Education STEM OPT Jobs in South Carolina
F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship jobs in South Carolina's education sector are concentrated at research universities and ed-tech firms across Columbia, Greenville, and Charleston. Employers such as the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and growing instructional technology companies have active hiring patterns for STEM-qualified candidates in data, research, and learning design roles.
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Get Access To All JobsPosting Number STA00805PO26
Job Family Information Technology
Job Function Cyber Security
USC Market Title IT Security Engineer
Job Level P4 - Professional
Business Title (Internal Title) Observability Operations Manager
Campus Columbia
Work County Richland
College/Division Division of Information Technology
Department IT Information Security
State Pay Range T08
USC Market Range MRL - $97,329 $124,095 $150,860
Anticipated Hiring Range $97,329 - $130,000; salary commensurate with experience.
Location of Vacancy
Part/Full Time Full Time
Hours per Week 37.5
Work Schedule
* The standard work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, with an hour for lunch. The standard hours per week is 37.50.
* The Observability Operations Manager may be required to work outside of regularly scheduled hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as necessary to address operational needs, critical incidents, or other business requirements.
Basis 12 months
Job Search Category Information Technology
About University of South Carolina
From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.
Veterans' Preference Statement
The University of South Carolina is committed to equal opportunity and proudly values the skills and experience military veterans bring to our workforce. Across South Carolina, we are making veterans a priority for employment and recognize their vital contributions to our state and our communities.
Benefits for FTE Positions
The University of South Carolina (USC), through the State of SC and Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA), offers employees a valuable benefits package, including health and life insurance, generous paid leave and retirement programs. To learn more about USC benefits, access the "Working at USC" section on the Applicant Portal.
Advertised Job Summary
USC is evolving its traditional Security Operations Center into a Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC)—a blended operational model that brings security operations, enterprise observability, incident response, and service reliability together under one roof. We’re looking for an Operations Manager to lead the NOSC’s day-to-day operations, managing both full-time and student staff while coordinating closely with threat hunting, Security SRE, and IT teams across the University. This is a hands-on leadership role: you’ll manage operational coverage, serve as an escalation point for both security and availability incidents, and turn recurring operational problems into measurable improvement projects.
The Operations Manager leads the people, processes, and daily operations of USC’s Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). The role combines team leadership, incident response, and operational improvement, working across security, observability, threat hunting, and SRE to keep critical university services secure and resilient.
Key Responsibilities:
* Lead the day-to-day operations of USC’s evolving Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC), integrating security operations, enterprise observability, incident response, and service reliability.
* Manage and mentor a blended team of full-time professionals and student analysts, including operational coverage, internships, and staff development.
* Serve as a senior escalation point for both cybersecurity and availability incidents, working across a large, complex university environment.
What You’ll Bring:
* Experienced operations leader with a strong background in SOC, NOC, or blended security/network operations and incident response in a complex enterprise environment.
* Strong people leader and mentor who can manage professional and student staff, build effective teams, and work independently with sound judgement.
* Operational problem solver comfortable coordinating across security, infrastructure, SRE, and other teams to turn recurring problems into sustainable improvements.
Why Join Us?
* Invest in your expertise with access to advanced professional development, including SANS training and industry certifications.
* Teach and mentor the next generation by working directly with student analysts and helping them develop real-world security and operations skills.
* Work alongside highly credentialed, experienced professionals across incident response, threat hunting, security engineering, SRE, networking, and enterprise IT.
* Help build something new as USC evolves toward an integrated NOSC model, with opportunities to shape its people, processes, tooling, and culture.
Perks of the University of South Carolina:
Downtown COLA Location: Enjoy working in the heart of Columbia, SC, with easy access to vibrant city life, dining, and cultural events.
* Energetic Leadership: Thrive under the guidance of an energetic and innovative leadership team dedicated to transforming IT at USC, making your role impactful and exciting.
* Competitive compensation: Some of the BEST benefits you can find!
+ Paid tuition
+ Parental leave
+ Dependent scholarships
+ State benefits
+ State retirement plans
* Work-Life Balance: Full-time pay with a 37.50 hour work week and generous paid time off. (15 paid vacation days, 15 paid sick days, 13 paid holidays, including an extended December holiday!)*
Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience
Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 4 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.
Preferred Qualifications
* Extensive experience working in a Security Operations Center, blended Network / Security Operations Center, or Network Operations Center, including incident response, subject to federal and state regulatory requirements as applied in large multi-campus higher education environments or similarly complex enterprise or government environments. Experience with standards-based risk management frameworks (i.e. NIST SP-800, ISO, NIST CSF, HEISC, etc.).
* Experience in the evaluation of new technology and security threats as they arise. Familiarity with information security and privacy best practices and related laws, particularly within the context of higher education.
* Professional certifications such as GCFE, GCFA, GNFA, GCIH, GCIA, GSNA, GSLC, GSTRT, CISSP or other information security and privacy certifications are highly desired.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
* Advanced knowledge of information security, observability, and privacy best practices, with an emphasis on security operations center and incident response functions. Excellent interpersonal, customer service and written/oral communication skills.
* Demonstrated ability to develop an effective, collaborative working relationship with a variety of representative groups with potentially dissimilar priorities. Demonstrated judgment and discretion in working with sensitive, confidential information and matters.
* Project coordination experience across diversified operational units. Ability to work with minimal direction and guidance and is self-motivated while also serving as a mentor to more junior and less experienced staff.
Job Duties
Operations Management: Serve as the manager of the day-to-day operation of the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Ensure coverage for security operations rotations between students and full-time staff. Act as a liaison with organizational units for the activities of the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Coordinate regularly with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team to align NOSC operations, coverage, metrics, and escalations with active hunting priorities. Recruit student staff and maintain internship programs. Deliver metrics and reporting to senior staff as required.
Percentage of Time 50
Project Management: Manage and coordinate internal technology, process, and operational improvement projects used by the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Serve as the NOSC liaison to the Security SRE team and other organizational units, translating operational needs into project requirements, priorities, acceptance criteria, and status reporting. Coordinate work assigned to SRE, SOAR, analyst, and partner teams without serving as the primary developer. Coordinate with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team on operational improvement projects, investigation support needs, detection feedback, and recurring work intake. Use DevOps practices, agentic coding tools, X-as-code, iteration, repeatability, automation, and measurement of efficacy to organize project work, validate outcomes, and improve daily operations.
Percentage of Time 20
Incident Response: Serve as escalation point and handler for incidents both security related and availability related for DoIT on a rotating basis along with the Deputy CISO for Enterprise Observability and IR. Follow the six steps of incident response as used by the department. Maintain relationships with other organizational units in the University involved in incident response such as Risk Management, the USC Police Department, USC Audit, and the General Counsel’s office. Coordinate with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team on investigation context, escalation support, detection feedback, and recurring response priorities.
Percentage of Time 20
Training: Remain current on information security issues by attending conferences, self-study, and training.
Percentage of Time 5
Additional duties as assigned.
Percentage of Time 5
Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive No
Hazardous weather category Non-Essential
Number of Vacancies 1
Desired Start Date 12/01/2026
Job Open Date 10/27/2026
Job Close Date 12/11/2026
Open Until Filled No
Special Instructions to Applicant
Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.
We are only accepting applications submitted by December 11, 2026.
The University of South Carolina offers a valuable benefits package including but not limited to:
Health and Life Insurance
Retirement Programs
Paid Tuition
Dependent Scholarships
Annual Leave
Sick Leave
13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
Paid Parental Leave
* Professional Development Opportunities
EEO Statement
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
Posting Number STA00805PO26
Job Family Information Technology
Job Function Cyber Security
USC Market Title IT Security Engineer
Job Level P4 - Professional
Business Title (Internal Title) Observability Operations Manager
Campus Columbia
Work County Richland
College/Division Division of Information Technology
Department IT Information Security
State Pay Range T08
USC Market Range MRL - $97,329 $124,095 $150,860
Anticipated Hiring Range $97,329 - $130,000; salary commensurate with experience.
Location of Vacancy
Part/Full Time Full Time
Hours per Week 37.5
Work Schedule
* The standard work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, with an hour for lunch. The standard hours per week is 37.50.
* The Observability Operations Manager may be required to work outside of regularly scheduled hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as necessary to address operational needs, critical incidents, or other business requirements.
Basis 12 months
Job Search Category Information Technology
About University of South Carolina
From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.
Veterans' Preference Statement
The University of South Carolina is committed to equal opportunity and proudly values the skills and experience military veterans bring to our workforce. Across South Carolina, we are making veterans a priority for employment and recognize their vital contributions to our state and our communities.
Benefits for FTE Positions
The University of South Carolina (USC), through the State of SC and Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA), offers employees a valuable benefits package, including health and life insurance, generous paid leave and retirement programs. To learn more about USC benefits, access the "Working at USC" section on the Applicant Portal.
Advertised Job Summary
USC is evolving its traditional Security Operations Center into a Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC)—a blended operational model that brings security operations, enterprise observability, incident response, and service reliability together under one roof. We’re looking for an Operations Manager to lead the NOSC’s day-to-day operations, managing both full-time and student staff while coordinating closely with threat hunting, Security SRE, and IT teams across the University. This is a hands-on leadership role: you’ll manage operational coverage, serve as an escalation point for both security and availability incidents, and turn recurring operational problems into measurable improvement projects.
The Operations Manager leads the people, processes, and daily operations of USC’s Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). The role combines team leadership, incident response, and operational improvement, working across security, observability, threat hunting, and SRE to keep critical university services secure and resilient.
Key Responsibilities:
* Lead the day-to-day operations of USC’s evolving Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC), integrating security operations, enterprise observability, incident response, and service reliability.
* Manage and mentor a blended team of full-time professionals and student analysts, including operational coverage, internships, and staff development.
* Serve as a senior escalation point for both cybersecurity and availability incidents, working across a large, complex university environment.
What You’ll Bring:
* Experienced operations leader with a strong background in SOC, NOC, or blended security/network operations and incident response in a complex enterprise environment.
* Strong people leader and mentor who can manage professional and student staff, build effective teams, and work independently with sound judgement.
* Operational problem solver comfortable coordinating across security, infrastructure, SRE, and other teams to turn recurring problems into sustainable improvements.
Why Join Us?
* Invest in your expertise with access to advanced professional development, including SANS training and industry certifications.
* Teach and mentor the next generation by working directly with student analysts and helping them develop real-world security and operations skills.
* Work alongside highly credentialed, experienced professionals across incident response, threat hunting, security engineering, SRE, networking, and enterprise IT.
* Help build something new as USC evolves toward an integrated NOSC model, with opportunities to shape its people, processes, tooling, and culture.
Perks of the University of South Carolina:
Downtown COLA Location: Enjoy working in the heart of Columbia, SC, with easy access to vibrant city life, dining, and cultural events.
* Energetic Leadership: Thrive under the guidance of an energetic and innovative leadership team dedicated to transforming IT at USC, making your role impactful and exciting.
* Competitive compensation: Some of the BEST benefits you can find!
+ Paid tuition
+ Parental leave
+ Dependent scholarships
+ State benefits
+ State retirement plans
* Work-Life Balance: Full-time pay with a 37.50 hour work week and generous paid time off. (15 paid vacation days, 15 paid sick days, 13 paid holidays, including an extended December holiday!)*
Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience
Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 4 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.
Preferred Qualifications
* Extensive experience working in a Security Operations Center, blended Network / Security Operations Center, or Network Operations Center, including incident response, subject to federal and state regulatory requirements as applied in large multi-campus higher education environments or similarly complex enterprise or government environments. Experience with standards-based risk management frameworks (i.e. NIST SP-800, ISO, NIST CSF, HEISC, etc.).
* Experience in the evaluation of new technology and security threats as they arise. Familiarity with information security and privacy best practices and related laws, particularly within the context of higher education.
* Professional certifications such as GCFE, GCFA, GNFA, GCIH, GCIA, GSNA, GSLC, GSTRT, CISSP or other information security and privacy certifications are highly desired.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
* Advanced knowledge of information security, observability, and privacy best practices, with an emphasis on security operations center and incident response functions. Excellent interpersonal, customer service and written/oral communication skills.
* Demonstrated ability to develop an effective, collaborative working relationship with a variety of representative groups with potentially dissimilar priorities. Demonstrated judgment and discretion in working with sensitive, confidential information and matters.
* Project coordination experience across diversified operational units. Ability to work with minimal direction and guidance and is self-motivated while also serving as a mentor to more junior and less experienced staff.
Job Duties
Operations Management: Serve as the manager of the day-to-day operation of the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Ensure coverage for security operations rotations between students and full-time staff. Act as a liaison with organizational units for the activities of the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Coordinate regularly with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team to align NOSC operations, coverage, metrics, and escalations with active hunting priorities. Recruit student staff and maintain internship programs. Deliver metrics and reporting to senior staff as required.
Percentage of Time 50
Project Management: Manage and coordinate internal technology, process, and operational improvement projects used by the Network Operations and Security Center (NOSC). Serve as the NOSC liaison to the Security SRE team and other organizational units, translating operational needs into project requirements, priorities, acceptance criteria, and status reporting. Coordinate work assigned to SRE, SOAR, analyst, and partner teams without serving as the primary developer. Coordinate with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team on operational improvement projects, investigation support needs, detection feedback, and recurring work intake. Use DevOps practices, agentic coding tools, X-as-code, iteration, repeatability, automation, and measurement of efficacy to organize project work, validate outcomes, and improve daily operations.
Percentage of Time 20
Incident Response: Serve as escalation point and handler for incidents both security related and availability related for DoIT on a rotating basis along with the Deputy CISO for Enterprise Observability and IR. Follow the six steps of incident response as used by the department. Maintain relationships with other organizational units in the University involved in incident response such as Risk Management, the USC Police Department, USC Audit, and the General Counsel’s office. Coordinate with the USC ISO Threat Hunting team on investigation context, escalation support, detection feedback, and recurring response priorities.
Percentage of Time 20
Training: Remain current on information security issues by attending conferences, self-study, and training.
Percentage of Time 5
Additional duties as assigned.
Percentage of Time 5
Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive No
Hazardous weather category Non-Essential
Number of Vacancies 1
Desired Start Date 12/01/2026
Job Open Date 10/27/2026
Job Close Date 12/11/2026
Open Until Filled No
Special Instructions to Applicant
Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.
We are only accepting applications submitted by December 11, 2026.
The University of South Carolina offers a valuable benefits package including but not limited to:
Health and Life Insurance
Retirement Programs
Paid Tuition
Dependent Scholarships
Annual Leave
Sick Leave
13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
Paid Parental Leave
* Professional Development Opportunities
EEO Statement
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
STEM OPT Education Job Roles in South Carolina
See all Education STEM OPT Jobs in South Carolina
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Search Education Jobs in South CarolinaEducation STEM OPT Sponsorship Jobs in South Carolina: Frequently Asked Questions
Which education companies and institutions sponsor F-1 STEM OPT visas in South Carolina?
South Carolina's largest education-sector sponsors tend to be research universities and university-affiliated research centers. The University of South Carolina and Clemson University both have established international hiring processes for STEM roles in data analysis, educational technology, and applied research. Some private ed-tech companies operating in the state also file Labor Condition Applications for STEM OPT-eligible positions, particularly in instructional design and learning analytics.
Which cities in South Carolina have the most education F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship jobs?
Columbia sees the highest concentration of education STEM OPT roles because it is home to the University of South Carolina's main campus and several affiliated research institutes. Clemson and Greenville form a second corridor with university research positions and growing tech-adjacent education employers. Charleston has a smaller but expanding share of ed-tech and continuing education companies that periodically hire STEM OPT candidates for data and technology roles.
What types of education roles typically qualify for F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship in South Carolina?
Roles that qualify must fall under a STEM-designated Classification of Instructional Programs code and involve a genuine application of STEM knowledge. In the education sector this commonly includes data analyst positions supporting institutional research, educational technology developer roles, learning analytics specialists, curriculum design engineers, and applied research associates at university labs. Purely administrative or student-services positions generally do not qualify even when posted by a university.
How do I find education F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship jobs in South Carolina?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa type and state, so you can search for education roles in South Carolina that are open to F-1 STEM OPT candidates without manually screening hundreds of postings. The platform surfaces employer LCA filing history, which shows which South Carolina education institutions have sponsored STEM OPT workers before. You can also cross-reference occupation codes using O*NET to confirm a role's STEM eligibility before applying.
Are there any state-specific or industry-specific considerations for F-1 STEM OPT sponsorship in the South Carolina education sector?
South Carolina's public universities are governed by state procurement and hiring regulations that can add steps to the international hiring process, so timelines at institutions like the University of South Carolina or Clemson may run longer than at private employers. STEM OPT also requires the employer to be enrolled in E-Verify and to submit a formal training plan. Candidates should confirm both requirements are met early in the offer process, as public institutions occasionally need additional internal approvals before signing the required documentation.