STEM OPT Embedded Jobs
Embedded roles in firmware, real-time systems, and hardware-software integration qualify for STEM OPT's 24-month extension, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and your degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or a related STEM field must align with the role's CIP code.
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We're seeking an experienced Systems Integration Engineer (SIE) to lead embedded firmware integration and interoperability efforts for Active Copper Cable (ACC) and Active Electrical Cable (AEC) products used in high-speed networking systems. This role focuses on firmware embedded within cable modules, enabling reliable link bring-up, management, and interoperability across multiple networking protocols and platforms.
In this role, you'll act as a technical authority for firmware supporting CMIS-managed active cables, working at the intersection of the OSI Physical (Layer 1) and Data Link (Layer 2). You'll collaborate closely with hardware validation, signal integrity, and networking teams to ensure robust interoperability with systems using Ethernet, PCIe, and InfiniBand.
This position is ideal for an embedded software engineer with a strong background in network devices, protocol behavior, and system-level integration, who enjoys solving cross-layer interoperability challenges.
Our Team
Molex's Copper Solutions Business Unit (CSBU) is a global team that works together to deliver exceptional products to worldwide telecommunication and data center customers. CSBU is one of the most highly technically advanced business units within Molex. Our engineering teams are designing cutting edge solutions for high-speed, high-density products that maximize speed, signal integrity, and efficiency.
Why Join Us?
You will play a critical role in defining how embedded firmware enables interoperability for ACC and AEC products across diverse networking platforms. This role offers deep technical ownership, hands-on system-level exposure, and the opportunity to influence how active cable firmware behaves across Layer 1 and Layer 2 boundaries.
You will work at the intersection of embedded software, hardware, and networking protocols, helping ensure reliable, scalable interoperability in lab and customer deployments.
What You Will Do
Embedded Firmware Integration:
- Troubleshoot bring-up and integration of embedded firmware within ACC/AEC cable modules
- Develop and integrate firmware running on DSPs, retimers, equalizers, and embedded controllers
- Implement and support CMIS-based management, configuration, and telemetry for active cables
- Validate firmware behavior across power-up, reset, link training, and runtime operation
Protocol & OSI Layer Interoperability:
- Debug issues spanning OSI Layer 1 (physical signaling, training, recovery) and OSI Layer 2 (link initialization, framing dependencies, error conditions)
- Analyze firmware behavior during system-level link bring-up and interoperability testing
Debug, Root-Cause, & Qualification Support:
- Lead firmware-centric root-cause analysis for qualification and interoperability failures
- Debug interactions between firmware, hardware, signal integrity, and link-level protocol behavior
- Instrument firmware to improve observability, diagnostics, and validation coverage
Cross-Functional Technical Leadership:
- Partner closely with hardware validation, networking, and data analysis engineers
- Review firmware requirements, CMIS assumptions, and protocol-specific behaviors
- Support technical escalations and mentor engineers on embedded firmware and interop best practices
Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or relevant engineering or IT related field
- Experience developing or integrating embedded firmware for networking or hardware-adjacent systems
- Working knowledge of CMIS and active cable management interfaces
- Experience debugging issues across physical and data link layers of the OSI model
- Experience resolving complex firmware-hardware interop issues
What Will Put You Ahead
- Experience with firmware for DSP- or retimer-based interconnects
- Familiarity with link training state machines, error recovery, and protocol bring-up
- Experience in interoperability, qualification, or compliance testing environments
- Experience working closely with PCA design, signal integrity, or HW validation teams
At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.
Hiring Philosophy
All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here.
Who We Are
As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to health care and consumer to data communications. The thousands of innovators who work for Molex have made us a global electronics leader. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products and leading-edge technologies help us deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.
At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.
Our Benefits
Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.
Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.
Equal Opportunities
Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information click here, aquí, or tu).
Your Job
We're seeking an experienced Systems Integration Engineer (SIE) to lead embedded firmware integration and interoperability efforts for Active Copper Cable (ACC) and Active Electrical Cable (AEC) products used in high-speed networking systems. This role focuses on firmware embedded within cable modules, enabling reliable link bring-up, management, and interoperability across multiple networking protocols and platforms.
In this role, you'll act as a technical authority for firmware supporting CMIS-managed active cables, working at the intersection of the OSI Physical (Layer 1) and Data Link (Layer 2). You'll collaborate closely with hardware validation, signal integrity, and networking teams to ensure robust interoperability with systems using Ethernet, PCIe, and InfiniBand.
This position is ideal for an embedded software engineer with a strong background in network devices, protocol behavior, and system-level integration, who enjoys solving cross-layer interoperability challenges.
Our Team
Molex's Copper Solutions Business Unit (CSBU) is a global team that works together to deliver exceptional products to worldwide telecommunication and data center customers. CSBU is one of the most highly technically advanced business units within Molex. Our engineering teams are designing cutting edge solutions for high-speed, high-density products that maximize speed, signal integrity, and efficiency.
Why Join Us?
You will play a critical role in defining how embedded firmware enables interoperability for ACC and AEC products across diverse networking platforms. This role offers deep technical ownership, hands-on system-level exposure, and the opportunity to influence how active cable firmware behaves across Layer 1 and Layer 2 boundaries.
You will work at the intersection of embedded software, hardware, and networking protocols, helping ensure reliable, scalable interoperability in lab and customer deployments.
What You Will Do
Embedded Firmware Integration:
- Troubleshoot bring-up and integration of embedded firmware within ACC/AEC cable modules
- Develop and integrate firmware running on DSPs, retimers, equalizers, and embedded controllers
- Implement and support CMIS-based management, configuration, and telemetry for active cables
- Validate firmware behavior across power-up, reset, link training, and runtime operation
Protocol & OSI Layer Interoperability:
- Debug issues spanning OSI Layer 1 (physical signaling, training, recovery) and OSI Layer 2 (link initialization, framing dependencies, error conditions)
- Analyze firmware behavior during system-level link bring-up and interoperability testing
Debug, Root-Cause, & Qualification Support:
- Lead firmware-centric root-cause analysis for qualification and interoperability failures
- Debug interactions between firmware, hardware, signal integrity, and link-level protocol behavior
- Instrument firmware to improve observability, diagnostics, and validation coverage
Cross-Functional Technical Leadership:
- Partner closely with hardware validation, networking, and data analysis engineers
- Review firmware requirements, CMIS assumptions, and protocol-specific behaviors
- Support technical escalations and mentor engineers on embedded firmware and interop best practices
Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or relevant engineering or IT related field
- Experience developing or integrating embedded firmware for networking or hardware-adjacent systems
- Working knowledge of CMIS and active cable management interfaces
- Experience debugging issues across physical and data link layers of the OSI model
- Experience resolving complex firmware-hardware interop issues
What Will Put You Ahead
- Experience with firmware for DSP- or retimer-based interconnects
- Familiarity with link training state machines, error recovery, and protocol bring-up
- Experience in interoperability, qualification, or compliance testing environments
- Experience working closely with PCA design, signal integrity, or HW validation teams
At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.
Hiring Philosophy
All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here.
Who We Are
As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to health care and consumer to data communications. The thousands of innovators who work for Molex have made us a global electronics leader. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products and leading-edge technologies help us deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.
At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.
Our Benefits
Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.
Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.
Equal Opportunities
Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information click here, aquí, or tu).
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization in Embedded
Verify your CIP code before applying
Pull your degree's CIP code from your DSO and cross-check it against USCIS's STEM Designated Degree Program list. Embedded roles often map to electrical engineering or computer engineering codes, but firmware-heavy positions sometimes require a closer match review.
Filter jobs by E-Verify enrollment status
Before applying, confirm each employer is enrolled in E-Verify by searching the E-Verify employer search tool. Many small embedded systems shops and defense subcontractors operate without E-Verify, which disqualifies them from hiring STEM OPT students outright.
Tailor your I-983 training plan to embedded deliverables
Work with your hiring manager to map your training objectives to specific embedded systems outcomes, such as RTOS integration milestones or hardware bring-up cycles. Vague plans that don't connect job duties to your degree field draw DSO scrutiny and can delay authorization.
Use O*NET to align your job description language
Look up the Embedded Systems Engineer occupation profile on O*NET and mirror its task and skill language in your resume and I-983. Matching USCIS-recognized occupational terminology strengthens the connection between your STEM degree and the role during any compliance review.
Target employers filing LCAs for embedded roles
Search the OFLC Wage Search to find companies that have filed Labor Condition Applications for embedded or firmware engineering positions. Employers with active LCA filings already understand work authorization processes and are more likely to have HR infrastructure for STEM OPT paperwork.
Use Migrate Mate to find E-Verify employers hiring now
Search Migrate Mate for embedded engineering roles filtered to E-Verify-enrolled employers actively hiring STEM OPT students. The platform surfaces companies with verified sponsorship history, so you're not wasting applications on employers who can't legally hire you.
Embedded jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Embedded JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Does my STEM degree qualify me for the 24-month STEM OPT extension in embedded engineering roles?
It depends on your specific degree and its CIP code, not just your job title. Degrees in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science are commonly listed on USCIS's STEM Designated Degree Program list and align well with embedded roles. Your DSO must verify the CIP code match before authorizing the extension, so confirm eligibility with them before you accept an offer.
Does every employer hiring for embedded positions need to be enrolled in E-Verify?
Yes. E-Verify enrollment is a hard requirement for any employer hiring a STEM OPT student. Many embedded systems employers, particularly small defense subcontractors and hardware startups, are not enrolled. You can confirm enrollment through the E-Verify employer search before applying. If an employer isn't listed, they cannot legally hire you on STEM OPT, regardless of the role's qualifications.
What should the I-983 training plan include for an embedded engineering position?
Your I-983 must connect your specific job duties to your STEM degree field with concrete learning objectives and performance evaluation criteria. For embedded roles, this means documenting outcomes like low-level driver development, real-time operating system work, or hardware-software interface projects. Generic descriptions like 'software development' are insufficient. Your DSO and employer both sign the plan, and USCIS can audit it, so specificity protects you.
How does cap-gap protection apply if my employer files an H-1B petition while I'm on STEM OPT?
If your STEM OPT authorization expires between April 1 and September 30 and your employer has filed a timely H-1B cap-subject petition on your behalf, cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of that year. You don't need to apply separately. Your I-20 must be updated by your DSO to reflect cap-gap status, and you should carry it with your EAD when working during this period.
Where can I find embedded engineering jobs with employers already set up for STEM OPT hiring?
Migrate Mate lists embedded engineering roles filtered to E-Verify-enrolled employers with demonstrated sponsorship history. This saves significant time compared to researching each company individually, since STEM OPT eligibility depends entirely on the employer's E-Verify status, not just the job's technical requirements. You can search by role type and filter for employers already familiar with STEM OPT compliance obligations.
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