OPT Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer Jobs
Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer roles are among the most OPT-friendly positions in tech. Companies filing H-1B visa petitions for ML engineers do so at high rates, and your STEM OPT extension gives you up to three years of work authorization to land and grow in one of these roles.
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Discolsure: The position is for the 2026-2027 School Year Only
REPORTS TO: Principal
SUPERVISES: May coordinate and direct the activities of teacher assistants.
PURPOSE: To plan, organize and present instruction and instructional environments that help students learn subject matter and skills that will contribute to their educational and social development.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
A. MAJOR FUNCTION: Management of Instructional Time
The teacher has materials, supplies, and equipment for each lesson ready at the start of the lesson or instructional activity; gets the class started quickly; gets students on task quickly at the beginning of each lesson; maintains a high level of student time-on-task.
B. MAJOR FUNCTION: Management of Student Behavior
The teacher has established a set of rules and procedures that govern the handling of routine administrative matters; has established a set of rules and procedures that govern student verbal participation and talk during different types of activities—whole-class instruction, small group instruction, etc.; has established a set of rules and procedures that govern student movement in the classroom during different types of instructional and non-instructional activities; frequently monitors the behavior of all students during whole-class, small group, and seat work activities and during transitions between instructional activities; stops inappropriate behavior promptly and consistently, yet maintains the dignity of the student.
C. MAJOR FUNCTION: Instructional Presentation
The teacher begins lesson or instructional activity with a review of previous materials; introduces the lesson or instructional activity and specific learning objectives when appropriate; speaks fluently and precisely; presents the lesson or instructional activity using concepts and language understandable to the students; provides relevant examples and demonstrations to illustrate concepts and skills; assigns tasks that students handle with a high rate of success; asks appropriate levels of questions that students handle with a high rate of success; conducts lesson or instructional activity at a brisk pace, slowing presentations when necessary for student understanding but avoiding slowdowns; makes transitions between lessons and between instructional activities within lessons efficiently and smoothly; makes sure that the assignment is clear; summarizes the main point(s) of the lesson at the end of the lesson or instructional activity.
D. MAJOR FUNCTION: Instructional Monitoring of Student Performance
The teacher maintains clear, firm and reasonable work standards and due dates; circulates during class work to check all students’ performance; routinely uses oral, written, and other work products to check student progress; poses questions clearly and one at a time.
E. MAJOR FUNCTION: Instructional Feedback
The teacher provides feedback on the correctness or incorrectness of in-class work to encourage student growth; regularly provides prompt feedback on assigned out-of-class work; affirms a correct oral response appropriately, and moves on; provides sustaining feedback after an incorrect response or no response by probing, repeating the question, giving a clue, or allowing more time.
F. MAJOR FUNCTION: Facilitating Instruction
The teacher has an instructional plan which is compatible with the school and system-wide curricular goals; uses diagnostic information obtained from tests and other assessment procedures to develop and revise objectives and/or tasks; maintains accurate records to document student performance; has instructional plan that matches/aligns objectives, learning strategies, assessment and student needs at the appropriate level of difficulty; uses available human and material resources to support the instructional program.
G. MAJOR FUNCTION: Interacting Within the Educational Environment
The teacher treats all students in a fair and equitable manner; interacts effectively with students, co-workers, parents, and community.
H. MAJOR FUNCTION: Performing Non-Instructional Duties
The teacher carries out non-instructional duties as assigned and/or as need is perceived; adheres to established laws, policies, rules, and regulations; follows a plan for professional development and demonstrates evidence of growth.
Direct Instruction and Student Support
- Direct instruction and intervention services for multilingual learners.
- Progress monitoring and language development support.
- Collaboration with classroom teachers.
- Student documentation and compliance requirements.
- Family communication and student support meetings.
Multilingual Learner Instruction
- Provide direct English Language Development (ELD) instruction to assigned multilingual learners.
- Deliver small-group, co-teaching, and/or classroom-based instructional services aligned to student language proficiency levels.
- Develop and implement lesson plans aligned with WIDA English Language Development Standards and district curriculum.
- Monitor student language development and academic progress through ongoing assessment and progress monitoring.
- Maintain student language plans, service documentation, progress records, and required state and federal documentation.
- Collaborate with classroom teachers to ensure appropriate accommodations, modifications, and instructional supports are implemented.
- Participate in MTSS, IEP, 504, and student support meetings as appropriate.
- Communicate regularly with families regarding student progress, services, and educational opportunities.
- Support multilingual learners through targeted intervention, tutoring, and enrichment opportunities as needed.
ADDITIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Performs other related work as required.
MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Degree in education or in a related area that will qualify for licensure as a teacher by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS REQUIRED TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Physical Requirements: Must be able to use a variety of equipment and classroom tools such as computers, copiers, typewriters, calculators, pencils, scissors, and equipment for children with special needs, etc. Must be able to exert a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Due to amount of time spent standing and/or walking, physical requirements are consistent with those for Light Work.
Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or composite characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments and/or directions from superiors.
Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, handbooks, forms, lists, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, simple reports, forms, instructional materials, etc., using prescribed format.
Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in variety of technical or professional languages including medical, legal and counseling terminology.
Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; and to apply the principles of descriptive statistics, statistical inference and statistical theory.
Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.
Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment.
Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment and hand tools. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
Color Discrimination: Requires the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.
Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.
Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words. Hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear). Must be able to communicate via telephone.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Ability to constantly monitor the safety and well-being of students, particularly when student is participating in an inclusive activity.
Ability to motivate students.
Ability to maintain a clean and orderly environment. Ability to perform general clerical duties.
Ability to maintain order and discipline in a classroom. Ability to operate common office machines.
Ability to maintain basic files and records.
Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitates by work assignments.
DISCLAIMER
The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job.
See all 699+ OPT Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer
Target companies with active H-1B ML hiring history
Search DOL LCA disclosure data for employers who have filed Labor Condition Applications for machine learning roles. Companies with consistent ML filings are already set up to sponsor OPT students and are far less likely to reject your application over visa status.
Position your STEM OPT extension as a runway, not a risk
Sr Staff roles involve long ramp-up periods. Frame your three-year STEM OPT extension as time for meaningful impact before H-1B visa sponsorship is needed. That framing shifts the conversation from immigration overhead to hiring timeline alignment.
Demonstrate end-to-end ML ownership, not just model building
Sr Staff roles require systems thinking across the full ML lifecycle. Highlight experience owning production pipelines, model governance, and cross-functional technical strategy. Generic model-training experience alone won't clear the bar at this seniority level.
Apply to large tech and AI-native companies first
Organizations like Google, Meta, Amazon, and dedicated AI labs have established immigration programs and dedicated legal teams. They can move faster on OPT authorization and H-1B sponsorship than companies sponsoring their first international hire.
Get your OPT STEM extension application in early
USCIS recommends filing your STEM OPT extension up to 90 days before your initial OPT expires. Processing delays are common. Filing late puts your work authorization at risk and can complicate an active job search at this level.
Prepare a sponsorship conversation for late-stage interviews
At Sr Staff level, hiring decisions involve legal and finance teams. Be ready to explain your OPT timeline, STEM extension eligibility, and H-1B cap-subject filing window clearly. Employers who are undecided often need factual clarity, not reassurance.
Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer on OPT?
Yes. F-1 students with approved OPT can work in Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer roles as long as the job is directly related to your field of study. Most ML and computer science degrees satisfy this requirement. If you have a STEM-designated degree, you can apply for a 24-month extension beyond your initial 12 months of OPT, giving you up to three years total.
Do Sr Staff Machine Learning Engineer roles commonly offer H-1B sponsorship?
Yes, more consistently than most job categories. Sr Staff ML engineers are in high demand, and companies competing for this talent routinely sponsor H-1B petitions. Employers filing Labor Condition Applications for machine learning titles include major tech companies and AI-focused startups alike. You can browse OPT-friendly Sr Staff ML roles on Migrate Mate, which filters specifically for positions open to F-1 students.
What qualifies as a STEM-eligible degree for a Sr Staff ML Engineer role?
Degrees in computer science, electrical engineering, statistics, applied mathematics, and data science are all typically STEM-designated under ICE's STEM Designated Degree Program List. Your school's DSO can confirm whether your specific program qualifies. If it does, you can apply for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, which must be filed with USCIS before your initial OPT expires.
How does the 60-day grace period affect my job search for Sr Staff ML roles?
If your OPT employment ends, you have a 60-day grace period to find new employment, transfer your SEVIS record, or depart the United States. Sr Staff-level hiring processes often take 6 to 12 weeks, so starting your search before your current authorization ends is critical. You cannot work during the grace period, only remain in status while you search.
What should I look for to confirm a Sr Staff ML Engineer role is OPT-compatible?
The role must be full-time (or authorized part-time if your OPT is part-time authorized), directly related to your degree field, and with a company that has an EIN and meets DSS employer requirements for STEM OPT. Check that the employer is willing to sign your Form I-983 Training Plan if you are on STEM OPT extension, as that reporting obligation is mandatory and some smaller employers are unfamiliar with it.