OPT Software Systems Engineer Jobs
Software Systems Engineer jobs are among the most OPT-friendly roles in tech, with strong demand from employers already familiar with F-1 work authorization. STEM OPT extensions apply, giving you up to three years of work authorization. Most roles require a background in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related technical field.
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The Role
You will be part of a core team that ensures safe, reliable, and scalable releases of the Autonomous Vehicle (AV) software stack through automation, data-driven reliability insights, and systematic validation processes. The mission is to accelerate the velocity and stability of AV releases by unifying software engineering, reliability analysis, and release automation under one cohesive framework.
In this position, you will collaborate closely with Release Engineers, Systems Engineers, DevOps, and AI/ML teams to design and implement automated release validation pipelines, build metrics for release health and stability, and drive root-cause investigations of software and system issues impacting production readiness.
If you are passionate about improving the safety, reliability, and velocity of ML-driven AV software releases through intelligent automation and systems thinking, we want to talk to you.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Design and implement automated release pipelines that integrate simulation, on-road, and CI/CD validation signals to assess software readiness.
- Establish release reliability metrics and dashboards to quantify build quality, regression trends, and confidence of software deployment.
- Collaborate with AI/ML, Simulation, and Systems Engineering teams to ensure robust and reproducible evaluation of release candidates.
- Develop automated triage and failure analysis systems to identify and categorize root causes of reliability or stability regressions.
- Integrate data pipelines for continuous monitoring of release health, including automated collection of test, simulation, and telemetry data.
- Drive systematic improvements in release readiness criteria, defining measurable gates and pass/fail logic tied to product safety and reliability standards.
- Develop frameworks for continuous release validation, ensuring each ML or software iteration is tracked, reproducible, and explainable.
- Communicate insights and reliability findings to developers, QA, and leadership to influence roadmap prioritization and technical debt mitigation.
- Map reliability and automation processes to the broader safety case framework, ensuring compliance with relevant standards and internal governance.
What You Must Have
- Strong proficiency in Python and SQL.
- Proven experience in CI/CD systems (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab, or equivalent).
- Prior experience implementing ELT/ETL pipelines for quality monitoring, reliability, or release metrics.
- Solid understanding of system reliability concepts, including regression tracking, flakiness detection, and automated triage.
- Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills across large-scale software systems.
- Experience integrating simulation or hardware-in-loop testing into automated pipelines.
- Track record of cross-functional collaboration across engineering, QA, and operations teams.
- Ability to learn quickly and operate effectively in a dynamic, high-stakes environment.
- Excellent communication skills for presenting data-driven insights to engineering and leadership stakeholders.
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field—or equivalent experience.
Bonus Points!
- Experience with release governance frameworks for ML or AV systems.
- Familiarity with reliability engineering methodologies (MTBF, FMEA, reliability growth analysis).
- Knowledge of AV/ADAS software architectures and simulation validation loops.
- Experience building metrics pipelines in cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
- Familiarity with data visualization and observability tools (Grafana, Superset, Power BI, etc.).
- Experience using Jira, GitHub Projects, or equivalent tools for release tracking and reliability triage.
About GM
Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.
Why Join Us
We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.
Benefits Overview
From day one, we're looking out for your well-being–at work and at home–so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.
Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)
General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.
All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.
We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.
Accommodations
General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.
Job Description
The Role
You will be part of a core team that ensures safe, reliable, and scalable releases of the Autonomous Vehicle (AV) software stack through automation, data-driven reliability insights, and systematic validation processes. The mission is to accelerate the velocity and stability of AV releases by unifying software engineering, reliability analysis, and release automation under one cohesive framework.
In this position, you will collaborate closely with Release Engineers, Systems Engineers, DevOps, and AI/ML teams to design and implement automated release validation pipelines, build metrics for release health and stability, and drive root-cause investigations of software and system issues impacting production readiness.
If you are passionate about improving the safety, reliability, and velocity of ML-driven AV software releases through intelligent automation and systems thinking, we want to talk to you.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Design and implement automated release pipelines that integrate simulation, on-road, and CI/CD validation signals to assess software readiness.
- Establish release reliability metrics and dashboards to quantify build quality, regression trends, and confidence of software deployment.
- Collaborate with AI/ML, Simulation, and Systems Engineering teams to ensure robust and reproducible evaluation of release candidates.
- Develop automated triage and failure analysis systems to identify and categorize root causes of reliability or stability regressions.
- Integrate data pipelines for continuous monitoring of release health, including automated collection of test, simulation, and telemetry data.
- Drive systematic improvements in release readiness criteria, defining measurable gates and pass/fail logic tied to product safety and reliability standards.
- Develop frameworks for continuous release validation, ensuring each ML or software iteration is tracked, reproducible, and explainable.
- Communicate insights and reliability findings to developers, QA, and leadership to influence roadmap prioritization and technical debt mitigation.
- Map reliability and automation processes to the broader safety case framework, ensuring compliance with relevant standards and internal governance.
What You Must Have
- Strong proficiency in Python and SQL.
- Proven experience in CI/CD systems (e.g., GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab, or equivalent).
- Prior experience implementing ELT/ETL pipelines for quality monitoring, reliability, or release metrics.
- Solid understanding of system reliability concepts, including regression tracking, flakiness detection, and automated triage.
- Strong analytical, debugging, and problem-solving skills across large-scale software systems.
- Experience integrating simulation or hardware-in-loop testing into automated pipelines.
- Track record of cross-functional collaboration across engineering, QA, and operations teams.
- Ability to learn quickly and operate effectively in a dynamic, high-stakes environment.
- Excellent communication skills for presenting data-driven insights to engineering and leadership stakeholders.
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field—or equivalent experience.
Bonus Points!
- Experience with release governance frameworks for ML or AV systems.
- Familiarity with reliability engineering methodologies (MTBF, FMEA, reliability growth analysis).
- Knowledge of AV/ADAS software architectures and simulation validation loops.
- Experience building metrics pipelines in cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
- Familiarity with data visualization and observability tools (Grafana, Superset, Power BI, etc.).
- Experience using Jira, GitHub Projects, or equivalent tools for release tracking and reliability triage.
About GM
Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.
Why Join Us
We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.
Benefits Overview
From day one, we're looking out for your well-being–at work and at home–so you can focus on realizing your ambitions. Learn how GM supports a rewarding career that rewards you personally by visiting Total Rewards resources.
Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)
General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.
All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws.
We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.
Accommodations
General Motors offers opportunities to all job seekers including individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, email us or call us at 1-800-865-7580. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.
See all 1,797+ OPT Software Systems Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Software Systems Engineer
Lead with systems-level experience
Hiring managers for this role want evidence you can design and integrate complex systems, not just write application code. Highlight projects where you worked across hardware, software, or networked components. Specificity about scale and architecture matters.
Confirm your STEM OPT eligibility early
Software Systems Engineering degrees in CS, ECE, or computer engineering typically qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Verify your degree CIP code with your DSO before applying, so you can accurately represent your authorization timeline to employers.
Target employers with active H-1B histories
Companies that have sponsored H-1B visas for systems engineers are far more likely to understand OPT and the transition path. Search by job title in Department of Labor disclosure data to identify which employers consistently sponsor this role.
Address authorization directly in your cover letter
Don't leave employers guessing about your status. State clearly that you have OPT work authorization and, if eligible, that you qualify for a STEM extension. Framing it as a three-year runway removes the main objection before the interview.
Emphasize cross-functional technical fluency
Software Systems Engineers routinely work with firmware, embedded systems, networking, or hardware integration teams. Candidates who can communicate across those boundaries are harder to find. Showcase any experience bridging software and physical or networked infrastructure.
Time your OPT application carefully
USCIS recommends applying for OPT at least 90 days before your program end date. A delayed EAD can push back your start date and complicate offers. Work with your DSO to submit early and keep documentation ready for employer onboarding.
Software Systems Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a Software Systems Engineer on OPT?
Yes, Software Systems Engineer is a qualifying role for F-1 OPT as long as the work is directly related to your degree field. Degrees in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and systems engineering all typically support this job title. Your DSO can confirm the connection between your specific degree and the role before you accept an offer.
Does a Software Systems Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
In most cases, yes. If your degree is in a STEM-designated field such as computer science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering, you're eligible to apply for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Your employer must also be enrolled in E-Verify. Combined with your initial 12-month OPT, this gives you up to 36 months of work authorization before needing H-1B or another status.
How do I find Software Systems Engineer jobs where employers are open to OPT?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and filters for employers willing to work with candidates on OPT and STEM OPT. Searching there is more efficient than sifting through general listings where sponsorship willingness is rarely disclosed upfront. You can browse Software Systems Engineer roles and see which employers are already familiar with F-1 work authorization.
What happens to my OPT if my Software Systems Engineer job ends before my EAD expires?
F-1 OPT allows a cumulative unemployment limit of 90 days during the initial 12-month period, and an additional 60 days during the STEM extension. If your role ends, that unemployment clock starts immediately. You can continue job searching within those limits, but exceeding them means you fall out of valid F-1 status. Notify your DSO as soon as your employment situation changes.
Do Software Systems Engineer roles at defense contractors or government agencies create OPT complications?
They can. Some positions at defense contractors or government agencies require security clearances, and non-U.S. citizens are generally ineligible for most clearance levels. This effectively disqualifies OPT students from a subset of systems engineering roles. When reviewing job listings, watch for language like 'clearance required,' 'U.S. persons only,' or 'must be a U.S. citizen.' Commercial and private-sector employers typically have no such restrictions.