STEM OPT Systems Programmer Jobs
Systems Programmer roles fall squarely within STEM OPT eligibility, giving you up to 36 months of work authorization to build your career in low-level systems, OS development, or embedded software. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and your degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related STEM field must align with the role's CIP code.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Axle is seeking a Computer Programmer to join our vibrant team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, MD.
BENEFITS WE OFFER:
- 100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
- Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
- 401K match up to 5%
- Educational Benefits for Career Growth
- Employee Referral Bonus
- Flexible Spending Accounts:
- Healthcare (FSA)
- Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
- Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
- Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)
Responsibilities
- Maintain, enhance, secure, and modernize NCI’s Scientific Coding System (SCS), Scientific Managers Analysis and Reporting Tool (SMART), and NCI Funded Research Portfolio (NFRP).
- Troubleshoot production issues, application errors, performance problems, and system outages.
- Develop, test, debug, and deploy software fixes, upgrades, and system enhancements.
- Support web applications, databases, servers, interfaces, backup environments, and third-party components.
- Integrate, validate, import, export, and migrate data across NIH and NCI systems.
- Customize data downloads and reporting processes supporting scientific portfolio analysis, grant reporting, and year-end activities.
- Maintain and modify IRDB and NCI I2E process scripts in response to changes within eRA, IMPAC II, and related data structures.
- Monitor application logs, alerts, and performance metrics and recommend improvements.
- Support configuration, change, release, backup, recovery, and continuity-of-operations processes.
- Remediate vulnerabilities identified through HHS and NCI security scans and ensure changes comply with federal security requirements and FIPS standards.
- Develop scripts and automation to improve system reliability, data processing, and administrative workflows.
- Provide elevated support during production deployments, year-end reporting, and other critical operational periods.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- Extensive experience developing, testing, debugging, and maintaining complex software applications using multiple programming languages.
- Advanced experience with data management, database analysis, system integration, and data validation.
- Experience supporting production applications in a multi-user environment.
- Functional knowledge of NIH grants management and budget-reporting processes.
- Knowledge of NIH IMPAC II and NCI I2E DM database structures, including extramural grant and funding data.
- Experience configuring and maintaining IRDB and NCI I2E scripts used for Institute- or Center-specific grant-data downloads.
- Experience with application upgrades, configuration management, testing, deployment, and release management.
- Knowledge of federal information-security requirements, FIPS standards, secure software-development practices, and vulnerability remediation.
- Ability to work onsite at NCI Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland, approximately one to two days per week.
- Availability for occasional after-hours support during deployments and year-end reporting.
DISCLAIMER
The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed. The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.
Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: careers@axleinfo.com
This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation range listed below. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location.
SALARY RANGE:
- Salary Range: $125,000 USD - $135,000 USD
INTRODUCTION
Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Axle is seeking a Computer Programmer to join our vibrant team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supporting the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, MD.
BENEFITS WE OFFER:
- 100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
- Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
- 401K match up to 5%
- Educational Benefits for Career Growth
- Employee Referral Bonus
- Flexible Spending Accounts:
- Healthcare (FSA)
- Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
- Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
- Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)
Responsibilities
- Maintain, enhance, secure, and modernize NCI’s Scientific Coding System (SCS), Scientific Managers Analysis and Reporting Tool (SMART), and NCI Funded Research Portfolio (NFRP).
- Troubleshoot production issues, application errors, performance problems, and system outages.
- Develop, test, debug, and deploy software fixes, upgrades, and system enhancements.
- Support web applications, databases, servers, interfaces, backup environments, and third-party components.
- Integrate, validate, import, export, and migrate data across NIH and NCI systems.
- Customize data downloads and reporting processes supporting scientific portfolio analysis, grant reporting, and year-end activities.
- Maintain and modify IRDB and NCI I2E process scripts in response to changes within eRA, IMPAC II, and related data structures.
- Monitor application logs, alerts, and performance metrics and recommend improvements.
- Support configuration, change, release, backup, recovery, and continuity-of-operations processes.
- Remediate vulnerabilities identified through HHS and NCI security scans and ensure changes comply with federal security requirements and FIPS standards.
- Develop scripts and automation to improve system reliability, data processing, and administrative workflows.
- Provide elevated support during production deployments, year-end reporting, and other critical operational periods.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
- Extensive experience developing, testing, debugging, and maintaining complex software applications using multiple programming languages.
- Advanced experience with data management, database analysis, system integration, and data validation.
- Experience supporting production applications in a multi-user environment.
- Functional knowledge of NIH grants management and budget-reporting processes.
- Knowledge of NIH IMPAC II and NCI I2E DM database structures, including extramural grant and funding data.
- Experience configuring and maintaining IRDB and NCI I2E scripts used for Institute- or Center-specific grant-data downloads.
- Experience with application upgrades, configuration management, testing, deployment, and release management.
- Knowledge of federal information-security requirements, FIPS standards, secure software-development practices, and vulnerability remediation.
- Ability to work onsite at NCI Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland, approximately one to two days per week.
- Availability for occasional after-hours support during deployments and year-end reporting.
DISCLAIMER
The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed. The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.
Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: careers@axleinfo.com
This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation range listed below. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location.
SALARY RANGE:
- Salary Range: $125,000 USD - $135,000 USD
See all 1,950+ STEM OPT Systems Programmer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding STEM OPT Authorization in Systems Programmer
Verify your degree's CIP code match
Cross-reference your degree's Classification of Instructional Programs code against the Systems Programmer role on O*NET before applying. A mismatch between your field of study and the job's STEM classification is the most common reason STEM OPT extensions get rejected.
Confirm E-Verify enrollment before accepting offers
Ask recruiters directly whether the company is enrolled in E-Verify before you advance to offer negotiation. Many smaller software shops and government contractors assume enrollment but haven't completed registration, which disqualifies them as STEM OPT employers under USCIS rules.
Target employers with active systems-level LCA filings
Use Migrate Mate to filter for companies that have filed Labor Condition Applications for systems programming or software infrastructure roles. Employers with a history of LCA filings for these job titles already understand the technical degree requirements and E-Verify obligations.
Build your I-983 training plan around systems work
Draft your I-983 training plan to map specific systems programming tasks, such as kernel development, memory management, or firmware debugging, to the learning objectives your DSO will approve. Vague descriptions like 'software development' increase the risk of a rejection from your DSO.
Time your application around cap-gap protections
If your OPT expires while an H-1B visa petition is pending, cap-gap rules extend your work authorization automatically through September 30. File your STEM OPT extension at least 90 days before your OPT end date to avoid a gap that would interrupt active systems projects.
Use OFLC Wage Search to benchmark prevailing wages by region
Look up the prevailing wage for Systems Programmer roles in your target metro using OFLC Wage Search before negotiating offers. An offer below the DOL wage level for your region can block LCA certification and stall the entire authorization process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a computer science or computer engineering degree qualify me for STEM OPT as a Systems Programmer?
Yes, computer science and computer engineering degrees are among the most directly aligned fields for Systems Programmer roles under STEM OPT. The key requirement is that your degree's CIP code maps to the STEM designation list maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. Degrees in electrical engineering, mathematics, or information systems can also qualify depending on how the employer defines the role in the I-983 training plan. Confirm the match with your DSO before applying.
What E-Verify requirement applies to employers hiring me on STEM OPT?
Every employer that hires you on a STEM OPT extension must be actively enrolled in E-Verify at the time you start work. Enrollment by a parent company does not automatically cover subsidiaries or separate legal entities, so confirm that the specific hiring entity, not just a parent organization, is enrolled. USCIS treats unenrolled employers as ineligible regardless of company size or intent, and working for an unenrolled employer can jeopardize your status.
What should my I-983 training plan include for a Systems Programmer position?
Your I-983 should describe concrete technical learning objectives tied to the Systems Programmer role, such as proficiency in low-level memory management, operating system internals, or real-time embedded systems. Generic descriptions like 'improve software skills' are insufficient. The plan must show how the work experience directly relates to your STEM degree and must include a supervision structure with a named manager. Your DSO reviews and signs the I-983 before your extension is filed with USCIS.
How does cap-gap protection work if my OPT expires while I'm working as a Systems Programmer?
If your employer files an H-1B petition on your behalf before your OPT end date and USCIS selects it in the lottery, cap-gap rules automatically extend your work authorization through September 30 of that fiscal year. You can continue working in your Systems Programmer role without interruption during this period. If the petition is not selected or not timely filed, no cap-gap extension applies and your employment authorization ends with your OPT.
Where can I find Systems Programmer jobs where employers are already set up to hire STEM OPT students?
Migrate Mate filters Systems Programmer listings by employers with verified E-Verify enrollment and a history of STEM OPT or H-1B filings for technical roles. This lets you focus your applications on companies that already understand the I-983 process, the prevailing wage requirements, and the timeline involved, rather than spending time educating employers who have never sponsored work authorization before.