AI Data Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
California is the top state for AI data engineer visa sponsorship, driven by major tech employers across the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles. Companies like Google, Meta, Apple, and a dense cluster of AI-focused startups regularly sponsor H-1B visa and other work visas for engineers specializing in data pipelines, machine learning infrastructure, and AI platform development.
Find AI Data Engineer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 6,250+ AI Data Engineer Jobs in California with Visa Sponsorship










See all 6,250+ AI Data Engineer Jobs in California with Visa Sponsorship
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new AI Data Engineer Jobs in California with Visa Sponsorship.
Get Access To All Jobs
Position Overview
Position Description
We are hiring a Director Data, AI and Analytics. The Director Data, AI and Analytics will own the strategy, platforms, operating model, and outcomes for Data, AI, and Analytics across three FUJIFILM life‑sciences businesses. In highly regulated GxP environments, deliver a trusted data backbone, governed self‑service analytics, advanced analytics, bioinformatics pipelines, and agentic AI—meeting 21 CFR Part 11/EU Annex 11, ALCOA+, and CSV/CSA expectations. Lead a cross‑site team (CoE + domain squads), partner with QA/CSV, Security, Lab IT, M&Q Systems, and ERP, and convert data and AI into measurable business value. This position is hybrid in Irvine, CA.
Company Overview
At FUJIFILM Biosciences, we turn curiosity into breakthroughs that advance the field of life sciences. By offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services in cell culture media, discovery research reagents, recombinant growth factors and proteins, fine chemicals, and critical assay materials, we partner with the brightest minds in biotech and pharma to tackle the world’s biggest health challenges.
Imagine being part of a team that enables life-changing discoveries like new vaccines, therapies, and advancements in regenerative medicine. Our culture fosters curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, and we pride ourselves on delivering unparalleled quality and service to our partners. If you’re ready to make an impact, your future belongs with us at FUJIFILM Biosciences.
Our headquarters in Santa Ana, California, is surrounded by world-class schools, lush parks, and scenic beaches like Laguna and Huntington, making it an ideal place to live, work, and explore. With additional campuses across the US, Europe, China, and Japan, we offer opportunities to make a difference worldwide.
Fujifilm is globally headquartered in Tokyo with over 70,000 employees across four key business segments of healthcare, electronics, business innovation, and imaging. We are guided and united by our Group Purpose of “giving our world more smiles.”
Job Description
Responsibilities:
- Define the multi‑year Data/AI roadmap for locations in California and Wisconsin; align to business priorities and compliance needs.
- Stand up a Data, AI & Analytics Center of Excellence with domain‑aligned product squads (M&Q, R&D/Bioinformatics, Finance/SC).
- Run governance: Data & AI Steering Committee, Model Risk & Compliance Board; assign data product ownership.
- Own the enterprise data platform (lakehouse/warehouse), ingestion (ELT/CDC), orchestration, and semantic/metric layers.
- Implement catalog/lineage, data quality rules, access controls; drive data product SLAs and ownership.
- Integrate core systems: MES (e.g., PAS‑X), QMS (ETQ/Veeva), LIMS/ELN (LabWare/Benchling), ERP (e.g., SAP/Oracle), OSI PI/AVEVA, and instrument data hubs.
- Deliver executive and operational analytics (FPY/yield, OEE, deviation/CAPA TAT, batch release, QC throughput, inventory turns, cost‑to‑serve).
- Enable governed self‑service (certified datasets/semantic models, KPI library, training, community of practice).
- Lead data science programs for manufacturing quality, supply chain, and R&D.
- Own bioinformatics analytics and pipelines (e.g., NGS/omics workflows, imaging pipelines, assay analytics) and integration with lab systems and data platforms.
- Build responsible and agentic AI capabilities (assistants/co‑pilots, retrieval/grounding, task automation) with MLOps (experiment tracking, model registry, CI/CD, monitoring, retraining). Separate GxP vs non‑GxP AI; ensure intended use, explainability, validation/CSA, and periodic review for regulated models.
- Embed compliance by design: 21 CFR Part 11, Annex 11, ALCOA+, data retention/archival, audit trails.
- Partner with QA/CSV on risk‑based validation, test evidence, and inspections; maintain validated state for applicable analytics/data flows.
- Coordinate with Corporate Security on classification, RBAC/least privilege, encryption, logging/monitoring, and incident response for data/AI workloads.
- Govern AI safety: model cards, red‑team testing, bias/fairness checks, PHI/PII safeguards, vendor due diligence.
- Prioritize a portfolio of use cases with quantified value; pilot, scale winners, retire low‑value work.
- Publish a quarterly “Data & AI Outcomes” report (business impact, adoption, cost/performance, compliance posture).
- Select and govern platform vendors (cloud, data/ML, BI, bioinformatics tools) and SIs; negotiate commercials, SLAs, exit terms.
- Drive FinOps: usage visibility, rightsizing, tiered storage, and cost/performance optimization.
- Hire and develop data/platform/analytics engineers, data scientists/ML engineers, bioinformatics engineers, and product managers.
- Build cross‑site career paths and a culture of reliability, compliance, and measurable impact.
Required Skills/Education:
- BS/BA (or equivalent) in Business, Computer Science or similar.
- 10+ years leading Data/Analytics functions with 5+ years in regulated life sciences (biotech, pharma, CDMO); multi‑site/global experience.
- Ownership of enterprise data platforms (lakehouse/warehouse), analytics programs, and MLOps in production.
- Strong GxP/CSV/CSA knowledge with practical application in analytics/AI and data flows; 21 CFR Part 11/Annex 11/ALCOA+.
- Hands‑on familiarity with bioinformatics analytics/pipelines (e.g., NGS/omics, imaging, workflow orchestration) and integration with LIMS/ELN and lab systems.
- Proven record converting Data/AI programs into business outcomes (e.g., cycle time, yield/FPY, cost, quality).
- Cross‑functional leadership with QA/CSV, Manufacturing/Quality, R&D, Security, ERP/MES/QMS owners, and vendors.
- Excellent executive communication and pragmatic technical guidance.
- Platforms: Databricks/Snowflake/BigQuery; Azure/AWS data services; Spark; DBT; Airflow/Prefect; Kafka/EventHub.
- BI: Power BI/Tableau; semantic/metrics layers; KPI governance.
- MLOps/AI: MLflow/W&B, SageMaker/Azure ML; vector DBs/RAG; LLM orchestration; agent frameworks; feature stores.
- Bioinformatics: Nextflow/Snakemake, CWL/WDL; common tools (e.g., GATK) or imaging/omics pipelines; HPC/containers.
- Governance: Collibra/Alation/Atlan; model risk management/AI governance.
- Certifications: GAMP 5/CSA, ITIL, cloud (Azure/AWS), or data governance certifications.
- Ability to speak, read, and write in English.
- Good verbal and written communication skills; effective presentation skills.
Salary and Benefits:
For California, the base salary range for this position is $154,565.00 - $216,100. Compensation for the successful candidate will depend on various factors (e.g., qualifications, education, prior experience, location, etc.).
- Medical, Dental, Vision
- Life Insurance
- 401k
- Paid Time Off
-
LI-hybrid
EEO Information
Fujifilm is committed to providing equal opportunities in hiring, promotion and advancement, compensation, benefits, and training regardless of nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, political creed, ideology, national, or social origin, disability, veteran status, etc.
ADA Information
If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre‑employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to our HR Department (flbi@fujifilm.com).
AI Data Engineer Job Roles in California
See all 6,250+ AI Data Engineer Jobs in California
Sign up for free to filter by visa type, set job alerts, and find employers with verified sponsorship history.
Search AI Data Engineer Jobs in CaliforniaAI Data Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for AI data engineers in California?
Large technology companies including Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon Web Services, Salesforce, and NVIDIA are among the most active H-1B sponsors for AI data engineer roles in California. Beyond major tech firms, AI-focused companies such as Databricks, Anthropic, and OpenAI, which are headquartered in the Bay Area, also file significant numbers of sponsorship petitions for data engineering positions involving machine learning pipelines and AI infrastructure.
Which visa types are most common for AI data engineer roles in California?
The H-1B is by far the most common visa category for AI data engineers in California, as the role typically requires at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, data engineering, or a closely related field, satisfying the specialty occupation standard. Candidates with a master's or PhD from a U.S. university may have an advantage in the H-1B cap-exempt master's degree pool. O-1A visas are also used for engineers with demonstrated extraordinary ability, such as published research or significant open-source contributions.
Which cities in California have the most AI data engineer sponsorship jobs?
San Francisco and the broader Bay Area, including San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto, account for the largest concentration of AI data engineer sponsorship roles in California. Los Angeles is the second major hub, particularly for entertainment-tech and e-commerce companies integrating AI into their data platforms. San Diego has a smaller but growing cluster, driven by biotech and defense-adjacent AI firms that hire data engineers for specialized workloads.
How to find ai data engineer visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international candidates seeking visa sponsorship and lets you filter AI data engineer roles by state, so you can browse verified California-specific listings without sorting through positions that don't offer sponsorship. Employers posting on Migrate Mate have indicated sponsorship availability, which makes the search more targeted than general job boards. Combining Migrate Mate with a review of public H-1B LCA disclosure data from the Department of Labor can help you identify which California employers file sponsorship petitions most consistently for this role.
Are there state-specific considerations for AI data engineers pursuing sponsorship in California?
California enforces some of the strongest employee-protection laws in the country, which can affect how sponsorship-related employment agreements are structured, particularly around non-compete clauses, which are largely unenforceable in the state. The Department of Labor sets prevailing wage requirements for H-1B petitions based on the specific metro area, and Bay Area prevailing wages for AI data engineers are among the highest in the country due to the regional cost of labor. Candidates should also be aware that California's dense concentration of universities, including UC Berkeley and Stanford, creates a competitive talent pipeline for these roles.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored ai data engineer jobs in California?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.