OPT Product Safety Engineer Jobs
Product Safety Engineer jobs are a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with degrees in mechanical, electrical, or systems engineering. Most roles qualify as STEM OPT, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization. Employers in this field routinely sponsor H-1B visas, making it a practical long-term path.
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Get Access To All JobsWhy join Stryker?
Looking for a place that values your unique talents? Discover Stryker's award-winning culture.
We are proud to offer you our total rewards package which includes bonuses, healthcare, insurance benefits, retirement programs, wellness programs, as well as service and performance awards – not to mention various social and recreational activities, all of which are location specific.
Job description
We are excited to be named one of the World’s Best Workplaces by Fortune Magazine! We are proud to offer you 12 paid holidays annually. For an overview of our benefits and time off, please follow this link to learn more: US Stryker employee benefits.
What You Will Do
- Lead Product Safety Programs for complex R&D projects within the Surgical Technologies business unit, ensuring safety requirements are integrated throughout product development.
- Collaborate with leadership and influencing technical and organizational safety initiatives across business units.
- Ensure Regulatory Compliance with U.S. and international electrical and mechanical safety standards, regulations, and certifications.
- Direct Safety Testing Activities by supporting laboratory personnel, developing test plans, and ensuring compliance testing meets third-party certification requirements.
- Collaborate with External Certification Bodies including NRTLs and other organizations to achieve and maintain product certifications.
- Provide Product Safety technical education, mentorship, and frameworks that support the growth of early-career Product Safety Engineers.
- Promote a Strong Safety Culture by embedding product safety, compliance, and industry best practices across engineering and design teams.
- Provide Strategic Technical Leadership by resolving complex safety challenges, supporting product lifecycle activities, consulting on compliance issues, and shaping future technology roadmaps.
What You Need (Required Qualifications)
- Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or related Engineering degree
- 4+ years of engineering experience
- Prior experience leading Product Safety Programs for complex R&D projects, ensuring safety requirements are integrated throughout product development.
Preferred Qualifications
- Possess an understanding of IEC standards and understanding of compliance or related regulatory compliance standards.
- Viewed as a divisional resource in area of expertise.
- Must possess excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Competent with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, etc.).
- Demonstrated competence and an intermediate level of expertise in product design theory and application as applied specifically to electrical hardware and architecture, microcontroller, microprocessor, wireless technologies, embedded systems but also familiarity with mechanical components and products.
Compensation
- Salary Range: $89,300 - $148,800 USD Annual
Health benefits include: Medical and prescription drug insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, critical illness insurance, accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, personalized healthcare support, wellbeing program and tobacco cessation program. Financial benefits include: Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), 401(k) plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), basic life and AD&D insurance, and short-term disability insurance. Stryker offers innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology, Orthopaedics and Spine that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside its customers around the world, Stryker impacts more than 150 million patients annually. Depending on customer requirements employees and new hires in sales and field roles that require access to customer accounts as a function of the job may be required to obtain various vaccinations as an essential function of their role.
Why join Stryker?
Looking for a place that values your unique talents? Discover Stryker's award-winning culture.
We are proud to offer you our total rewards package which includes bonuses, healthcare, insurance benefits, retirement programs, wellness programs, as well as service and performance awards – not to mention various social and recreational activities, all of which are location specific.
Job description
We are excited to be named one of the World’s Best Workplaces by Fortune Magazine! We are proud to offer you 12 paid holidays annually. For an overview of our benefits and time off, please follow this link to learn more: US Stryker employee benefits.
What You Will Do
- Lead Product Safety Programs for complex R&D projects within the Surgical Technologies business unit, ensuring safety requirements are integrated throughout product development.
- Collaborate with leadership and influencing technical and organizational safety initiatives across business units.
- Ensure Regulatory Compliance with U.S. and international electrical and mechanical safety standards, regulations, and certifications.
- Direct Safety Testing Activities by supporting laboratory personnel, developing test plans, and ensuring compliance testing meets third-party certification requirements.
- Collaborate with External Certification Bodies including NRTLs and other organizations to achieve and maintain product certifications.
- Provide Product Safety technical education, mentorship, and frameworks that support the growth of early-career Product Safety Engineers.
- Promote a Strong Safety Culture by embedding product safety, compliance, and industry best practices across engineering and design teams.
- Provide Strategic Technical Leadership by resolving complex safety challenges, supporting product lifecycle activities, consulting on compliance issues, and shaping future technology roadmaps.
What You Need (Required Qualifications)
- Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering or related Engineering degree
- 4+ years of engineering experience
- Prior experience leading Product Safety Programs for complex R&D projects, ensuring safety requirements are integrated throughout product development.
Preferred Qualifications
- Possess an understanding of IEC standards and understanding of compliance or related regulatory compliance standards.
- Viewed as a divisional resource in area of expertise.
- Must possess excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Competent with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, etc.).
- Demonstrated competence and an intermediate level of expertise in product design theory and application as applied specifically to electrical hardware and architecture, microcontroller, microprocessor, wireless technologies, embedded systems but also familiarity with mechanical components and products.
Compensation
- Salary Range: $89,300 - $148,800 USD Annual
Health benefits include: Medical and prescription drug insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, critical illness insurance, accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, personalized healthcare support, wellbeing program and tobacco cessation program. Financial benefits include: Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), 401(k) plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), basic life and AD&D insurance, and short-term disability insurance. Stryker offers innovative products and services in MedSurg, Neurotechnology, Orthopaedics and Spine that help improve patient and healthcare outcomes. Alongside its customers around the world, Stryker impacts more than 150 million patients annually. Depending on customer requirements employees and new hires in sales and field roles that require access to customer accounts as a function of the job may be required to obtain various vaccinations as an essential function of their role.
See all OPT Product Safety Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Product Safety Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Product Safety Engineer
Target regulated industries first
Medical devices, automotive, and consumer electronics companies have established compliance teams and dedicated immigration budgets. These employers file H-1B petitions regularly, making OPT-to-H-1B transitions more predictable than at smaller firms without legal infrastructure.
Align your degree to the role explicitly
Product safety is a specialty occupation requiring a specific degree field. In your resume and cover letter, connect your engineering coursework directly to safety standards, risk analysis, or regulatory frameworks the employer uses, such as ISO 13485 or IEC 62368.
Get certified in relevant safety standards
Certifications in functional safety, such as TÜV Rheinland's Functional Safety Engineer credential, signal deep domain knowledge to employers. They also strengthen your H-1B specialty occupation case by demonstrating specialized education beyond a general engineering degree.
Raise OPT early in the process
Mention your STEM OPT eligibility before the offer stage, not after. Most product safety hiring managers are unfamiliar with authorization timelines. Framing it as 36 months of authorization before any H-1B decision removes the urgency that causes rejections.
Focus on employers with active safety teams
Companies hiring for multiple product safety roles are building out compliance infrastructure, not just filling a gap. These employers are more likely to invest in long-term sponsorship because retaining specialized safety engineers reduces regulatory and product liability risk.
Document your safety-related academic work
USCIS scrutinizes specialty occupation claims for product safety roles. Build a record now: thesis chapters, capstone projects, lab reports, or coursework in reliability engineering, hazard analysis, or standards compliance that maps directly to your job duties.
Product Safety Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Product Safety Engineer jobs qualify for STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your degree is in a STEM-designated field such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or systems engineering. Product safety roles typically fall under SOC codes that qualify for the 24-month STEM extension, giving you up to 36 months total. Confirm your degree's CIP code with your DSO before applying, since the extension depends on the degree, not the job title.
Do employers in this field commonly sponsor H-1B visas for product safety roles?
Sponsorship rates are highest in regulated industries like medical devices, automotive, and industrial equipment, where product safety engineers are required for compliance, not just preferred. Companies that manufacture FDA-regulated or CE-marked products rely on this function and tend to have immigration counsel already in place. Searching Migrate Mate filters for employers with a demonstrated sponsorship history in engineering roles.
Is Product Safety Engineer considered a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Generally yes. The role requires applying specific engineering principles, safety standards such as IEC 61508 or UL 60950, and risk methodologies that normally require at minimum a bachelor's degree in a related engineering field. That said, USCIS evaluates each petition individually. A strong case includes a job description tying daily duties to specialized knowledge and evidence that industry norms require a degree in a specific discipline.
Can I work as a Product Safety Engineer on OPT if my degree is in a related but not identical field?
Yes, as long as there is a logical connection between your degree and the role. A degree in industrial engineering, systems engineering, or even physics can support a product safety position if you can demonstrate coursework in risk analysis, reliability, or safety systems. Your employer may need to document this connection carefully in any future H-1B petition, so align your resume language to the relevant coursework from the start.
What should I look for in a Product Safety Engineer job posting to assess sponsorship likelihood?
Look for roles at mid-to-large manufacturers, especially those with ISO certification requirements, FDA submissions, or automotive functional safety mentions such as ISO 26262. These signals indicate a regulated environment with a compliance infrastructure and legal support. Postings that list H-1B or visa sponsorship explicitly are the clearest indicator, but many employers who regularly sponsor simply do not advertise it. Browse roles on Migrate Mate to find employers with verified sponsorship history in engineering functions.