Science & Research OPT Jobs in Pennsylvania
Science and research F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in Pennsylvania are concentrated around Philadelphia's biotech corridor, Pittsburgh's university research ecosystem, and the Lehigh Valley's life sciences sector. Major employers including Penn Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Carnegie Mellon, and GSK have active OPT hiring histories. Roles span laboratory research, data science, clinical research coordination, and computational biology.
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Get Access To All JobsWork Schedule
Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions
Office
Job Description
How You Will Make an Impact
Drive supplier performance and operational excellence across Thermo Fisher Scientific’s strategic supplier portfolio. Through data-driven performance management, supplier partnerships, root-cause problem solving, and continuous improvement, you will strengthen supplier accountability, mitigate supply risk, and improve supply reliability. As an individual contributor, you will partner with supplier leadership and cross-functional teams to deliver sustainable performance improvements that enhance customer experience and support business growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Own performance for an assigned portfolio of strategic suppliers through KPI management, supplier scorecards, performance reviews, and data-driven analysis.
- Build strong supplier relationships and lead structured performance reviews in partnership with Portfolio Management to assess results, identify risks and priorities, and drive accountability for agreed actions.
- Analyze performance trends and lead root-cause problem solving to address systemic or recurring supplier issues and prevent recurrence.
- Develop and drive supplier recovery and corrective action plans with clear owners, milestones, outcomes, and recovery dates.
- Proactively assess supplier capacity, material availability, lead times, quality, operational changes, and continuity risks; partner with Planning to improve forecast alignment and supply readiness.
- Lead significant supplier escalations and coordinate internal and supplier resources to minimize customer and business impact.
- Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen supplier capability, improve supply reliability, and deliver sustainable performance improvement.
- Partner cross-functionally with Planning, Portfolio Management, Logistics, Customer Service, Quality, Compliance, Finance, Commercial, and other teams to resolve complex supplier performance issues.
- Translate supplier performance data into clear insights, risks, priorities, and recommendations; support business reviews and executive engagements with concise, actionable reporting.
- Communication & Customer Focus – Communicates performance, risks, and recommendations clearly while prioritizing customer outcomes.
Core Competencies
- Supplier Performance Management – Builds strong supplier partnerships, drives accountability, and delivers sustainable performance improvement.
- Strategic Thinking & Risk Management – Connects supplier performance, capability, and risk to business priorities and proactively identifies potential supply impacts.
- Business Acumen – Understands the customer, operational, and financial impact of supplier performance.
- Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills – Uses data, trends, and root-cause analysis to identify priorities and develop sustainable solutions.
- Collaboration & Influence – Builds strong cross-functional and supplier relationships and drives action without direct authority.
- Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement – Improves supplier capability, standardizes processes, and prevents recurring performance issues.
- Communication & Customer Focus – Clearly communicates performance, risks, and recommendations while prioritizing service and customer outcomes.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Engineering, or related field.
- 1-3 years of relevant experience in supply chain, procurement, supplier performance, planning or analytics, operations, or related function.
- Experience leading analysis on data sets or business case challenges, identify trends and root causes, and translate insights into actionable plans.
- Ability to manage multiple relationships, priorities, risk, and improvement initiatives simultaneously.
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders without direct authority.
- Strong analytical, communication, presentation, problem-solving, and relationship-management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting strategic supplier relationships or supplier performance within a complex supply chain environment.
- Experience leading supplier performance reviews, operational business reviews, recovery plans, or continuous improvement initiatives.
- Experience with supplier capacity planning, forecasting, supply risk management, or business continuity.
- Experience in life sciences, healthcare, distribution, or a regulated industry.
- Knowledge of supplier performance measures including Fill Rate, On-Time Supplier Performance, past due backlog, lead-time accuracy, quality, and supply risk.
- Proficiency with Mainframe and data visualization tools such as Power BI.
- Lean Six Sigma, APICS, CPSM, or other relevant professional certification.
Work Schedule
Standard (Mon-Fri)
Environmental Conditions
Office
Job Description
How You Will Make an Impact
Drive supplier performance and operational excellence across Thermo Fisher Scientific’s strategic supplier portfolio. Through data-driven performance management, supplier partnerships, root-cause problem solving, and continuous improvement, you will strengthen supplier accountability, mitigate supply risk, and improve supply reliability. As an individual contributor, you will partner with supplier leadership and cross-functional teams to deliver sustainable performance improvements that enhance customer experience and support business growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Own performance for an assigned portfolio of strategic suppliers through KPI management, supplier scorecards, performance reviews, and data-driven analysis.
- Build strong supplier relationships and lead structured performance reviews in partnership with Portfolio Management to assess results, identify risks and priorities, and drive accountability for agreed actions.
- Analyze performance trends and lead root-cause problem solving to address systemic or recurring supplier issues and prevent recurrence.
- Develop and drive supplier recovery and corrective action plans with clear owners, milestones, outcomes, and recovery dates.
- Proactively assess supplier capacity, material availability, lead times, quality, operational changes, and continuity risks; partner with Planning to improve forecast alignment and supply readiness.
- Lead significant supplier escalations and coordinate internal and supplier resources to minimize customer and business impact.
- Identify and lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen supplier capability, improve supply reliability, and deliver sustainable performance improvement.
- Partner cross-functionally with Planning, Portfolio Management, Logistics, Customer Service, Quality, Compliance, Finance, Commercial, and other teams to resolve complex supplier performance issues.
- Translate supplier performance data into clear insights, risks, priorities, and recommendations; support business reviews and executive engagements with concise, actionable reporting.
- Communication & Customer Focus – Communicates performance, risks, and recommendations clearly while prioritizing customer outcomes.
Core Competencies
- Supplier Performance Management – Builds strong supplier partnerships, drives accountability, and delivers sustainable performance improvement.
- Strategic Thinking & Risk Management – Connects supplier performance, capability, and risk to business priorities and proactively identifies potential supply impacts.
- Business Acumen – Understands the customer, operational, and financial impact of supplier performance.
- Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills – Uses data, trends, and root-cause analysis to identify priorities and develop sustainable solutions.
- Collaboration & Influence – Builds strong cross-functional and supplier relationships and drives action without direct authority.
- Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement – Improves supplier capability, standardizes processes, and prevents recurring performance issues.
- Communication & Customer Focus – Clearly communicates performance, risks, and recommendations while prioritizing service and customer outcomes.
Minimum Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations, Engineering, or related field.
- 1-3 years of relevant experience in supply chain, procurement, supplier performance, planning or analytics, operations, or related function.
- Experience leading analysis on data sets or business case challenges, identify trends and root causes, and translate insights into actionable plans.
- Ability to manage multiple relationships, priorities, risk, and improvement initiatives simultaneously.
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing stakeholders without direct authority.
- Strong analytical, communication, presentation, problem-solving, and relationship-management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting strategic supplier relationships or supplier performance within a complex supply chain environment.
- Experience leading supplier performance reviews, operational business reviews, recovery plans, or continuous improvement initiatives.
- Experience with supplier capacity planning, forecasting, supply risk management, or business continuity.
- Experience in life sciences, healthcare, distribution, or a regulated industry.
- Knowledge of supplier performance measures including Fill Rate, On-Time Supplier Performance, past due backlog, lead-time accuracy, quality, and supply risk.
- Proficiency with Mainframe and data visualization tools such as Power BI.
- Lean Six Sigma, APICS, CPSM, or other relevant professional certification.
OPT Science & Research Job Roles in Pennsylvania
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Search Science & Research Jobs in PennsylvaniaScience & Research OPT Sponsorship Jobs in Pennsylvania: Frequently Asked Questions
Which science and research companies sponsor F-1 OPT visas in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has a strong base of life sciences and research employers with documented OPT sponsorship histories. Organizations including Penn Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, GSK, Merck, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Drexel University, and Temple University regularly hire F-1 OPT candidates in research-related roles. Defense research contractors near Philadelphia and biotech startups in the University City Science Center district also appear frequently in OPT filing records.
Which cities in Pennsylvania have the most science and research F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs?
Philadelphia accounts for the largest share of science and research OPT sponsorship activity in Pennsylvania, driven by its concentration of academic medical centers, pharmaceutical companies, and biotech firms. Pittsburgh is a strong second, anchored by Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and UPMC's research divisions. King of Prussia and the broader Philadelphia suburbs host several pharmaceutical and clinical research employers, making the southeastern part of the state particularly active for OPT candidates.
How do I find science and research F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in Pennsylvania?
Migrate Mate filters science and research jobs in Pennsylvania specifically by OPT sponsorship eligibility, drawing on DOL Labor Condition Application filing data to surface employers with verified sponsorship histories. This lets you focus on roles at companies that have actively hired OPT candidates in research, laboratory, and data science positions rather than applying broadly. Searching by city or employer type within Migrate Mate helps narrow results to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or the Lehigh Valley depending on where you want to work.
What types of science and research roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT sponsorship in Pennsylvania?
Roles that commonly qualify include research scientist, laboratory technician, clinical research coordinator, biostatistician, computational biologist, data analyst in research settings, and research engineer positions. These roles generally require a degree directly related to the work performed, which aligns with OPT's requirement that employment be in a field related to your major. STEM-designated programs such as biology, chemistry, computer science, biomedical engineering, and public health may also qualify graduates for the 24-month STEM OPT extension, which many Pennsylvania research employers are already familiar with supporting.
Are there any Pennsylvania-specific considerations for F-1 OPT sponsorship in science and research?
Pennsylvania's concentration of federally funded research institutions and academic medical centers means many science and research employers are accustomed to hiring international students on OPT and supporting subsequent H-1B visa transitions. Employers tied to federal grants or government contracts may have additional compliance requirements, so it is worth confirming a prospective employer's E-Verify enrollment status before accepting an offer, as STEM OPT extension requires the employer to participate in E-Verify. USCIS provides authoritative guidance on these requirements.