, high correctness, and massive scale.
The problems here are messy and the systems are global. You'll need to make smart decisions with imperfect information, own your work end-to-end, and stay calm when high-load systems are on the line. We are looking for engineers who think in systems, pride themselves on robust monitoring, and believe that the best solutions are built through candid feedback and cross-functional collaboration. If you're energized by challenges and motivated to move the real world - this is where you'll grow.
- Design, develop, and maintain high-quality code for features of moderate complexity and projects with multiple dependencies.
- Develop and optimize ML models to enhance the efficiency of the delivery marketplace.
- Build and scale foundational infrastructure and data pipelines, balancing technical debt and shifting priorities while keeping long-term impact in mind.
- Own the software lifecycle end-to-end, from drafting design docs to debugging production issues and managing incidents independently.
- Collaborate across disciplines - including Product, Data Science, and Ops - to translate ambiguous requirements into simple, elegant system designs.
- Champion engineering best practices by providing quality code reviews, creating comprehensive tests, and improving system performance.
- Navigate internal complexity and stakeholder inquiries to unblock dependencies and ensure the reliability of our production environment.
Basic Qualifications
- 3+ years of professional software engineering experience in backend development, distributed systems, or data engineering.
- Proficiency in one or more object-oriented or functional programming languages (e.g., Go, Java, Python, or C++).
- Experience in applying machine learning, statistics, or optimization techniques to solve large-scale problems.
- Experience with data modeling, query optimization, and translating customer problems into system design.
- Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent experience) in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
- Experience writing tests to verify functionality and establishing monitoring systems to ensure code stability.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience identifying and reducing code-level technical debt in high-load distributed systems.
- Background in mentoring new team members and contributing to engineering culture.
- Experience in designing and crafting scalable, reliable, maintainable and reusable ML solutions using deep-learning techniques and statistical methods.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment on engineering trade-offs for complex features.
For San Francisco, CA-based roles: The base salary range for this role is USD $171,000 per year - USD $190,000 per year.
You will be eligible to participate in Uber's bonus program, and may be offered an equity award & other types of comp. All full-time employees are eligible to participate in a 401(k) plan. You will also be eligible for various benefits.
Ready to Ride?
This isn't the kind of place where you follow a playbook - it's where you help write one. If you're driven by impact, energized by challenge, and ready to shape how the world moves - we'd love to hear from you.
You may be eligible for bonuses, equity, and other compensation, as well as a range of benefits. Explore our benefits.
Offices remain key to collaboration and Uber's culture. Unless approved for full remote work, employees must spend at least 50% of their time in-office. Some roles, like those at greenlight hubs, require full-time in-office presence. Ask your Recruiter for details about this role's requirements.
Uber is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing this form.
About the role and team
Engineering at Uber means building for real-world impact under real-world constraints. As a Software Engineer II (MLE), you will architect innovative products and scalable systems that keep the marketplace efficient, reliable, and ready for continued growth. Our systems power hundreds of millions of consumers and millions of merchants around the world, and that footprint is expanding rapidly. You will be solving complex challenges at the intersection of low latency, high correctness, and massive scale.
The problems here are messy and the systems are global. You'll need to make smart decisions with imperfect information, own your work end-to-end, and stay calm when high-load systems are on the line. We are looking for engineers who think in systems, pride themselves on robust monitoring, and believe that the best solutions are built through candid feedback and cross-functional collaboration. If you're energized by challenges and motivated to move the real world - this is where you'll grow.
- Design, develop, and maintain high-quality code for features of moderate complexity and projects with multiple dependencies.
- Develop and optimize ML models to enhance the efficiency of the delivery marketplace.
- Build and scale foundational infrastructure and data pipelines, balancing technical debt and shifting priorities while keeping long-term impact in mind.
- Own the software lifecycle end-to-end, from drafting design docs to debugging production issues and managing incidents independently.
- Collaborate across disciplines - including Product, Data Science, and Ops - to translate ambiguous requirements into simple, elegant system designs.
- Champion engineering best practices by providing quality code reviews, creating comprehensive tests, and improving system performance.
- Navigate internal complexity and stakeholder inquiries to unblock dependencies and ensure the reliability of our production environment.
Basic Qualifications
- 3+ years of professional software engineering experience in backend development, distributed systems, or data engineering.
- Proficiency in one or more object-oriented or functional programming languages (e.g., Go, Java, Python, or C++).
- Experience in applying machine learning, statistics, or optimization techniques to solve large-scale problems.
- Experience with data modeling, query optimization, and translating customer problems into system design.
- Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent experience) in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
- Experience writing tests to verify functionality and establishing monitoring systems to ensure code stability.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience identifying and reducing code-level technical debt in high-load distributed systems.
- Background in mentoring new team members and contributing to engineering culture.
- Experience in designing and crafting scalable, reliable, maintainable and reusable ML solutions using deep-learning techniques and statistical methods.
- Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment on engineering trade-offs for complex features.
For San Francisco, CA-based roles: The base salary range for this role is USD $171,000 per year - USD $190,000 per year.
You will be eligible to participate in Uber's bonus program, and may be offered an equity award & other types of comp. All full-time employees are eligible to participate in a 401(k) plan. You will also be eligible for various benefits.
Ready to Ride?
This isn't the kind of place where you follow a playbook - it's where you help write one. If you're driven by impact, energized by challenge, and ready to shape how the world moves - we'd love to hear from you.
You may be eligible for bonuses, equity, and other compensation, as well as a range of benefits. Explore our benefits.
Offices remain key to collaboration and Uber's culture. Unless approved for full remote work, employees must spend at least 50% of their time in-office. Some roles, like those at greenlight hubs, require full-time in-office presence. Ask your Recruiter for details about this role's requirements.
Uber is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing this form.
See all 697+ OPT ML Software Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a ML Software Engineer
Emphasize your STEM OPT eligibility upfront
Most ML roles qualify for the 24-month STEM extension, giving you three years total. Mention your STEM OPT eligibility in your cover letter so hiring managers know you're not a short-term hire requiring immediate H-1B visa action.
Target companies with established ML teams
Companies already running ML infrastructure are far more likely to sponsor OPT and H-1B than those hiring their first ML engineer. Look for job postings that reference existing model pipelines, MLOps systems, or production AI deployments.
Showcase deployed projects, not just coursework
Employers sponsoring OPT want evidence you can ship. Include GitHub links to models you've trained and deployed, not just academic projects. Real-world inference pipelines, fine-tuned models, or published Kaggle results carry more weight than grades.
Frame your OPT timeline around their H-1B cycle
H-1B registration opens in March for an October start. If your OPT expires before October, explain how the STEM extension bridges the gap. Proactively mapping your timeline reduces the employer's perceived risk of hiring you.
Specialize to stand out in a competitive field
ML is broad. Candidates who clearly own a niche, such as NLP, computer vision, recommendation systems, or reinforcement learning, are easier for hiring managers to match to open roles and more likely to receive sponsorship consideration.
Use Migrate Mate to find OPT-ready ML employers
Browsing general job boards wastes time on roles that won't sponsor. Migrate Mate surfaces ML Software Engineer roles at employers who have actively hired OPT and visa candidates, so your applications go where they have a real chance.
ML Software Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Does an ML Software Engineer role qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension?
Yes, in most cases. ML Software Engineer roles typically fall under CIP codes tied to computer science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering, all of which are on the STEM OPT designated degree list. Your degree field, not just your job title, determines eligibility, so confirm your CIP code with your DSO before applying for the extension.
How do I find ML Software Engineer employers that sponsor OPT students?
The most efficient approach is to focus your search on companies with existing ML infrastructure and a track record of sponsoring F-1 employees. Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for OPT-friendly employers, so you can browse ML Software Engineer roles without wading through postings that exclude visa candidates entirely.
Can I work as a contractor or on a 1099 basis on OPT as an ML Software Engineer?
No. OPT requires a standard employer-employee relationship. You must be paid as a W-2 employee, meaning the company withholds taxes and you work under their direction. Independent contracting, freelance work, or 1099 arrangements do not meet OPT employment requirements and could jeopardize your status.
What happens to my OPT authorization if my ML Software Engineer role is eliminated in a layoff?
You have a 60-day grace period from your last day of employment to find new authorized work, transfer to another visa status, or leave the United States. Report the employment end date to your DSO immediately. If you secure a new ML Software Engineer role within 60 days, your OPT authorization continues with the new employer.
Does my ML Software Engineer job need to directly match my degree field to count as valid OPT employment?
Yes. Your role must be directly related to the field of study listed on your OPT authorization. A computer science graduate working in ML engineering is a clear match. If your degree is in a less obvious field, such as statistics or mathematics, document how your program prepared you for ML work and discuss it with your DSO before accepting an offer.