STEM OPT Network Technician Jobs
Network Technician roles in IT infrastructure, network administration, and systems support qualify for STEM OPT's 24-month extension when your degree falls under an eligible CIP code. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify before you can start, and your role must directly apply your STEM training.
Find STEM OPT Network Technician JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 164+ Network Technician jobs










See all 164+ Network Technician Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Network Technician roles.
Get Access To All Jobs
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
-
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.
-
Support physical networks. Deploy, configure, maintain, upgrade, and troubleshoot routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers using established designs and procedures.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Contribute to automation improvements. Identify repetitive operational tasks, describe requirements and expected outcomes, and help test and adopt updated tools, scripts, and configurations.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Improve operations. Contribute improvements to monitoring, alerts, configuration consistency, runbooks, and recovery procedures. Collect capacity and performance data and flag emerging concerns.
-
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.
-
Maintain documentation and handoffs. Keep network diagrams, configuration records, runbooks, and issue updates accurate. Provide clear handoffs across regions and time zones.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
-
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and practical experience required.
-
Practical experience supporting production enterprise, data center, or cloud networks, with the ability to complete well-defined operational work semi-independently.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Hands-on experience configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting production network devices, with familiarity supporting routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, DNS, and DHCP.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Experience using existing Terraform configurations or modules, updating variables, interpreting planned changes, and following documented deployment and state management procedures.
-
Familiarity with Git, pull requests, peer review, and automated validation or CI/CD workflows for configuration changes.
-
Experience participating in incident response, documenting findings, following escalation procedures, and completing assigned corrective actions.
-
Ability to manage assigned tasks, recognize operational risks, communicate blockers, and seek guidance when requirements or troubleshooting steps are unclear.
-
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
-
Experience supporting both OCI and AWS, with familiarity with OCI VCNs, DRGs, and FastConnect, or AWS VPCs, Transit Gateway, and Direct Connect.
-
Experience supporting healthcare technology or other environments with demanding availability, privacy, security, and compliance requirements.
-
Experience making small, reviewed changes to existing scripts or using network device APIs, Ansible, or other configuration management tools.
-
Experience contributing to monitoring, configuration compliance, capacity reviews, or disaster recovery exercises.
-
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.
See all 164+ STEM OPT Network Technician Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new STEM OPT Network Technician Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization as a Network Technician
Confirm your CIP code covers networking
Computer Engineering, Information Technology, and Computer Science CIP codes typically qualify for STEM OPT, but Network Administration degrees vary. Cross-check your specific degree classification against the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List before applying to roles.
Verify E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Ask HR directly whether the company is an active E-Verify participant, not just registered. Enrollment status can lapse, and USCIS requires confirmed enrollment at the time your STEM OPT extension is filed, not just when you start.
Target employers with active IT infrastructure teams
Network Technician roles at managed service providers, healthcare systems, and university IT departments often sponsor OPT students because they run continuous hiring cycles and already hold E-Verify enrollment. Use Migrate Mate to filter for employers with verified STEM OPT hiring history.
Align your I-983 training plan to networking competencies
Your I-983 must map specific job duties, such as configuring routers or managing VLANs, to your STEM degree curriculum. Generic descriptions get flagged by DSOs. Ask your supervisor to co-draft the learning objectives before your DSO approves the plan.
Use the OFLC Wage Search to benchmark offer letters
Network Technician prevailing wages differ by metro area and experience tier. Pull the DOL wage level for SOC code 15-1231 in your target city before negotiating, so you can confirm the offer meets DOL standards and flag any discrepancy early.
File your STEM OPT extension 90 days before OPT expires
USCIS allows you to file up to 90 days before your current OPT EAD expires. Filing late forfeits your cap-gap protection if an H-1B visa petition is pending. Build your employer's E-Verify verification and I-983 sign-off into your timeline well before that window opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Network Technician role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Yes, if your employer is enrolled in E-Verify and your degree falls under a DHS-designated STEM CIP code. Network Technician work is classified under SOC code 15-1231 by O*NET, and degrees in Computer Engineering, Information Technology, or Computer Networks commonly qualify. Confirm your specific CIP code against the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List before filing.
What does the I-983 training plan need to include for a Network Technician job?
Your I-983 must describe how the specific duties of your Network Technician role, such as configuring switches, monitoring network performance, or managing IP address schemes, directly apply skills from your STEM degree. Vague job descriptions won't satisfy your DSO. Your employer and supervisor must sign the plan, and your DSO must approve it before your extension is filed with USCIS.
How do I confirm my employer is enrolled in E-Verify before I start?
Ask the HR or hiring manager for the company's E-Verify Company ID number. You can confirm active enrollment through the E-Verify employer search tool on the E-Verify website. Enrollment must be active at the time USCIS adjudicates your STEM OPT extension, not just when you accept the offer. A lapsed enrollment can cause your extension to be denied.
How do I find Network Technician employers who hire STEM OPT students?
Migrate Mate filters Network Technician listings by employers with verified E-Verify enrollment and STEM OPT hiring history, so you're not applying blind. Managed service providers, enterprise IT departments, and healthcare networks tend to run ongoing hiring cycles and are more familiar with the I-983 and STEM OPT reporting requirements than smaller employers.
What happens to my work authorization if I'm in cap-gap and get a Network Technician offer?
Cap-gap extends your OPT work authorization automatically from April 1 through September 30 if your employer filed an H-1B petition on your behalf before your OPT expired. Your STEM OPT EAD is not required during cap-gap, but you must remain employed in a role consistent with your OPT authorization. Switching employers mid-cap-gap restarts your I-983 and E-Verify obligations with the new company.