STEM OPT Robotics Jobs
Robotics engineering roles qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension when your degree falls under an eligible CIP code and your employer is enrolled in E-Verify. With up to 36 months of total OPT authorization, you have a real runway to build hands-on experience in automation, controls, or systems integration before your H-1B visa transition.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
The Robotics Software Engineer III - Infrastructure is responsible for designing and enabling the foundational infrastructure that supports the full lifecycle of autonomous robotic systems, from source code to deployment and field observability. This position provides high leverage across perception, planning, controls, simulation, and safety teams by delivering durable platforms, shared workflows, and guardrails that allow product teams to move quickly without compromising reliability, traceability, or compliance. The Robotics Software Engineer III - Infrastructure sits at the intersection of robotics software, DevOps, simulation, and MLOps. This position focuses on building scalable systems and standards rather than acting as a first responder for day-to-day operational issues. Success is measured by reduced friction for autonomy engineers, improved release confidence, and infrastructure becoming a competitive advantage rather than a bottleneck.
Responsibilities
- Design and enable shared infrastructure supporting the end-to-end robotics software lifecycle: Source, Build, Test, Simulate, Deploy, Monitor.
- Standardize build systems and CI/CD pipelines across robotics software, embedded systems, and simulation environments.
- Define and manage artifact versioning strategies for software binaries, firmware, configuration, calibration data, maps, and vehicle-specific parameters.
- Establish platform standards, reference architectures, and best practices used across multiple product teams.
- Enable large-scale Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), and regression simulation workflows.
- Integrate simulation results into CI pipelines with clear pass/fail criteria and reporting.
- Support scenario-based testing, coverage tracking, and regression analysis.
- Provide infrastructure and tooling to improve correlation between simulation results and real-world vehicle behavior in collaboration with simulation and vehicle integration teams.
- Design and evolve shared infrastructure supporting the lifecycle of machine learning models used in autonomy systems.
- Enable dataset versioning, lineage tracking, training reproducibility, and model promotion workflows.
- Define standards for model packaging, deployment to vehicles, runtime monitoring, and rollback mechanisms.
- Partner with perception and autonomy teams to enable safe and performant model deployment, while domain teams retain ownership of model design and performance outcomes.
- Build and maintain reliable pipelines for deploying software and models to development vehicles, test fleets, and production systems.
- Enable vehicle-level observability through logging, metrics, and distributed tracing.
- Support rapid diagnosis of field issues and feedback loops into development, testing, and simulation environments.
- Enable traceability for safety-critical systems, including the ability to identify what software, model, and configuration ran on a specific vehicle at a given time.
- Support functional safety requirements by enabling reproducible builds, preserving validation evidence, and supporting audits and certification activities (e.g., ISO 3691-4, ISO 13849).
- Collaborate closely with Functional Safety Engineering to ensure infrastructure aligns with compliance and certification needs.
- Act as a force multiplier for autonomy engineers by reducing duplicated tooling and infrastructure maintenance overhead.
- Make pragmatic trade-offs between development velocity, system reliability, and safety requirements.
- Mentor engineers on platform usage, infrastructure best practices, and scalable system design.
- Influence technical direction across teams without direct people management responsibility.
- Other duties and projects, as assigned.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field, required
- Master's Degree or equivalent industry experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or distributed systems, preferred
Experience:
- 4 years of experience in software infrastructure, platform engineering, or DevOps position(s), preferred
Computer Skills:
- Hands-on experience with Linux-based systems and containerized environments, required
- Experience working with CI/CD systems, build tooling, and artifact management solutions, required
- Familiar with Bitbucket and Jira automation, preferred
- Practical experience with MLOps, including dataset and model versioning and deployment pipelines, preferred
- Familiar with robotics middleware such as ROS or ROS2, preferred
- Experience supporting complex, distributed, real-time, or hardware-integrated systems, required
- Proven ability to design and maintain systems used by multiple teams and products, preferred
Additional Requirements:
- Exposure to simulation-heavy environments or systems that integrate tightly with physical hardware.
- Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or embedded software development, preferred
- Experience with SIL and HIL testing methodologies, preferred
- Experience working in safety-critical or regulated environments, preferred
- Understanding of vehicle systems, sensors, and real-world deployment constraints, preferred
OTHER DETAILS
Work Hours:
- Generally, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm with occasional irregular hours depending on workload.
Travel Requirements:
- Occasional (25%-50%) Travel may be required to support field testing and collaboration.
Compensation:
- This is a salary position paid biweekly.
About us
ArcBest® (Nasdaq: ARCB) is a multibillion-dollar integrated logistics company that helps keep the global supply chain moving. Founded in 1923 and now with 14,000 employees across 250 campuses and service centers, the company is a logistics powerhouse, using its technology, expertise and scale to connect shippers with the solutions they need — from ground, air and ocean transportation to fully managed supply chains. ArcBest has a long history of innovation that is enriched by deep customer relationships. With a commitment to helping customers navigate supply chain challenges now and in the future, the company continues to invest in purpose-built technology such as ArcBest View™, its digital logistics platform that brings quoting, booking, shipment visibility and reporting into one connected experience.
INTRODUCTION
The Robotics Software Engineer III - Infrastructure is responsible for designing and enabling the foundational infrastructure that supports the full lifecycle of autonomous robotic systems, from source code to deployment and field observability. This position provides high leverage across perception, planning, controls, simulation, and safety teams by delivering durable platforms, shared workflows, and guardrails that allow product teams to move quickly without compromising reliability, traceability, or compliance. The Robotics Software Engineer III - Infrastructure sits at the intersection of robotics software, DevOps, simulation, and MLOps. This position focuses on building scalable systems and standards rather than acting as a first responder for day-to-day operational issues. Success is measured by reduced friction for autonomy engineers, improved release confidence, and infrastructure becoming a competitive advantage rather than a bottleneck.
Responsibilities
- Design and enable shared infrastructure supporting the end-to-end robotics software lifecycle: Source, Build, Test, Simulate, Deploy, Monitor.
- Standardize build systems and CI/CD pipelines across robotics software, embedded systems, and simulation environments.
- Define and manage artifact versioning strategies for software binaries, firmware, configuration, calibration data, maps, and vehicle-specific parameters.
- Establish platform standards, reference architectures, and best practices used across multiple product teams.
- Enable large-scale Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), and regression simulation workflows.
- Integrate simulation results into CI pipelines with clear pass/fail criteria and reporting.
- Support scenario-based testing, coverage tracking, and regression analysis.
- Provide infrastructure and tooling to improve correlation between simulation results and real-world vehicle behavior in collaboration with simulation and vehicle integration teams.
- Design and evolve shared infrastructure supporting the lifecycle of machine learning models used in autonomy systems.
- Enable dataset versioning, lineage tracking, training reproducibility, and model promotion workflows.
- Define standards for model packaging, deployment to vehicles, runtime monitoring, and rollback mechanisms.
- Partner with perception and autonomy teams to enable safe and performant model deployment, while domain teams retain ownership of model design and performance outcomes.
- Build and maintain reliable pipelines for deploying software and models to development vehicles, test fleets, and production systems.
- Enable vehicle-level observability through logging, metrics, and distributed tracing.
- Support rapid diagnosis of field issues and feedback loops into development, testing, and simulation environments.
- Enable traceability for safety-critical systems, including the ability to identify what software, model, and configuration ran on a specific vehicle at a given time.
- Support functional safety requirements by enabling reproducible builds, preserving validation evidence, and supporting audits and certification activities (e.g., ISO 3691-4, ISO 13849).
- Collaborate closely with Functional Safety Engineering to ensure infrastructure aligns with compliance and certification needs.
- Act as a force multiplier for autonomy engineers by reducing duplicated tooling and infrastructure maintenance overhead.
- Make pragmatic trade-offs between development velocity, system reliability, and safety requirements.
- Mentor engineers on platform usage, infrastructure best practices, and scalable system design.
- Influence technical direction across teams without direct people management responsibility.
- Other duties and projects, as assigned.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field, required
- Master's Degree or equivalent industry experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or distributed systems, preferred
Experience:
- 4 years of experience in software infrastructure, platform engineering, or DevOps position(s), preferred
Computer Skills:
- Hands-on experience with Linux-based systems and containerized environments, required
- Experience working with CI/CD systems, build tooling, and artifact management solutions, required
- Familiar with Bitbucket and Jira automation, preferred
- Practical experience with MLOps, including dataset and model versioning and deployment pipelines, preferred
- Familiar with robotics middleware such as ROS or ROS2, preferred
- Experience supporting complex, distributed, real-time, or hardware-integrated systems, required
- Proven ability to design and maintain systems used by multiple teams and products, preferred
Additional Requirements:
- Exposure to simulation-heavy environments or systems that integrate tightly with physical hardware.
- Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or embedded software development, preferred
- Experience with SIL and HIL testing methodologies, preferred
- Experience working in safety-critical or regulated environments, preferred
- Understanding of vehicle systems, sensors, and real-world deployment constraints, preferred
OTHER DETAILS
Work Hours:
- Generally, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm with occasional irregular hours depending on workload.
Travel Requirements:
- Occasional (25%-50%) Travel may be required to support field testing and collaboration.
Compensation:
- This is a salary position paid biweekly.
About us
ArcBest® (Nasdaq: ARCB) is a multibillion-dollar integrated logistics company that helps keep the global supply chain moving. Founded in 1923 and now with 14,000 employees across 250 campuses and service centers, the company is a logistics powerhouse, using its technology, expertise and scale to connect shippers with the solutions they need — from ground, air and ocean transportation to fully managed supply chains. ArcBest has a long history of innovation that is enriched by deep customer relationships. With a commitment to helping customers navigate supply chain challenges now and in the future, the company continues to invest in purpose-built technology such as ArcBest View™, its digital logistics platform that brings quoting, booking, shipment visibility and reporting into one connected experience.
See all 77+ STEM OPT Robotics Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new STEM OPT Robotics Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization in Robotics
Verify your CIP code covers robotics
Check your degree's CIP code against the DHS STEM OPT designated degree list before applying. Mechanical, electrical, computer, and systems engineering codes all qualify, but interdisciplinary programs sometimes use codes that don't appear on the list.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Ask your recruiter for the company's E-Verify employer ID or look up their enrollment status through the E-Verify portal. A robotics role at a hardware startup or a university spinout may not be enrolled, which disqualifies them as STEM OPT employers.
Target employers with active robotics LCA filings
Search Migrate Mate to filter for employers whose DOL Labor Condition Application history shows robotics, automation, or controls engineering roles. This surfaces companies that have already navigated the filing process for comparable positions.
Build your I-983 training plan around measurable goals
Your I-983 must list specific skills, equipment, and learning objectives tied to your robotics role, not generic language. Work with your DSO and supervisor to document goals like ROS proficiency, PLC programming, or computer vision system deployment before your extension start date.
Flag defense and government contractors early
Some robotics positions at defense contractors or national labs require security clearances that F-1 students typically can't obtain. Identify this requirement during the screening call so you don't spend weeks in a process that ends at background check.
Understand cap-gap coverage if your H-1B is selected
If you receive an H-1B selection while on STEM OPT, cap-gap automatically extends your work authorization through September 30 of the fiscal year. File your H-1B petition before your EAD expires and notify your DSO immediately so your SEVIS record stays current.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which STEM degrees qualify for the OPT extension in robotics roles?
Any degree whose CIP code appears on the DHS STEM OPT designated degree list qualifies. For robotics, that includes mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, systems engineering, and some mechatronics or applied physics programs. If your degree is interdisciplinary, confirm your exact CIP code with your DSO before targeting STEM OPT-eligible positions, since the code on your transcript determines eligibility, not the degree title.
Does every robotics employer need to be enrolled in E-Verify?
Yes. E-Verify enrollment is a hard requirement for all STEM OPT employers, with no exceptions. This applies to hardware startups, research institutions, and large manufacturers alike. Before signing an offer, ask the employer for their E-Verify company ID or have HR confirm enrollment in writing. Working for a non-enrolled employer while on STEM OPT violates your status. Use Migrate Mate to filter for employers with verified E-Verify enrollment before applying.
What goes into the I-983 training plan for a robotics engineering role?
The I-983 must describe a structured training experience with concrete, measurable learning objectives tied directly to your degree field. For robotics, that means specifying skills like motion planning algorithms, sensor fusion, embedded systems programming, or robot operating system frameworks. Vague language like 'gain industry experience' won't satisfy USCIS. Your supervisor signs the plan, your DSO certifies it, and you must update it every 12 months or when your role changes materially.
Can I work on a robotics project for a client site under a staffing arrangement on STEM OPT?
Staffing and third-party placement arrangements on STEM OPT require the employer of record, not the end client, to be enrolled in E-Verify and to be the entity signing your I-983. USCIS scrutinizes these arrangements closely, and placements where the day-to-day supervision sits entirely with the end client often don't satisfy the employer-employee relationship requirement. Confirm with your DSO and review USCIS guidance before accepting a contract-to-hire or staffing-agency offer.
How does cap-gap work if I'm in a robotics role and get selected in the H-1B lottery?
If your H-1B petition is filed before your EAD expires and you receive a timely filing receipt, cap-gap extends your STEM OPT work authorization automatically through September 30. You can keep working in your robotics role without interruption. Your DSO must update your SEVIS record to reflect cap-gap status, and your employer should retain the receipt notice. If premium processing is available, using it reduces uncertainty about whether your petition will be approved before October 1.