OPT UX Designer Jobs
UX Designer roles are among the more OPT-friendly positions in tech, most require a degree in design, HCI, or a related field, which satisfies F-1 work authorization requirements. STEM OPT extension eligibility depends on your specific degree CIP code, so confirm with your DSO before applying.
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Get Access To All JobsJoin us as we work to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.
Position Summary:
Design experiences that help healthcare teams work more effectively in athenahealth’s EHR and practice management products. In this role, you will partner with product and engineering to solve complex clinical and workflow challenges through thoughtful UX design, research-informed decision-making, and clear design execution. This position is based in Boston, MA and follows a hybrid work mode. This role reports to the UI & UX Design Director.
About the Team:
This team designs user experiences that support healthcare workflows across athenahealth’s product suite. The team partners closely with product, engineering, clinical, and other stakeholders to identify user needs, shape product direction, and deliver practical solutions. Team members use design, research, prototyping, and collaboration tools to explore ideas, test concepts, and support implementation. The team focuses on improving usability, clarity, and consistency across the experiences it helps create.
Essential Job Responsibilities:
- Frame user problems and facilitate solutioning sessions to guide design direction.
- Create sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and other design artifacts that communicate concepts clearly.
- Conduct user research and heuristic reviews to evaluate usefulness, usability, and workflow fit.
- Partner with product and engineering throughout planning, design, and development to support high-quality implementation.
- Apply systems thinking to simplify complex user, workflow, and data relationships.
- Contribute to journey maps, vision documents, and other design planning materials that inform prioritization.
- Present and explain design decisions to product, clinical, and engineering stakeholders.
- Use AI tools as part of the design process to support ideation, prototyping, and faster exploration of design options while applying sound judgment to determine when human review and refinement are needed.
- Support client engagements, including onsite sessions when needed, to gather feedback and validate design decisions.
Additional Job Responsibilities:
- Support junior designers through feedback, reviews, and informal coaching.
- Contribute to team process improvements and design standards.
- Participate in collaborative discussions that improve product direction and design quality.
- Help identify opportunities to improve consistency across product experiences.
- Assist with documentation that supports design decisions and implementation.
- Stay current on design methods, healthcare workflows, and emerging tools relevant to the role.
Expected Education & Experience:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 4–5+ years of professional experience in digital product design.
- Experience creating high-quality design deliverables, including visual design, prototyping, copywriting, and specifications.
- Experience planning, facilitating, analyzing, and reporting user research using qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Experience working in an agile product development environment.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to explain design decisions clearly.
- Experience using Figma.
- Experience using AI tools such as Claude, Codex, Figma Make, or similar tools as part of a regular design workflow.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with peers, clients, and cross-functional partners throughout the design process.
- Comfort working in a changing environment and adapting to evolving priorities.
- Interest in experimentation and continuous learning, with the ability to apply critical thinking to determine when human judgment should guide the final outcome.
Expected Compensation
$107,000 - $181,000* The base salary range shown reflects the full range for this role from minimum to maximum. At athenahealth, base pay depends on multiple factors, including job-related experience, relevant knowledge and skills, how your qualifications compare to others in similar roles, and geographical market rates. Base pay is only one part of our competitive Total Rewards package - depending on role eligibility, we offer both short and long-term incentives by way of an annual discretionary bonus plan, variable compensation plan, and equity plans.
About athenahealth
Our vision: In an industry that becomes more complex by the day, we stand for simplicity. We offer IT solutions and expert services that eliminate the daily hurdles preventing healthcare providers from focusing entirely on their patients — powered by our vision to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.
Our company culture: Our talented employees — or athenistas, as we call ourselves — spark the innovation and passion needed to accomplish our vision. We are a diverse group of dreamers and do-ers with unique knowledge, expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives. We unite as mission-driven problem-solvers with a deep desire to achieve our vision and make our time here count. Our award-winning culture is built around shared values of inclusiveness, accountability, and support.
Our DEI commitment: Our vision of accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all requires addressing the inequities that stand in the way. That's one reason we prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our business, from attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce to maintaining an inclusive environment for athenistas, our partners, customers and the communities where we work and serve.
What we can do for you:
Along with health and financial benefits, athenistas enjoy perks specific to each location, including commuter support, employee assistance programs, tuition assistance, employee resource groups, and collaborative workspaces — some offices even welcome dogs.
We also encourage a better work-life balance for athenistas with our flexibility. While we know in-office collaboration is critical to our vision, we recognize that not all work needs to be done within an office environment, full-time. With consistent communication and digital collaboration tools, athenahealth enables employees to find a balance that feels fulfilling and productive for each individual situation.
In addition to our traditional benefits and perks, we sponsor events throughout the year, including book clubs, external speakers, and hackathons. We provide athenistas with a company culture based on learning, the support of an engaged team, and an inclusive environment where all employees are valued.
Learn more about our culture and benefits here: athenahealth.com/careers
https://www.athenahealth.com/careers/equal-opportunity
Join us as we work to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.
Position Summary:
Design experiences that help healthcare teams work more effectively in athenahealth’s EHR and practice management products. In this role, you will partner with product and engineering to solve complex clinical and workflow challenges through thoughtful UX design, research-informed decision-making, and clear design execution. This position is based in Boston, MA and follows a hybrid work mode. This role reports to the UI & UX Design Director.
About the Team:
This team designs user experiences that support healthcare workflows across athenahealth’s product suite. The team partners closely with product, engineering, clinical, and other stakeholders to identify user needs, shape product direction, and deliver practical solutions. Team members use design, research, prototyping, and collaboration tools to explore ideas, test concepts, and support implementation. The team focuses on improving usability, clarity, and consistency across the experiences it helps create.
Essential Job Responsibilities:
- Frame user problems and facilitate solutioning sessions to guide design direction.
- Create sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and other design artifacts that communicate concepts clearly.
- Conduct user research and heuristic reviews to evaluate usefulness, usability, and workflow fit.
- Partner with product and engineering throughout planning, design, and development to support high-quality implementation.
- Apply systems thinking to simplify complex user, workflow, and data relationships.
- Contribute to journey maps, vision documents, and other design planning materials that inform prioritization.
- Present and explain design decisions to product, clinical, and engineering stakeholders.
- Use AI tools as part of the design process to support ideation, prototyping, and faster exploration of design options while applying sound judgment to determine when human review and refinement are needed.
- Support client engagements, including onsite sessions when needed, to gather feedback and validate design decisions.
Additional Job Responsibilities:
- Support junior designers through feedback, reviews, and informal coaching.
- Contribute to team process improvements and design standards.
- Participate in collaborative discussions that improve product direction and design quality.
- Help identify opportunities to improve consistency across product experiences.
- Assist with documentation that supports design decisions and implementation.
- Stay current on design methods, healthcare workflows, and emerging tools relevant to the role.
Expected Education & Experience:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 4–5+ years of professional experience in digital product design.
- Experience creating high-quality design deliverables, including visual design, prototyping, copywriting, and specifications.
- Experience planning, facilitating, analyzing, and reporting user research using qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Experience working in an agile product development environment.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to explain design decisions clearly.
- Experience using Figma.
- Experience using AI tools such as Claude, Codex, Figma Make, or similar tools as part of a regular design workflow.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with peers, clients, and cross-functional partners throughout the design process.
- Comfort working in a changing environment and adapting to evolving priorities.
- Interest in experimentation and continuous learning, with the ability to apply critical thinking to determine when human judgment should guide the final outcome.
Expected Compensation
$107,000 - $181,000* The base salary range shown reflects the full range for this role from minimum to maximum. At athenahealth, base pay depends on multiple factors, including job-related experience, relevant knowledge and skills, how your qualifications compare to others in similar roles, and geographical market rates. Base pay is only one part of our competitive Total Rewards package - depending on role eligibility, we offer both short and long-term incentives by way of an annual discretionary bonus plan, variable compensation plan, and equity plans.
About athenahealth
Our vision: In an industry that becomes more complex by the day, we stand for simplicity. We offer IT solutions and expert services that eliminate the daily hurdles preventing healthcare providers from focusing entirely on their patients — powered by our vision to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.
Our company culture: Our talented employees — or athenistas, as we call ourselves — spark the innovation and passion needed to accomplish our vision. We are a diverse group of dreamers and do-ers with unique knowledge, expertise, backgrounds, and perspectives. We unite as mission-driven problem-solvers with a deep desire to achieve our vision and make our time here count. Our award-winning culture is built around shared values of inclusiveness, accountability, and support.
Our DEI commitment: Our vision of accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all requires addressing the inequities that stand in the way. That's one reason we prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of our business, from attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce to maintaining an inclusive environment for athenistas, our partners, customers and the communities where we work and serve.
What we can do for you:
Along with health and financial benefits, athenistas enjoy perks specific to each location, including commuter support, employee assistance programs, tuition assistance, employee resource groups, and collaborative workspaces — some offices even welcome dogs.
We also encourage a better work-life balance for athenistas with our flexibility. While we know in-office collaboration is critical to our vision, we recognize that not all work needs to be done within an office environment, full-time. With consistent communication and digital collaboration tools, athenahealth enables employees to find a balance that feels fulfilling and productive for each individual situation.
In addition to our traditional benefits and perks, we sponsor events throughout the year, including book clubs, external speakers, and hackathons. We provide athenistas with a company culture based on learning, the support of an engaged team, and an inclusive environment where all employees are valued.
Learn more about our culture and benefits here: athenahealth.com/careers
https://www.athenahealth.com/careers/equal-opportunity
See all 164+ OPT UX Designer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT UX Designer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a UX Designer
Lead with your portfolio, not your authorization status
Hiring managers decide on UX candidates based on portfolio quality before reviewing anything else. A strong case study that shows your process from research to final design will get you further than any cover letter explaining your OPT status.
Target companies that already employ international designers
Companies that have sponsored UX designers before are far more likely to do it again. Check DOL LCA disclosure data filtered for UX and product design job titles to identify employers with a track record of international hires.
Know your STEM extension eligibility before you start applying
UX Design programs under HCI or Information Science CIP codes often qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Confirm your degree's CIP code with your DSO, it significantly changes how employers view your available work authorization window.
Frame your international perspective as a design asset
Cross-cultural fluency is genuinely valuable in UX. If you've designed for users across different cultural contexts or languages, call that out explicitly in your portfolio and interviews, it differentiates you in a way most domestic candidates cannot.
Apply to mid-size product companies, not just big tech
Mid-size SaaS and product companies often have faster hiring decisions and more flexibility on sponsorship than large enterprises. They're also more likely to have a single UX team where your impact is visible and your sponsorship case is easier to make.
Be specific about your OPT end date when asked
Vague answers about work authorization create hesitation. Know your exact OPT end date, whether you qualify for a STEM extension, and what the H-1B visa timeline looks like. Confident, specific answers reduce perceived risk for the hiring manager.
UX Designer OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Do UX Designer roles typically qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your specific degree, not the job title. If your degree is in Human-Computer Interaction, Information Science, or a design program with a qualifying STEM CIP code, you may be eligible for the 24-month extension. Confirm your CIP code with your DSO, your university's international student office has the final say, not your employer.
How do I explain my OPT status to a hiring manager without losing the offer?
Be direct and prepared. Tell them you're authorized to work for up to 12 months on OPT, that you may qualify for a 24-month STEM extension depending on your degree, and that H-1B sponsorship would be the long-term path. Framing it as a clear, manageable timeline works better than being vague or apologetic about your status.
Where can I find UX Designer jobs that are open to OPT candidates?
Migrate Mate is the best starting point, it's built specifically for F-1 OPT students and filters for employers open to sponsoring international candidates. Searching a general job board makes it hard to tell which companies will actually move forward with OPT workers, so a platform filtered for your situation saves significant time.
Can I work as a freelance UX Designer on OPT?
Yes, but with conditions. Self-employment is permitted on OPT as long as the work is directly related to your degree field and you're actively running a legitimate business. You need a valid business entity and should document your work carefully. Consult your DSO before pursuing freelance work to make sure your specific situation is compliant.
Does my UX design internship count toward OPT if it's unpaid?
Unpaid positions are allowed on OPT only if they meet strict criteria, the position must be a legitimate part of an established internship program, directly related to your degree, and compliant with federal labor laws. Many unpaid arrangements do not meet these standards. Your DSO can review the specific offer before you accept to confirm it qualifies.