Medical Devices OPT Jobs in California
California is one of the strongest states for medical devices F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs, with a concentration of employers in the San Diego, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles corridors. Companies like Becton Dickinson, Edwards Lifesciences, Intuitive Surgical, and Hologic regularly hire international students into engineering, quality, and regulatory roles during OPT.
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Get Access To All JobsImmunoassay Technologist I — Part-Time Floating Coverage
About Vibrant America
Vibrant America is a clinical diagnostics laboratory advancing healthcare through specialized testing, innovative technology, and data-driven insights. The company focuses on functional medicine and multi-omics testing, offering comprehensive panels that support personalized patient care. Our vision is to empower healthcare providers and patients with actionable insights that improve health outcomes. By integrating science, automation, and analytics, we aim to advance preventive and personalized medicine.
About the Role
Vibrant America is looking to hire one part-time Immunoassay Technologist to support floating coverage in the clinical laboratory. The Immunoassay Technologist I performs routine testing on human specimens using immunoassay methods, including ELISA, chemiluminescent and electrochemiluminescent assays, and multiplex or bead-based platforms. This bench-focused role supports specimen processing, instrument operation, quality control, reagent preparation, result review, and documentation under established SOPs and applicable laboratory requirements. This role helps maintain laboratory coverage for call-offs, leaves of absence, PTO, and changes in testing volume. A minimum of 16 hours per week is guaranteed. Coverage is needed primarily on Sundays and Mondays. Additional hours may be available based on laboratory coverage needs. When a permanent team member is on leave or otherwise unavailable, the technologist may work some or all of that team member’s scheduled hours. Coverage may last a few days, a week, or longer, and may require working on days other than Sunday or Monday. Typical assay completion time is approximately 6–7 hours. This is not an entry-level training position. The successful candidate will have relevant hands-on laboratory experience and be able to perform routine immunoassay work with limited onboarding to site-specific SOPs and procedures.
Schedule and Coverage
- Guaranteed minimum hours: 16 hours per week. Additional hours may be available based on laboratory coverage needs.
- Primary coverage days: Sundays and Mondays, especially during high-volume periods.
- Temporary team coverage: May include working some or all of a permanent team member’s scheduled hours when they are on leave or otherwise unavailable. The absence may last a few days, a week, or longer.
- Scheduling flexibility: Coverage may be needed on other days, depending on the absent team member’s schedule and laboratory needs.
- Other coverage needs: Call-offs, PTO, leaves of absence, and increases in testing volume.
Who We’re Looking For
This part-time floating role may be a good fit for:
- Experienced laboratory professionals who already have a job and are looking for additional part-time hours.
- Students pursuing a master’s degree in a related field who already hold a bachelor’s degree in a qualifying life-science field and have relevant hands-on laboratory experience.
- Candidates interested in gaining further clinical laboratory experience and being considered for future opportunities as they become available, based on qualifications and business needs.
A bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, or a related life-science field is required. Prior hands-on clinical laboratory experience performing immunoassay testing is also required.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Specimen Preparation:
- Verify specimen identity, labeling, sample type, volume, stability, and acceptability according to SOPs.
- Identify and document specimen discrepancies, including insufficient volume, compromised integrity, labeling concerns, and stability issues.
- Prepare and stage specimens for manual or automated immunoassay workflows.
- Organize work based on testing priorities, assay schedules, and turnaround-time requirements.
- Track specimens throughout testing using LIS/LIMS, worksheets, logs, or other approved systems.
Testing and Quality Control:
- Perform routine immunoassay testing according to approved SOPs and applicable manufacturer instructions.
- Operate laboratory equipment such as ELISA plate readers and washers, chemiluminescent analyzers, multiplex systems, and related instruments.
- Use manual and automated liquid-handling equipment, including single-channel and multichannel pipettes.
- Prepare reagents, calibrators, controls, wash buffers, diluents, and other assay materials.
- Perform calibrations, quality control testing, dilutions, repeats, and reflex testing according to established procedures.
- Monitor assay performance and recognize common issues, such as control failures, poor standard curves, high background, low signal, plate irregularities, or instrument alerts.
- Review QC results before releasing or forwarding patient results; apply basic QC principles, including Levey-Jennings review and Westgard rule awareness, as applicable.
- Review patient results for accuracy, completeness, plausibility, and consistency with assay requirements.
- Enter, verify, or validate results in the LIS/LIMS within assigned authorization.
- Escalate assay failures, QC concerns, out-of-control events, and unusual testing patterns before continuing testing or releasing results.
- Follow corrective-action procedures and document troubleshooting steps.
- Keep worksheets, instrument printouts, maintenance logs, reagent logs, and QC records accurate and complete.
Instrument Maintenance:
- Perform routine maintenance on assigned instruments and supporting equipment.
- Document preventive maintenance, function checks, calibrations, cleaning, decontamination, and troubleshooting.
- Monitor instrument performance and report equipment issues, error codes, or abnormal trends.
- Assist with vendor service coordination, repairs, post-service verification, and equipment qualification or verification activities under supervision.
Quality, Compliance, and Safety:
- Follow applicable CLIA, CAP, OSHA, HIPAA, and internal laboratory quality-system requirements.
- Follow approved SOPs, safety procedures, document-control practices, and change-control requirements.
- Participate in proficiency testing, competency assessments, lot-to-lot verification, method comparison, and validation support as assigned.
- Document deviations, nonconformances, corrective actions, and quality events according to laboratory procedures.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe BSL-2 work area.
- Use required PPE and follow biosafety, chemical hygiene, spill-response, and waste-disposal procedures.
Laboratory Operations:
- Support daily operations to meet testing-volume and turnaround-time expectations.
- Monitor bench-level reagent and consumable inventory and notify the appropriate personnel when supplies are low.
- Assist with receiving, labeling, storing, and monitoring the expiration of reagents.
- Maintain an organized work area using good laboratory practices and 5S/LEAN principles.
- Communicate with team members, supervisors, QA, accessioning, client services, IT/LIS, and other departments as needed.
- Support workflow improvements, process standardization, and automation optimization.
- Assist with training new team members when appropriate and within assigned competency.
Qualifications and Skills
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, or a related life-science field.
- Prior hands-on clinical laboratory experience performing immunoassay testing.
- Demonstrated ability to perform routine laboratory testing, accurate pipetting, reagent preparation, calculations, and proper sample handling.
- Ability to operate relevant immunoassay instruments and recognize common assay or instrument issues.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to follow written procedures precisely.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to document work accurately and maintain organized records.
- Ability to prioritize tasks, multitask, and adapt to changing laboratory needs.
- Ability to work independently and contribute effectively as part of a team.
- Availability for a flexible part-time schedule, with the ability to provide coverage primarily on Sundays and Mondays and on other days when needed.
Preferred:
- Experience with ELISA, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, or multiplex/bead-based immunoassays.
- Familiarity with automated liquid handlers, plate readers, plate washers, or immunoassay analyzers.
- Experience using LIS/LIMS, barcode-based workflows, or electronic documentation systems.
- Basic understanding of CLIA/CAP requirements, quality control, proficiency testing, and laboratory documentation.
- Experience with reagent lot verification, instrument maintenance, sample dilution, repeat testing, or assay troubleshooting.
- CLS/MLS licensure or certification, where applicable; certification is not required unless mandated by state or test-complexity requirements.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
Work takes place in a clinical laboratory with potential exposure to human specimens, biohazards, chemicals, and laboratory reagents. PPE is provided and required under laboratory safety policies. The role requires the ability to stand, walk, and work at a bench for extended periods; perform repetitive tasks such as pipetting, sample handling, labeling, scanning, and computer entry; and occasionally lift or move up to approximately 25 pounds. Visual acuity and fine motor skills are needed to read labels, worksheets, instrument screens, and small-volume markings and to handle pipettes, plates, reagents, and instruments.
Compensation
The hourly rate for this position is $32. Final compensation is subject to applicable laws and company policies.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Vibrant America, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment. We provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, ancestry, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, medical condition, reproductive health decision-making, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected off-duty activity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Reasonable Accommodations
Vibrant America, LLC complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state laws, including the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and to ensuring equal access to employment opportunities.
Immunoassay Technologist I — Part-Time Floating Coverage
About Vibrant America
Vibrant America is a clinical diagnostics laboratory advancing healthcare through specialized testing, innovative technology, and data-driven insights. The company focuses on functional medicine and multi-omics testing, offering comprehensive panels that support personalized patient care. Our vision is to empower healthcare providers and patients with actionable insights that improve health outcomes. By integrating science, automation, and analytics, we aim to advance preventive and personalized medicine.
About the Role
Vibrant America is looking to hire one part-time Immunoassay Technologist to support floating coverage in the clinical laboratory. The Immunoassay Technologist I performs routine testing on human specimens using immunoassay methods, including ELISA, chemiluminescent and electrochemiluminescent assays, and multiplex or bead-based platforms. This bench-focused role supports specimen processing, instrument operation, quality control, reagent preparation, result review, and documentation under established SOPs and applicable laboratory requirements. This role helps maintain laboratory coverage for call-offs, leaves of absence, PTO, and changes in testing volume. A minimum of 16 hours per week is guaranteed. Coverage is needed primarily on Sundays and Mondays. Additional hours may be available based on laboratory coverage needs. When a permanent team member is on leave or otherwise unavailable, the technologist may work some or all of that team member’s scheduled hours. Coverage may last a few days, a week, or longer, and may require working on days other than Sunday or Monday. Typical assay completion time is approximately 6–7 hours. This is not an entry-level training position. The successful candidate will have relevant hands-on laboratory experience and be able to perform routine immunoassay work with limited onboarding to site-specific SOPs and procedures.
Schedule and Coverage
- Guaranteed minimum hours: 16 hours per week. Additional hours may be available based on laboratory coverage needs.
- Primary coverage days: Sundays and Mondays, especially during high-volume periods.
- Temporary team coverage: May include working some or all of a permanent team member’s scheduled hours when they are on leave or otherwise unavailable. The absence may last a few days, a week, or longer.
- Scheduling flexibility: Coverage may be needed on other days, depending on the absent team member’s schedule and laboratory needs.
- Other coverage needs: Call-offs, PTO, leaves of absence, and increases in testing volume.
Who We’re Looking For
This part-time floating role may be a good fit for:
- Experienced laboratory professionals who already have a job and are looking for additional part-time hours.
- Students pursuing a master’s degree in a related field who already hold a bachelor’s degree in a qualifying life-science field and have relevant hands-on laboratory experience.
- Candidates interested in gaining further clinical laboratory experience and being considered for future opportunities as they become available, based on qualifications and business needs.
A bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, or a related life-science field is required. Prior hands-on clinical laboratory experience performing immunoassay testing is also required.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Specimen Preparation:
- Verify specimen identity, labeling, sample type, volume, stability, and acceptability according to SOPs.
- Identify and document specimen discrepancies, including insufficient volume, compromised integrity, labeling concerns, and stability issues.
- Prepare and stage specimens for manual or automated immunoassay workflows.
- Organize work based on testing priorities, assay schedules, and turnaround-time requirements.
- Track specimens throughout testing using LIS/LIMS, worksheets, logs, or other approved systems.
Testing and Quality Control:
- Perform routine immunoassay testing according to approved SOPs and applicable manufacturer instructions.
- Operate laboratory equipment such as ELISA plate readers and washers, chemiluminescent analyzers, multiplex systems, and related instruments.
- Use manual and automated liquid-handling equipment, including single-channel and multichannel pipettes.
- Prepare reagents, calibrators, controls, wash buffers, diluents, and other assay materials.
- Perform calibrations, quality control testing, dilutions, repeats, and reflex testing according to established procedures.
- Monitor assay performance and recognize common issues, such as control failures, poor standard curves, high background, low signal, plate irregularities, or instrument alerts.
- Review QC results before releasing or forwarding patient results; apply basic QC principles, including Levey-Jennings review and Westgard rule awareness, as applicable.
- Review patient results for accuracy, completeness, plausibility, and consistency with assay requirements.
- Enter, verify, or validate results in the LIS/LIMS within assigned authorization.
- Escalate assay failures, QC concerns, out-of-control events, and unusual testing patterns before continuing testing or releasing results.
- Follow corrective-action procedures and document troubleshooting steps.
- Keep worksheets, instrument printouts, maintenance logs, reagent logs, and QC records accurate and complete.
Instrument Maintenance:
- Perform routine maintenance on assigned instruments and supporting equipment.
- Document preventive maintenance, function checks, calibrations, cleaning, decontamination, and troubleshooting.
- Monitor instrument performance and report equipment issues, error codes, or abnormal trends.
- Assist with vendor service coordination, repairs, post-service verification, and equipment qualification or verification activities under supervision.
Quality, Compliance, and Safety:
- Follow applicable CLIA, CAP, OSHA, HIPAA, and internal laboratory quality-system requirements.
- Follow approved SOPs, safety procedures, document-control practices, and change-control requirements.
- Participate in proficiency testing, competency assessments, lot-to-lot verification, method comparison, and validation support as assigned.
- Document deviations, nonconformances, corrective actions, and quality events according to laboratory procedures.
- Maintain a clean, organized, and safe BSL-2 work area.
- Use required PPE and follow biosafety, chemical hygiene, spill-response, and waste-disposal procedures.
Laboratory Operations:
- Support daily operations to meet testing-volume and turnaround-time expectations.
- Monitor bench-level reagent and consumable inventory and notify the appropriate personnel when supplies are low.
- Assist with receiving, labeling, storing, and monitoring the expiration of reagents.
- Maintain an organized work area using good laboratory practices and 5S/LEAN principles.
- Communicate with team members, supervisors, QA, accessioning, client services, IT/LIS, and other departments as needed.
- Support workflow improvements, process standardization, and automation optimization.
- Assist with training new team members when appropriate and within assigned competency.
Qualifications and Skills
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, molecular biology, or a related life-science field.
- Prior hands-on clinical laboratory experience performing immunoassay testing.
- Demonstrated ability to perform routine laboratory testing, accurate pipetting, reagent preparation, calculations, and proper sample handling.
- Ability to operate relevant immunoassay instruments and recognize common assay or instrument issues.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to follow written procedures precisely.
- Clear written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to document work accurately and maintain organized records.
- Ability to prioritize tasks, multitask, and adapt to changing laboratory needs.
- Ability to work independently and contribute effectively as part of a team.
- Availability for a flexible part-time schedule, with the ability to provide coverage primarily on Sundays and Mondays and on other days when needed.
Preferred:
- Experience with ELISA, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, or multiplex/bead-based immunoassays.
- Familiarity with automated liquid handlers, plate readers, plate washers, or immunoassay analyzers.
- Experience using LIS/LIMS, barcode-based workflows, or electronic documentation systems.
- Basic understanding of CLIA/CAP requirements, quality control, proficiency testing, and laboratory documentation.
- Experience with reagent lot verification, instrument maintenance, sample dilution, repeat testing, or assay troubleshooting.
- CLS/MLS licensure or certification, where applicable; certification is not required unless mandated by state or test-complexity requirements.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
Work takes place in a clinical laboratory with potential exposure to human specimens, biohazards, chemicals, and laboratory reagents. PPE is provided and required under laboratory safety policies. The role requires the ability to stand, walk, and work at a bench for extended periods; perform repetitive tasks such as pipetting, sample handling, labeling, scanning, and computer entry; and occasionally lift or move up to approximately 25 pounds. Visual acuity and fine motor skills are needed to read labels, worksheets, instrument screens, and small-volume markings and to handle pipettes, plates, reagents, and instruments.
Compensation
The hourly rate for this position is $32. Final compensation is subject to applicable laws and company policies.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Vibrant America, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment. We provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, ancestry, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 and over), disability, medical condition, reproductive health decision-making, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected off-duty activity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Reasonable Accommodations
Vibrant America, LLC complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state laws, including the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and to ensuring equal access to employment opportunities.
OPT Medical Devices Job Roles in California
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Search Medical Devices Jobs in CaliforniaMedical Devices OPT Sponsorship Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which medical devices companies sponsor F-1 OPT visas in California?
California hosts a significant number of medical devices companies with established international hiring patterns, including Intuitive Surgical in Sunnyvale, Edwards Lifesciences in Irvine, Hologic in San Diego, Becton Dickinson across multiple California sites, and Penumbra in Alameda. Larger firms with dedicated HR infrastructure and prior OPT sponsorship history tend to be more prepared to support F-1 students than smaller startups.
Which cities in California have the most medical devices F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs?
San Diego has the highest concentration of medical devices employers in California, with a dense cluster of companies in the Sorrento Valley and Torrey Pines areas. The San Francisco Bay Area, particularly Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, is strong for device-adjacent roles in robotics and diagnostics. Irvine and Los Angeles also have active medical devices hiring, especially in cardiovascular and orthopedic segments.
What types of medical devices roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT sponsorship?
Roles that directly align with a STEM degree field are the most common fit for F-1 OPT in medical devices. These include quality engineering, regulatory affairs, mechanical and electrical engineering, software engineering for embedded or connected devices, manufacturing process engineering, and research and development. Positions in clinical affairs or technical sales may also qualify depending on the degree field listed on the student's I-20.
How do I find medical devices F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international students searching for F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs, including medical devices roles in California. You can filter by visa type, industry, and state to see companies that have sponsored international candidates in this field. Focusing on employers with a documented history of OPT sponsorship in California's medical devices sector significantly narrows down where to apply.
Are there any California-specific or industry-specific considerations for F-1 OPT in medical devices?
California's medical devices industry is heavily regulated at both the federal and state level, meaning employers often require candidates to have direct STEM training relevant to FDA-regulated product development. For STEM OPT extension eligibility, the role must be directly related to the student's degree program. Students with biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, or bioengineering degrees are generally well-positioned, given how closely those fields map to typical California medical devices job requirements.