STEM OPT Applied AI Engineer Jobs
Applied AI Engineer roles sit squarely within STEM degree categories that qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, giving you up to 36 months of F-1 work authorization. Every employer you work for must be enrolled in E-Verify and sign a formal training plan with your DSO before your extension starts.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Kodiak is seeking a world-class Applied AI Engineer to design and build the AI Flywheel - the closed-loop system that powers continuous learning across our fleet of autonomous trucks.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
In this role, you will own the architecture and automation of a complete data-to-model flywheel: from mining hard edge cases, to orchestrating distributed training pipelines, to deploying models across our large-scale AI infrastructure. Your work will ensure that our models improve rapidly and continuously with every mile driven.
In this role, you will:
- Design and implement the end-to-end AI Flywheel, platforms for training, validation, deployment, and building a robust automated system.
- Build and maintain multi-node distributed training pipelines using tools like PyTorch DDP, Horovod, or Ray.
- Develop smart data mining and active learning strategies to prioritize valuable training data from petabyte-scale logs.
- Automate model evaluation and selection pipelines to support rapid iteration and closed-loop deployment.
- Build infrastructure for seamless model image packaging, validation, and rollout across Kodiak's autonomous fleet and AI platform.
- Ensure that the flywheel is reliable, reproducible, and scalable, capable of learning from millions of real-world miles.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
What you'll bring:
- Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a related field.
- 3+ years of experience building production-grade ML infrastructure or model pipelines.
- Deep proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
- Experience with distributed training and pipeline orchestration (e.g., Airflow, Kubeflow, Dagster).
- Strong engineering fundamentals, debugging skills, and ability to scale systems.
- Passion for turning real-world data into self-improving AI systems.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Ideal candidate will also bring:
- Experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or other sensor-rich real-world ML systems.
- Prior work with self-supervised learning, active learning, or large-scale data curation.
- Familiarity with containerization (Docker), model packaging, and deployment workflows.
- Comfort working in cross-functional teams with research scientists, infra engineers, and robotics experts.
- A mindset of ownership, experimentation, and systematic improvement.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
- Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
- MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
- Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
- Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA
- Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
- Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
- Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
- Fidelity 401(k)
- Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
- Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)
At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak's sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate's application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.
We use a third-party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications. As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate-submitted applications. Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring. Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations. We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed here. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process. If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact careers@kodiak.ai with "Separate Review Request" in the email subject line.
INTRODUCTION
Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Kodiak is seeking a world-class Applied AI Engineer to design and build the AI Flywheel - the closed-loop system that powers continuous learning across our fleet of autonomous trucks.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
In this role, you will own the architecture and automation of a complete data-to-model flywheel: from mining hard edge cases, to orchestrating distributed training pipelines, to deploying models across our large-scale AI infrastructure. Your work will ensure that our models improve rapidly and continuously with every mile driven.
In this role, you will:
- Design and implement the end-to-end AI Flywheel, platforms for training, validation, deployment, and building a robust automated system.
- Build and maintain multi-node distributed training pipelines using tools like PyTorch DDP, Horovod, or Ray.
- Develop smart data mining and active learning strategies to prioritize valuable training data from petabyte-scale logs.
- Automate model evaluation and selection pipelines to support rapid iteration and closed-loop deployment.
- Build infrastructure for seamless model image packaging, validation, and rollout across Kodiak's autonomous fleet and AI platform.
- Ensure that the flywheel is reliable, reproducible, and scalable, capable of learning from millions of real-world miles.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
What you'll bring:
- Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a related field.
- 3+ years of experience building production-grade ML infrastructure or model pipelines.
- Deep proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
- Experience with distributed training and pipeline orchestration (e.g., Airflow, Kubeflow, Dagster).
- Strong engineering fundamentals, debugging skills, and ability to scale systems.
- Passion for turning real-world data into self-improving AI systems.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Ideal candidate will also bring:
- Experience in autonomous vehicles, robotics, or other sensor-rich real-world ML systems.
- Prior work with self-supervised learning, active learning, or large-scale data curation.
- Familiarity with containerization (Docker), model packaging, and deployment workflows.
- Comfort working in cross-functional teams with research scientists, infra engineers, and robotics experts.
- A mindset of ownership, experimentation, and systematic improvement.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
- Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
- MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
- Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
- Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA
- Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
- Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
- Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
- Fidelity 401(k)
- Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
- Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)
At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate's residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak's sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate's application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.
We use a third-party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications. As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate-submitted applications. Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring. Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations. We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed here. By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process. If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact careers@kodiak.ai with "Separate Review Request" in the email subject line.
See all 163+ STEM OPT Applied AI Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as an Applied AI Engineer
Confirm your CIP code qualifies first
Check that your degree's Classification of Instructional Programs code appears on the USCIS STEM Designated Degree Program List before applying. Computer science, electrical engineering, and data science CIP codes typically qualify, but applied mathematics or interdisciplinary programs sometimes don't.
Verify E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Search the E-Verify employer search tool to confirm any company is actively enrolled, not just registered. Enrollment status can lapse, and accepting an offer from an unenrolled employer invalidates your STEM OPT extension before it begins.
Frame your I-983 training plan around AI deliverables
Work with your DSO to list specific model training tasks, ML pipeline responsibilities, and evaluation benchmarks in your I-983. Vague descriptions like 'software development' create compliance risk during ICE site visits; AI-specific objectives tied to your degree field do not.
Target teams with dedicated ML infrastructure budgets
Applied AI Engineer roles at companies without production ML systems often convert to generalist software roles over time, which can undermine the degree-field connection USCIS requires. Look for teams running inference at scale or maintaining model registries as a sign of genuine AI practice.
Use Migrate Mate to filter for E-Verify employers hiring OPT students
Migrate Mate lets you search Applied AI Engineer openings filtered to employers already enrolled in E-Verify and with documented OPT hiring history, cutting the manual verification step out of your job search entirely.
Start your H-1B cap-gap timeline from day one
If your STEM OPT end date falls after April 1, file your H-1B visa registration before your OPT expires. A timely-filed H-1B petition triggers cap-gap protection, letting you keep working under the same employer without a gap in authorization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Applied AI Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your underlying degree carries a qualifying CIP code. Computer science, electrical engineering, statistics, and data science programs typically appear on the USCIS STEM Designated Degree Program List. The role itself also needs to directly relate to that degree field, so a job focused on building, training, or deploying AI models fits cleanly. Confirm your specific CIP code with your DSO before filing.
What E-Verify steps does my employer need to complete for my STEM OPT?
Your employer must be actively enrolled in E-Verify before your STEM OPT extension start date. Enrollment alone isn't enough; the company must also sign the I-983 training plan with you and your DSO, report material changes to your role within five business days, and cooperate with any ICE site visit. You can confirm active enrollment status through the E-Verify employer search tool before signing an offer.
What goes into the I-983 training plan for an Applied AI Engineer?
The I-983 must describe specific learning objectives tied to your degree field, not just your job title. For an Applied AI Engineer, that means listing concrete deliverables: model architecture decisions, dataset pipeline ownership, evaluation framework development, or deployment responsibilities. Generic software tasks weaken the connection to your STEM degree and create compliance exposure. Your DSO reviews and co-signs the plan before ICE and SEVP receive it.
How does cap-gap protection work if my STEM OPT expires during H-1B processing?
Cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization if your employer files a timely H-1B petition before your OPT EAD expires. The extension runs through September 30 of the fiscal year the H-1B is filed for. You continue working for the same E-Verify employer under the same role without interruption. USCIS issues a cap-gap receipt notice confirming your continued authorization.
Where can I find Applied AI Engineer jobs with employers already enrolled in E-Verify?
Migrate Mate filters Applied AI Engineer listings to employers enrolled in E-Verify and with a history of hiring F-1 OPT students, so you're not manually cross-referencing the E-Verify employer search against job postings. You can also check DOL Labor Condition Application disclosure data to see which companies have filed for AI-related roles previously, which is a reliable signal that their HR teams understand OPT documentation requirements.