STEM OPT Network Engineer Jobs
Network Engineer roles in enterprise IT, cloud infrastructure, and telecommunications qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension when your degree aligns with an eligible CIP code. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and you'll work under a formal I-983 training plan tied to your engineering responsibilities.
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INTRODUCTION
Executes the design, installation, and maintenance of network infrastructure and related technologies. Uses network management tools to analyze performance in collaboration with senior team members. Coordinates network changes, communicating with stakeholders to ensure smooth transitions. Deploys networks and security policies using automated tools to enhance scalability and reliability. Serves as a technical liaison with customers and internal teams, maintaining network inventory and configuration data. Monitors and maintains network components independently, ensures proper functioning of hardware and software, and manages security and compliance policies. Supports mentoring peers, standardizing tasks, and troubleshooting connectivity issues, proactively addressing potential service impacts and resolving client problems. Some Network Service roles may develop and maintain standard and non-standard automation and scripts to optimize testing, operations, and network tasks, as well as create and customize dashboards, telemetry systems, and alerting mechanisms to monitor network health.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
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Support network service reliability. Monitor, operate, and maintain physical and cloud network services supporting Oracle Health customers. Take ownership of assigned operational tasks and follow issues through resolution or coordinated handoff.
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Support physical networks. Deploy, configure, maintain, upgrade, and troubleshoot routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers using established designs and procedures.
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Operate cloud networking. Configure and troubleshoot OCI and AWS virtual networks, subnets, routing, security controls, DNS, and load balancing within established patterns. Assist with private connectivity between cloud and data center environments.
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Apply operational automation. Use established Python tools and scripts for provisioning, validation, diagnostics, telemetry, compliance checks, and remediation. Interpret results, investigate common failures, and provide reproducible details to tool owners.
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Use infrastructure as code. Update approved Terraform variables and supported configuration settings, review plans, and execute established deployment workflows. Validate results and follow documented rollout, rollback, and state management procedures.
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Contribute to automation improvements. Identify repetitive operational tasks, describe requirements and expected outcomes, and help test and adopt updated tools, scripts, and configurations.
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Respond to incidents. Independently investigate common and moderately complex issues within familiar services. Gather evidence, apply approved recovery procedures, and escalate unfamiliar, high-impact, or unresolved problems promptly. Contribute to root cause analysis and assigned corrective actions.
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Execute safe production changes. Prepare and perform routine changes and defined portions of upgrades, migrations, and maintenance. Document implementation, validation, and rollback steps, and obtain required reviews and approvals.
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Improve operations. Contribute improvements to monitoring, alerts, configuration consistency, runbooks, and recovery procedures. Collect capacity and performance data and flag emerging concerns.
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Collaborate across teams. Coordinate assigned work with infrastructure, security, SRE, platform, application, and vendor teams. Share knowledge and seek senior engineering guidance when work exceeds established patterns.
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Maintain documentation and handoffs. Keep network diagrams, configuration records, runbooks, and issue updates accurate. Provide clear handoffs across regions and time zones.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
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Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and practical experience required.
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Practical experience supporting production enterprise, data center, or cloud networks, with the ability to complete well-defined operational work semi-independently.
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Working knowledge of networking fundamentals at a level typically associated with CCNA or CCNP study or equivalent practical experience, including TCP/IP, subnetting, switching, VLANs, routing, network segmentation, NAT, VPNs, and high availability.
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Understanding of BGP and OSPF fundamentals, with the ability to inspect routing tables, recognize common adjacency or route advertisement issues, and troubleshoot within established configurations.
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Hands-on experience configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting production network devices, with familiarity supporting routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, DNS, and DHCP.
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Practical cloud networking experience in OCI or AWS, including virtual networks, subnets, routing, security controls, and load balancing, with the ability to learn and support the other platform using established procedures.
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Ability to use packet captures, logs, metrics, telemetry, and basic Linux commands to investigate connectivity and service issues and identify when additional expertise is needed.
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Ability to run and read existing Python scripts, understand their inputs and outputs, investigate common execution errors, and engage tool owners with useful diagnostic information.
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Experience using existing Terraform configurations or modules, updating variables, interpreting planned changes, and following documented deployment and state management procedures.
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Familiarity with Git, pull requests, peer review, and automated validation or CI/CD workflows for configuration changes.
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Experience participating in incident response, documenting findings, following escalation procedures, and completing assigned corrective actions.
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Ability to manage assigned tasks, recognize operational risks, communicate blockers, and seek guidance when requirements or troubleshooting steps are unclear.
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Ability to communicate clearly during time-sensitive conference calls, summarize symptoms and actions taken, and provide audience-appropriate status updates and next steps to customers and partner teams.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
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Experience supporting both OCI and AWS, with familiarity with OCI VCNs, DRGs, and FastConnect, or AWS VPCs, Transit Gateway, and Direct Connect.
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Experience supporting healthcare technology or other environments with demanding availability, privacy, security, and compliance requirements.
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Experience making small, reviewed changes to existing scripts or using network device APIs, Ansible, or other configuration management tools.
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Experience contributing to monitoring, configuration compliance, capacity reviews, or disaster recovery exercises.
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Relevant networking or cloud certifications, such as CCNA, CCNP, or OCI/AWS certifications, or equivalent demonstrated technical knowledge.
On-Call and Global Collaboration
Participate as part of a team in a global on-call rotation and planned maintenance outside normal business hours, including weekends and holidays as assigned. Use established runbooks and escalation procedures, engage senior engineers for complex or high-impact issues, and maintain ownership of assigned actions through resolution or coordinated handoff.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Network Engineer
Verify your CIP code before applying
Check that your degree's Classification of Instructional Programs code maps to an approved STEM field. Computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering CIP codes are common fits for Network Engineer roles, but information systems degrees vary by institution.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Ask recruiters directly whether the company is enrolled in E-Verify before you advance to offer negotiations. An employer can legally hire you only if enrolled, so confirming this early prevents wasted time on roles that can't authorize your OPT extension.
Tailor your I-983 training plan to the role
Network Engineer training plans must connect your daily tasks, such as routing protocol configuration or network security monitoring, to your STEM degree's learning objectives. Generic plans get flagged by your DSO, so align specific job duties to identifiable academic competencies from your program.
Target employers with active infrastructure hiring cycles
Use Migrate Mate to filter Network Engineer openings by employers whose E-Verify enrollment is already confirmed, so you're only applying to roles where your STEM OPT authorization can actually be processed without delay.
Check prevailing wage levels before evaluating offers
Network Engineer roles fall under Standard Occupational Classification codes that DOL tracks for LCA filings. Run the OFLC Wage Search for your metro area to know whether an offer meets Level I through Level IV wage thresholds before accepting.
Extend your authorization window before OPT expires
File your STEM OPT extension application with USCIS at least 90 days before your initial OPT end date. A timely filing triggers a 180-day cap-gap so you can keep working while USCIS processes your extension, avoiding any gap in authorization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Network Engineer role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your employer is enrolled in E-Verify and your degree carries an approved STEM CIP code. Network engineering work typically aligns with computer engineering, electrical engineering, or computer science programs. You can cross-reference your role's Standard Occupational Classification code against the O*NET occupation profile to confirm the technical degree requirement that supports your extension eligibility.
What should my I-983 training plan include for a Network Engineer position?
Your I-983 must map specific job duties to concrete learning objectives from your STEM degree. For a Network Engineer, that means listing tasks like designing WAN architectures, configuring BGP or OSPF routing, or managing firewall policies, then connecting each to relevant coursework or academic competencies. Your employer's supervisor signs the plan, and your DSO must approve it before your extension is filed with USCIS.
How do I find Network Engineer employers who are enrolled in E-Verify?
Migrate Mate filters Network Engineer job listings to show only employers whose E-Verify enrollment is confirmed, which removes the guesswork from your application process. You can also ask a recruiter directly or request confirmation in writing before any offer stage, since STEM OPT work authorization is only valid with an enrolled employer.
What happens to my STEM OPT authorization if my Network Engineer employer loses E-Verify enrollment?
If your employer's E-Verify enrollment lapses or is terminated, your STEM OPT authorization becomes invalid for that employer. You must either find a new E-Verify-enrolled employer and update your I-983 with your DSO, or stop working immediately. USCIS requires continuous E-Verify enrollment for the full duration of your STEM OPT period, not just at the time of filing.
Does the 60-day grace period apply if my Network Engineer contract ends before my STEM OPT expires?
Yes. If your Network Engineer role ends, you have a 60-day grace period to find a new qualifying employer, transfer your I-983 training plan to that employer, and notify your DSO. You cannot work during this grace period, but it gives you time to secure a new offer with an E-Verify-enrolled company before your overall STEM OPT authorization is affected.