STEM OPT Data Infrastructure Engineer Jobs
Data Infrastructure Engineer roles in cloud platforms, distributed systems, and data pipeline architecture qualify for the STEM OPT 24-month extension if your degree falls under an eligible CIP code. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify. With 36 months of total OPT work authorization, you have real runway to grow into senior engineering roles while pursuing H-1B visa sponsorship.
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Get Access To All JobsAbout The Office
The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) advises the Mayor of the City of New York on criminal justice policy. MOCJ develops and implements strategies, with partners inside and outside government, to reduce crime and incarceration and to promote fairness and legitimacy. MOCJ works with law enforcement, city agencies, non-profits, foundations, and others to implement data-driven strategies that address current crime conditions, prevent offending, and build strong neighborhoods that ensure enduring safety.
About The Role
The Data Infrastructure Architect will design, implement, and manage MOCJ’s data architecture to support secure, scalable, and reliable data access, storage, integration, and analysis. This role will help build and maintain a high-quality data ecosystem by standardizing data structures, improving data flows, supporting data warehousing, and ensuring that agency data assets are secure, consistent, accessible, and usable for analytics, reporting, and decision-making.
Responsibilities Include But Are Not Limited To
Data Architecture and Modeling:
- Design conceptual, logical, and physical data models, database schemas, and enterprise data flow structures.
- Support the architecture and optimization of transactional databases, data warehouses, data lakes, and large-scale data systems.
- Develop scalable frameworks for storing, organizing, and accessing structured and unstructured data.
- Document data architectures, system dependencies, data flows, and technical standards.
Data Integration, Standardization, and Quality:
- Develop and maintain frameworks for integrating data from internal and external sources.
- Implement data normalization, transformation, and validation workflows using SQL, Python, and other scripting or automation tools.
- Support ETL/ELT processes and data quality controls to ensure reliable, consistent, and analysis-ready datasets.
- Monitor data quality, resolve inconsistencies, and recommend improvements to strengthen the agency’s data ecosystem.
Governance, Security, and Compliance:
- Define and support standards for data governance, metadata management, master data, access controls, and regulatory compliance.
- Ensure data assets are managed in accordance with applicable privacy, security, and compliance requirements.
- Partner with IT, legal, program, and research teams to support secure and appropriate use of agency data.
- Recommend tools, processes, and controls to strengthen data security, access management, and data integrity.
Technical Strategy and Implementation:
- Evaluate and recommend database platforms, storage solutions, cloud services, and data technologies that support agency needs.
- Plan and support deployments, migrations, and modernization of data systems.
- Monitor query performance, pipeline efficiency, system scalability, and data storage practices.
- Optimize ETL pipelines, normalization scripts, data structures, and automated data processes.
Cross-Functional Coordination:
- Work with internal and external data engineers, analysts, IT staff, program teams, and agency leadership to translate business needs into technical solutions.
- Provide guidance on data modeling, normalization, governance, and system design.
- Manage data infrastructure projects, timelines, resources, risks, and deliverables.
- Stay current on emerging technologies and best practices in data architecture, automation, cloud data platforms, and data quality management.
Minimum Qualifications
- Do you have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university?
- Do you have an associate degree from an accredited college or university along with two (2) years of experience with administrative, analytic, coordinative, supervisory or liaison responsibilities?
- Do you have a four-year high school diploma, or its educational equivalent approved by a state's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization along with four (4) years of experience as described in question "2" above?
- Do you have a satisfactory combination of education and/or experience equivalent to that described in questions "1," "2," and/or "3" above?
Preferred Skills
- Strong experience with SQL, NoSQL, Python, R, or other scripting languages.
- Experience with ETL/ELT processes and data modeling tools such as ERwin, ER/Studio, or similar platforms.
- Experience with data integration and transformation tools such as Azure Data Factory, Informatica, Talend, Alteryx, or comparable tools.
- Familiarity with Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, Synapse, distributed storage, data lakes, and large-scale data ecosystems.
- Strong understanding of data governance, metadata management, access controls, data quality, and normalization practices.
- Ability to translate business requirements into technical data solutions.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and project management skills.
- Ability to communicate complex data concepts clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
Additional Information
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
Compensation
- Salary: $68,213.00 – $140,000.00
Please Include Your Resume and Cover Letter Specific to This Position.
About The Office
The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) advises the Mayor of the City of New York on criminal justice policy. MOCJ develops and implements strategies, with partners inside and outside government, to reduce crime and incarceration and to promote fairness and legitimacy. MOCJ works with law enforcement, city agencies, non-profits, foundations, and others to implement data-driven strategies that address current crime conditions, prevent offending, and build strong neighborhoods that ensure enduring safety.
About The Role
The Data Infrastructure Architect will design, implement, and manage MOCJ’s data architecture to support secure, scalable, and reliable data access, storage, integration, and analysis. This role will help build and maintain a high-quality data ecosystem by standardizing data structures, improving data flows, supporting data warehousing, and ensuring that agency data assets are secure, consistent, accessible, and usable for analytics, reporting, and decision-making.
Responsibilities Include But Are Not Limited To
Data Architecture and Modeling:
- Design conceptual, logical, and physical data models, database schemas, and enterprise data flow structures.
- Support the architecture and optimization of transactional databases, data warehouses, data lakes, and large-scale data systems.
- Develop scalable frameworks for storing, organizing, and accessing structured and unstructured data.
- Document data architectures, system dependencies, data flows, and technical standards.
Data Integration, Standardization, and Quality:
- Develop and maintain frameworks for integrating data from internal and external sources.
- Implement data normalization, transformation, and validation workflows using SQL, Python, and other scripting or automation tools.
- Support ETL/ELT processes and data quality controls to ensure reliable, consistent, and analysis-ready datasets.
- Monitor data quality, resolve inconsistencies, and recommend improvements to strengthen the agency’s data ecosystem.
Governance, Security, and Compliance:
- Define and support standards for data governance, metadata management, master data, access controls, and regulatory compliance.
- Ensure data assets are managed in accordance with applicable privacy, security, and compliance requirements.
- Partner with IT, legal, program, and research teams to support secure and appropriate use of agency data.
- Recommend tools, processes, and controls to strengthen data security, access management, and data integrity.
Technical Strategy and Implementation:
- Evaluate and recommend database platforms, storage solutions, cloud services, and data technologies that support agency needs.
- Plan and support deployments, migrations, and modernization of data systems.
- Monitor query performance, pipeline efficiency, system scalability, and data storage practices.
- Optimize ETL pipelines, normalization scripts, data structures, and automated data processes.
Cross-Functional Coordination:
- Work with internal and external data engineers, analysts, IT staff, program teams, and agency leadership to translate business needs into technical solutions.
- Provide guidance on data modeling, normalization, governance, and system design.
- Manage data infrastructure projects, timelines, resources, risks, and deliverables.
- Stay current on emerging technologies and best practices in data architecture, automation, cloud data platforms, and data quality management.
Minimum Qualifications
- Do you have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university?
- Do you have an associate degree from an accredited college or university along with two (2) years of experience with administrative, analytic, coordinative, supervisory or liaison responsibilities?
- Do you have a four-year high school diploma, or its educational equivalent approved by a state's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization along with four (4) years of experience as described in question "2" above?
- Do you have a satisfactory combination of education and/or experience equivalent to that described in questions "1," "2," and/or "3" above?
Preferred Skills
- Strong experience with SQL, NoSQL, Python, R, or other scripting languages.
- Experience with ETL/ELT processes and data modeling tools such as ERwin, ER/Studio, or similar platforms.
- Experience with data integration and transformation tools such as Azure Data Factory, Informatica, Talend, Alteryx, or comparable tools.
- Familiarity with Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, Synapse, distributed storage, data lakes, and large-scale data ecosystems.
- Strong understanding of data governance, metadata management, access controls, data quality, and normalization practices.
- Ability to translate business requirements into technical data solutions.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and project management skills.
- Ability to communicate complex data concepts clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.
Additional Information
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
Compensation
- Salary: $68,213.00 – $140,000.00
Please Include Your Resume and Cover Letter Specific to This Position.
See all 258+ STEM OPT Data Infrastructure Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new STEM OPT Data Infrastructure Engineer Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Data Infrastructure Engineer
Verify your CIP code before applying
Check that your degree's CIP code maps to an eligible STEM field on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. Computer science, information systems, and electrical engineering codes commonly support Data Infrastructure Engineer roles, but your DSO confirms the match before you file Form I-983.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment during interviews
Ask recruiters directly whether the company is enrolled in E-Verify before you accept an offer. If they're unsure, look up the employer in the E-Verify employer search tool. Hiring a STEM OPT student without E-Verify enrollment puts your status at risk.
Build your I-983 training plan around measurable engineering goals
Your I-983 must show a genuine learning relationship between your work and your STEM degree. For data infrastructure roles, document specific skills you'll develop, such as distributed query optimization or container orchestration, rather than listing generic job duties.
Use Migrate Mate to target employers with STEM OPT hiring history
Filter your job search on Migrate Mate to surface Data Infrastructure Engineer roles at companies that have actively hired STEM OPT students. This saves time over cold-applying to employers who haven't navigated the E-Verify and I-983 process before.
Understand cap-gap protection before your OPT expires
If your employer files an H-1B petition before your STEM OPT end date and you're selected in the lottery, cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization through September 30. USCIS grants this protection without any additional action on your part, so filing timing matters.
Benchmark your offer against OFLC prevailing-wage data
Run your job title and location through the OFLC Wage Search before negotiating. For data infrastructure roles, the wage level your employer selects on the LCA affects your H-1B petition later, so verify the offered salary meets at least Level I or Level II rates for your metro area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Data Infrastructure Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your degree, not the job title alone. Your degree's CIP code must appear on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. Computer science, computer engineering, information technology, and electrical engineering degrees commonly support this role. Your DSO reviews your academic transcript and confirms eligibility before endorsing your I-20 for the extension. The job itself must also provide practical training directly related to your STEM field.
What E-Verify requirement applies to my STEM OPT employer?
Every employer who hires you on a STEM OPT extension must be enrolled in E-Verify and remain enrolled for the duration of your authorization period. This is a federal requirement under the STEM OPT rule, not an optional step. If your employer loses E-Verify access or withdraws from the program after you start, you and your DSO must be notified within five business days, and your authorization is at risk.
What goes into the I-983 training plan for a data infrastructure role?
Your I-983 must describe specific technical skills you'll develop that connect to your STEM degree, not just your daily job duties. For a Data Infrastructure Engineer, this means naming technologies, learning objectives, and mentorship structures, such as designing fault-tolerant pipelines, implementing data lake architectures, or mastering infrastructure-as-code tools. Both you and your employer sign the form, and your DSO must endorse it before your extension begins.
How does cap-gap work if my STEM OPT is expiring during H-1B season?
If your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf before your STEM OPT end date and USCIS selects you in the lottery, cap-gap protection automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of that year. You don't file separately for cap-gap. If your petition isn't selected, your STEM OPT end date controls, so confirm your employer's filing timeline well before the April 1 registration window.
Where can I find Data Infrastructure Engineer jobs at employers that support STEM OPT?
Migrate Mate surfaces Data Infrastructure Engineer roles filtered for employers with active STEM OPT and E-Verify hiring history. This is more efficient than applying broadly and discovering after an offer that the employer isn't enrolled in E-Verify or hasn't navigated the I-983 process. You can also cross-reference O*NET to understand which skills and degree fields align with this occupation code when assessing whether a role supports your extension.