OPT Project Engineer Jobs
Project Engineer jobs are a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with degrees in civil, mechanical, electrical, or industrial engineering. Most roles qualify as STEM OPT extensions, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization. Employers in construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure regularly sponsor international engineers for H-1B visas.
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Get Access To All JobsRequisition ID: 174320
Job Category: Engineering / Science
Job Level: Individual Contributor
Business Unit: Energy Delivery
Work Type: Hybrid
Job Location: West Sacramento
Department Overview
The hardworking coworkers of Electric Engineering ensure all manners of electric engineering—including electric standards and process safety, electric design engineering, instrumentation testing and controls, undergrounding, electric regulatory compliance and electric investment planning—are in place to safely enable a strategic and stable workplan for our Electric Operations partners. Our organization is accountable for program planning, financial budgeting, and project execution and delivery of all electric engineering projects. Electric Engineering is comprised of approximately 2,000 coworkers.
Position Summary
This position is represented by Engineers & Scientists of California (ESC) subject to collective bargaining.
This is an entry-level Project Engineer job that works under the general technical direction of more experienced engineers. This job is responsible for providing technical engineering support for routine projects, including, but not limited to: providing technical data; applying engineering principles to investigate, analyze, and propose solutions to technical issues; assisting project managers, construction personnel, and other business partners to assess project needs, develop and document project scope, develop cost estimates, identify material procurement needs, oversee or conduct engineering design review, review engineering documents, and provide guidance to design group. The responsibility level of this position increases with experience.
This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location up to 3 days per week. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.
PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreements, and internal equity.
The annual salary range is:
CA Minimum, $99,936
CA Maximum, $150,108
Job Responsibilities
Initial assignments from the tasks below will require direction and supervision. With experience, the independence and responsibility will expand and the need for supervision will decrease.
- Assists with or conducts project walkdowns and works with project team, including both internal and external clients, to establish scope of work, schedule, and cost commitments.
- Gathers technical information from field data and project team.
- Prepares cost estimates.
- Investigates resources required to complete engineering and project-related tasks.
- Establishes engineering schedule.
- Prepares project forecast for engineering, tracks progress, updates as needed, and provides periodic updates.
- Provides guidance to design and contractor team members, and reviews design and technical documents.
- Coordinating with other lines of business, ensures designs and technical documents meet appropriate criteria, quality, and job scope.
- Approves revisions to existing drawings for routine projects.
- Procures long-lead time material for assigned projects.
- Under direction, reviews and approves project material procurement list, vendor drawings, equipment specification updates, and engineering material requests.
- Participates in periodic design review meetings.
- Coordinates project activities with other disciplines for routine projects.
- Under direction, provides construction support and evaluates and makes recommendations to resolve field construction problems.
Qualifications
Minimum: BS Degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited curriculum in the US or the equivalent from outside the US
Desired:
- Basic knowledge of electric transmission line
- Basic knowledge of project management principles
- 1 year of experience in engineering and design
Requisition ID: 174320
Job Category: Engineering / Science
Job Level: Individual Contributor
Business Unit: Energy Delivery
Work Type: Hybrid
Job Location: West Sacramento
Department Overview
The hardworking coworkers of Electric Engineering ensure all manners of electric engineering—including electric standards and process safety, electric design engineering, instrumentation testing and controls, undergrounding, electric regulatory compliance and electric investment planning—are in place to safely enable a strategic and stable workplan for our Electric Operations partners. Our organization is accountable for program planning, financial budgeting, and project execution and delivery of all electric engineering projects. Electric Engineering is comprised of approximately 2,000 coworkers.
Position Summary
This position is represented by Engineers & Scientists of California (ESC) subject to collective bargaining.
This is an entry-level Project Engineer job that works under the general technical direction of more experienced engineers. This job is responsible for providing technical engineering support for routine projects, including, but not limited to: providing technical data; applying engineering principles to investigate, analyze, and propose solutions to technical issues; assisting project managers, construction personnel, and other business partners to assess project needs, develop and document project scope, develop cost estimates, identify material procurement needs, oversee or conduct engineering design review, review engineering documents, and provide guidance to design group. The responsibility level of this position increases with experience.
This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location up to 3 days per week. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.
PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreements, and internal equity.
The annual salary range is:
CA Minimum, $99,936
CA Maximum, $150,108
Job Responsibilities
Initial assignments from the tasks below will require direction and supervision. With experience, the independence and responsibility will expand and the need for supervision will decrease.
- Assists with or conducts project walkdowns and works with project team, including both internal and external clients, to establish scope of work, schedule, and cost commitments.
- Gathers technical information from field data and project team.
- Prepares cost estimates.
- Investigates resources required to complete engineering and project-related tasks.
- Establishes engineering schedule.
- Prepares project forecast for engineering, tracks progress, updates as needed, and provides periodic updates.
- Provides guidance to design and contractor team members, and reviews design and technical documents.
- Coordinating with other lines of business, ensures designs and technical documents meet appropriate criteria, quality, and job scope.
- Approves revisions to existing drawings for routine projects.
- Procures long-lead time material for assigned projects.
- Under direction, reviews and approves project material procurement list, vendor drawings, equipment specification updates, and engineering material requests.
- Participates in periodic design review meetings.
- Coordinates project activities with other disciplines for routine projects.
- Under direction, provides construction support and evaluates and makes recommendations to resolve field construction problems.
Qualifications
Minimum: BS Degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited curriculum in the US or the equivalent from outside the US
Desired:
- Basic knowledge of electric transmission line
- Basic knowledge of project management principles
- 1 year of experience in engineering and design
See all 1,320+ OPT Project Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Project Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Project Engineer
Target engineering firms with active H-1B histories
Large construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing companies file H-1B petitions regularly for engineers. Focusing your search on firms with established sponsorship pipelines significantly improves your odds of converting OPT to long-term work authorization.
Confirm your degree qualifies for STEM OPT extension
Project Engineer roles typically fall under STEM-designated CIP codes in civil, mechanical, or electrical engineering. Verify your specific program is on the STEM OPT list before accepting an offer, since your extension eligibility depends on it.
Apply early relative to your OPT end date
Many engineering firms have hiring cycles tied to project pipelines. Starting your search at least four to six months before your OPT expires gives employers time to initiate H-1B sponsorship without feeling rushed by your timeline.
Frame your EIT or PE progress clearly on your resume
Engineer-in-Training certification or progress toward a Professional Engineer license signals long-term commitment to U.S. employers. Mentioning it directly addresses a common hesitation around sponsoring early-career engineers on OPT.
Prepare a concise explanation of your OPT timeline
Hiring managers in engineering often have limited immigration knowledge. A clear, one-paragraph summary of your current status, STEM extension eligibility, and H-1B timeline helps move conversations forward without making sponsorship feel complicated or uncertain.
Prioritize roles tied to long-term projects
Multi-year infrastructure, construction, or manufacturing projects give employers a strong business reason to sponsor you. Roles on projects with defined timelines beyond 18 months make the cost of H-1B sponsorship easier for hiring managers to justify internally.
Project Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Project Engineer jobs qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Most Project Engineer roles qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension if your degree is in a STEM-designated field such as civil, mechanical, electrical, or industrial engineering. The extension requires your employer to enroll in E-Verify and submit a formal training plan with your DSO. Confirm your specific CIP code is on the official STEM OPT list before relying on extension eligibility.
How do I find Project Engineer employers willing to sponsor OPT students?
Migrate Mate filters Project Engineer jobs by OPT and visa sponsorship eligibility, so you can focus on employers who are already open to international candidates. Large engineering, construction, and infrastructure firms tend to have the most established sponsorship processes, but mid-size firms with active federal or state contracts also sponsor engineers regularly.
Can I start a Project Engineer job while my OPT application is still pending?
No. You must have your EAD card in hand before starting work. USCIS recommends filing your OPT application 90 days before your program end date, and processing takes up to 90 days. Coordinate your offer acceptance and start date carefully to avoid a gap between your I-20 program end date and EAD receipt.
What happens to my OPT status if a Project Engineer contract ends early?
F-1 OPT students are allowed an unemployment period of up to 90 cumulative days on standard OPT, reduced to 60 days during the STEM extension. If a contract ends unexpectedly, you need to find new qualifying employment within that window or your OPT status falls out of compliance. Report any employment changes to your DSO promptly.
Is a Project Engineer role considered qualifying employment for OPT purposes?
Yes, as long as the work is directly related to your degree field. A civil engineering graduate working on construction project management clearly qualifies. A mechanical engineering graduate in a manufacturing coordination role also qualifies. The key is that your job duties must connect to your major field of study, which most Project Engineer roles do by definition.