STEM OPT ML Research Engineer Jobs
ML Research Engineer roles in deep learning, NLP, and computer vision qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension if your degree is in computer science, electrical engineering, statistics, or a related STEM field. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and you'll need a signed I-983 training plan before your extension begins.
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DESCRIPTION
Annapurna Labs was a startup company acquired by AWS in 2015, and is now fully integrated. If AWS is an infrastructure company, then think Annapurna Labs as the infrastructure provider of AWS. Our org covers multiple disciplines including silicon engineering, hardware design and verification, software, and operations. AWS Nitro, ENA, EFA, Graviton and F1 EC2 Instances, AWS Neuron, Inferentia and Trainium ML Accelerators, and in storage with scalable NVMe, are some of the products we have delivered, over the last few years.
AWS Neuron is the complete software stack for the AWS Inferentia and Trainium cloud-scale machine learning accelerators and the Trn1 and Inf1 servers that use them. This position is for a Software Engineer that will lead the development of machine learning tools to run, optimize, and analyze machine learning workloads. This candidate must have had experience leading machine learning tool projects, preferably starting from architecture through several generations of delivery to customers. Deep knowledge of profiling and optimization, resource management, scheduling, code generation are needed. The ideal candidate will have worked on new instruction set architectures, which may include CPU, NPU, GPU and other forms of compute.
Key job responsibilities
This engineer will lead the design and implementation of ML infrastructure platform, building systems for capacity management, workload scheduling, and fleet orchestration across ML accelerators. They will work with ML scientists, training infrastructure engineers, hardware teams, and internal customers to ensure the ML Infra service delivers seamless ML Accelerator access with low wait times, high utilization, and zero-config deployment from various environments.
A day in the life
As you design and code solutions to help our team drive efficiencies in software architecture, you’ll create metrics, implement automation and other improvements, and resolve the root cause of software defects. You’ll also:
- Build high-impact solutions to deliver to our large customer base.
- Participate in design discussions, code review, and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
- Work cross-functionally to help drive business decisions with your technical input.
- Work in a startup-like development environment, where you’re always working on the most important stuff.
About the team
- High-impact, high-visibility: You'll directly accelerate every Neuron team's ability to ship — your work multiplies the output of 100+ engineers
- Greenfield opportunities: We're actively building new capabilities with significant design ownership for SDEs
- Small, senior team: where every person owns major components and drives architectural decisions
- AI infrastructure: Work at the intersection of Kubernetes, custom silicon, and large-scale ML workloads
Diverse Experiences
We value diverse experiences and non-traditional career paths. If your career is just starting or includes alternative experiences, we encourage you to apply.
Inclusive Team Culture
Our employee-led affinity groups foster inclusion. Events like CORE and AmazeCon inspire us to embrace our uniqueness.
Work/Life Balance
We strive for flexibility as part of our working culture, supporting you both at work and at home.
Mentorship & Career Growth
We offer knowledge-sharing, mentorship, and one-on-one code reviews to help you grow as a professional.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- 3+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
- 2+ years of non-internship design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- Experience programming with at least one software programming language
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 3+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent
- 2+ years of building large-scale machine-learning infrastructure for online recommendation, ads ranking, personalization or search experience
- Strong proficiency in Go/Java, Python and working knowledge Javascript/TypeScript
- Experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems on Kubernetes
- Experience designing, deploying, and maintaining production services at scale, including on-call ownership
- Experience with machine learning infrastructure — orchestration, scheduling, or resource management at scale
- Proficiency in application and kernel-level performance profiling and optimization
- Experience with integrated software/hardware performance analysis in heterogeneous compute environments
- Proficiency in observability and telemetry — instrumentation, metrics collection, alarming, dashboarding, and monitoring
- Experience debugging complex issues in large-scale distributed systems and driving best practices
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, WA, Seattle - 143,700.00 - 194,400.00 USD annually
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a ML Research Engineer
Verify your degree CIP code first
Check that your institution's program CIP code maps to an approved STEM field before you apply for the extension. Your DSO can confirm the code. Mismatches between your degree field and the STEM OPT list are a common reason extensions get rejected.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting
Search the E-Verify employer database directly on the E-Verify website before you sign an offer. Many research labs, university spin-outs, and early-stage AI startups are not enrolled, which disqualifies them from hiring you on STEM OPT.
Target your I-983 to ML research deliverables
Your I-983 training plan must describe concrete learning objectives tied to your role. For ML Research Engineer positions, this means listing specific model architectures, research methodologies, or publication goals rather than vague phrases like 'improve machine learning skills.'
Check prevailing wage before negotiating your offer
Run your job title and work location through the OFLC Wage Search to see the DOL wage level for ML Research Engineer roles. This figure sets the floor for what E-Verify employers must pay you, so knowing it strengthens your negotiating position.
Use Migrate Mate to find verified STEM OPT employers
Filter for ML Research Engineer openings on Migrate Mate, which surfaces employers with confirmed E-Verify enrollment. This cuts out the manual verification step and helps you focus your applications on companies that can legally hire you on STEM OPT.
File your extension application before your OPT EAD expires
USCIS must receive your I-765 extension application before your current EAD end date. For ML roles with competitive offer timelines, submit your paperwork as soon as your employer signs the I-983, not after you've accepted the offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an ML Research Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
ML Research Engineer is classified under computer and information research scientists (SOC code 15-1221) in O*NET, which falls within an approved STEM category. Your degree must be in a qualifying field such as computer science, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, or statistics. Confirm your program's CIP code with your DSO before filing.
What does my employer need to do to hire me on STEM OPT?
Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and must sign Form I-983, the training plan that documents your learning objectives and supervision structure. The I-983 must be completed before your extension application is submitted to USCIS. Employers who are not enrolled in E-Verify cannot hire you on STEM OPT, regardless of role or company size.
What goes into the I-983 training plan for an ML Research Engineer?
The I-983 must describe specific goals tied to your ML Research Engineer responsibilities: the techniques you'll learn, the research problems you'll work on, and how your supervisor will evaluate your progress. Generic descriptions get flagged. Tie each objective to a concrete deliverable, such as a published paper, a deployed model, or a research milestone.
How does cap-gap protection apply if I'm on STEM OPT and get selected in the H-1B lottery?
If you're on STEM OPT and your employer files an H-1B visa petition for you before your EAD expires, cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of that year. If your H-1B is approved with an October 1 start date, you're covered continuously. Your employer must file before your EAD end date for cap-gap to apply.
Where can I find ML Research Engineer jobs with employers already enrolled in E-Verify?
Migrate Mate lists ML Research Engineer roles and filters for employers with confirmed E-Verify enrollment, so you don't have to manually check each company before applying. This matters because research labs, university affiliates, and AI startups vary widely in their E-Verify status, and applying to an unenrolled employer wastes your STEM OPT window.