Engineering Leader Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Engineering leaders routinely secure H-1B visa sponsorship from tech companies and Fortune 500 firms. Your management experience and technical background strengthen your specialty occupation case, while your leadership track record appeals to employers investing in long-term visa sponsorship. Most positions qualify for both H-1B and L-1A transfers if you're managing teams internationally.
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The application window is expected to close on: 08/20/2026. Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Meet the Team
Acacia, a Cisco company, is a market leader in high-speed coherent optical transceivers and a pioneer in coherent pluggable transceiver technology. Its coherent solutions are deployed by every major hyperscale cloud provider, enabling data center interconnects spanning from a few kilometers to thousands of kilometers, as well as long-haul and submarine networks.
The rapid growth of AI infrastructure has significantly increased demand for Acacia’s coherent transceivers. Beyond terrestrial networking, Acacia’s technology is also being adopted for space applications and is expected to play an increasing role within data centers as interconnect speeds continue to scale.
In addition to its leadership in coherent optics, Acacia is expanding into the PAM4 client optics market and is well positioned to become a leading provider of PAM4 solutions, including next-generation 1.6T PAM4 DSPs.
Your Impact
As a Senior Photonics Packaging Engineer on the Acacia Packaging Engineering team, you will join a multidisciplinary group of optical, mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing engineers focused on developing next-generation optical communication products. In this role, you will work closely with Acacia's Silicon Photonics (PIC) development team to drive new product designs and collaborate with Product Engineering and Quality teams to ensure seamless transfer into manufacturing. You will play a critical role in the design, development, qualification, and production ramp of advanced transceivers that leverage silicon photonics and groundbreaking DSP technology. The position also involves resolving technical challenges encountered during prototyping, product qualification, and high-volume manufacturing while driving solutions that deliver exceptional performance, reliability, cost efficiency, scalability, and manufacturability.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Lead technical ownership of optical transceiver assembly process development, with a focus on silicon photonics packaging using advanced manufacturing technologies.
- Develop high-volume, highly automated, and cost-effective manufacturing processes that meet performance, scalability, reliability, and cost objectives.
- Drive the development and optimization of 2D/2.5D/3D wafer-level packaging processes, including flip-chip wafer-level bonding, Cu pillar (CuP), C3/C4 bumping, and Through-Silicon Via (TSV) integration.
- Design and implement Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize process capability, throughput, yield, and operating windows, while leading technology transfer to manufacturing and contract manufacturers through comprehensive documentation and operational handoff.
- Serve as the in-house technical expert for wafer-level packaging and mechanical assembly automation equipment, including software integration and electronic hardware interfaces.
- Partner cross-functionally with design, test, reliability, and manufacturing teams to improve product manufacturability, testability, quality, and production readiness.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field with 12+ years of experience, or Masters + 8 years of related experience, or PhD + 5 years of related experience.
- 8+ years of experience in back-end wafer processing, with expertise in materials characterization, failure analysis, IC packaging materials, and semiconductor packaging manufacturing processes.
- Experience managing overseas contract manufacturers, leading cross-functional teams to resolve manufacturing issues, and delivering consistent results in high-volume production environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Knowledge of silicon photonics (SiPh/PIC) packaging, including mechanical, thermal, optical, and RF design considerations.
- Experience in the design, development, and manufacturing of silicon photonics optoelectronic multi-chip module (OE-MCM) packaging.
- Expertise in transceiver optical assembly processes, including free-space optics and fiber-optic assembly techniques, with a focus on scalable manufacturing solutions.
- Experience in leading cross-functional, multidisciplinary teams in fast-paced, collaborative development environments.
- Familiarity with the operating principles of photonic devices used in coherent optical communication systems is an advantage.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate across technical and business teams.
Why Cisco?
At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.
Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.
We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.
Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:
The starting salary range posted for this position is $191,400.00 to $281,400.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.
Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:
- 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
- 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
- Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees
- Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
- 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
- Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members
- Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:
- .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
- 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
- 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and
- Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.
For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.
The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:
New York City Metro Area:
$191,400.00 - $323,600.00
Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$176,100.00 - $287,900.00
- For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.
Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Engineering Leader Jobs
Emphasize Technical Architecture Skills
Highlight system design, technical roadmaps, and architecture decisions you've led. Employers value engineering leaders who can bridge technical depth with strategic vision, making the specialty occupation requirement easier to satisfy.
Document Your Team's Revenue Impact
Quantify how your engineering teams drove business outcomes, product launches, performance improvements, or cost savings. This demonstrates the business value that justifies visa sponsorship investment to employers.
Target Scale-Up Companies
Growing companies often need experienced engineering leaders to build teams and processes. They're typically more open to sponsorship than established firms with rigid hiring policies.
Consider L-1A for Management Roles
If you're managing teams at a multinational company, L-1A transfers often work better than H-1B for senior leadership positions. The managerial capacity requirement aligns naturally with engineering leadership.
Prepare for Technical Depth Questions
Immigration officers may probe whether your role is truly specialized. Be ready to explain specific technologies, methodologies, or architectural decisions that require your engineering expertise.
Leverage Open Source Contributions
Public contributions to major projects, conference speaking, or technical publications strengthen your extraordinary ability case for O-1 visa consideration if H-1B lottery fails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do engineering leaders qualify for H-1B specialty occupation requirements?
Yes, engineering leadership roles typically qualify as specialty occupations when they require specific technical expertise. The position must demonstrate that an engineering degree is necessary for the role, pure management without technical requirements may face scrutiny. Document the technical skills and engineering knowledge required for your specific leadership responsibilities.
What degree requirements apply to engineering leadership visa applications?
Most engineering leadership positions require a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a closely related technical field. If your degree doesn't directly match, three years of progressive engineering experience can substitute for one year of education. Advanced degrees in engineering or technical management strengthen your application significantly.
How to find Engineering Leader jobs with visa sponsorship?
To find Engineering Leader positions with visa sponsorship, use Migrate Mate, which specializes in sponsored roles across tech companies. Focus on H-1B visa and O-1 visa opportunities at startups, scale-ups, and established tech firms that frequently hire senior engineering talent. Target companies in software development, fintech, and emerging technologies that typically sponsor experienced engineering leaders for strategic positions.
How do H-1B approval rates differ for engineering management roles?
Engineering leadership roles have strong approval rates when the technical requirements are clearly documented. USCIS reviews whether the position truly requires specialized engineering knowledge beyond general management skills. Roles that combine hands-on technical oversight with team leadership typically face fewer challenges than pure administrative management positions.
Can engineering leaders use L-1A instead of H-1B for faster processing?
Yes, if you're currently managing engineering teams at a multinational company with U.S. operations, L-1A intracompany transfer may be faster and more reliable than H-1B lottery. You need one year of managerial experience abroad and must transfer to a related managerial role. L-1A also allows dual intent for green card applications.
What happens if an engineering leader's H-1B gets denied due to specialty occupation concerns?
If USCIS questions whether your engineering leadership role meets specialty occupation requirements, you can appeal with additional evidence of technical responsibilities, industry standards requiring engineering expertise, or expert opinion letters. Alternatively, consider O-1A if you have extraordinary ability in engineering, or explore L-1A if working for a multinational company.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Engineering Leader jobs?
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.