Program Engineer Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Program Engineer roles qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations when the position requires a bachelor's degree in engineering, systems, or a related technical field. Employers file a Labor Condition Application before sponsoring, and the annual H-1B cap and lottery apply, though cap-exempt employers offer an alternative path.
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Position Title: Staff Engineering Program Manager
Location & Work Arrangement: Fremont, CA. | Hybrid
Travel Requirements: internationally roughly once a year
About Nextpower
Nextpower is a global leader in intelligent energy technology, delivering innovative solutions across solar power, electrical infrastructure, automation, and digital technologies. Our products and services help optimize energy performance, improve efficiency, and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable energy future. Driven by innovation and collaboration, our global teams are shaping the future of energy.
Job Summary
We are seeking a Staff Engineering Program Manager to lead complex power conversion programs from product definition through validation, manufacturing release, and production ramp. The role brings engineering, systems integration, product management, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, compliance, and commercial teams together to deliver reliable products that meet performance, cost, and schedule goals.
The ideal candidate has a proven track record leading power conversion hardware programs with globally distributed teams, managing complex dependencies, and driving decisions across organizational boundaries.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the integrated program plan, including scope, milestones, dependencies, budget, risks, resource and priority conflicts, and recovery plans.
- Ensure clear, consistent communication across time zones, enabling effective decision-making across international teams.
- Lead cross-functional execution from product definition through design, prototype builds, validation, manufacturing release, and production ramp.
- Partner with engineering leads to frame technical decisions, assess program impacts, and resolve cross-functional dependencies.
- Align globally distributed internal teams, suppliers, and manufacturing partners on priorities, deliverables, and decisions.
- Drive product readiness, including bill of materials maturity, drawing and documentation readiness, factory testing, and production capacity.
- Present to senior leadership and communicate program health, risks, tradeoffs, and decisions.
- Establish effective program practices across teams and mentor others in program planning, risk management, and cross-site execution.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent experience; a master’s degree is preferred.
- 10-15+ years of relevant experience, including leading complex technical hardware programs through development, validation, and manufacturing scale-up.
- Experience working with international, cross-functional teams and external partners.
- Ability to influence stakeholders and drive decisions in fast-paced, matrixed environments.
- Experience with program management and reporting tools such as Jira, Confluence, Power BI, or equivalent.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with solar, energy storage, microgrids, or utility-scale equipment.
- Grid-connected systems, protection, power quality, and site integration.
- Experience managing programs with high voltage, high power, or significant certification requirements.
- Design for manufacturing, supplier qualification, bills of materials, change control, and factory test.
- Product verification, reliability testing, and applicable safety or certification processes.
We are Nextpower
Nextpower offers a comprehensive benefits package. We provide health care coverage, dental and vision, 401(K) participation including company matching, company paid holidays with unlimited paid time off, generous discretionary company bonuses, life and disability protection and more. Employees in certain positions may be eligible for stock compensation. All plans are in accordance with relevant plan documents.
Pay is based on market location and may vary based on factors including experience, skills, education and other job-related reasons. The annual salary range for this position is $190,000 to $205,000 (eligible in California).
At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.
Nextpower is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Job Description:
Position Title: Staff Engineering Program Manager
Location & Work Arrangement: Fremont, CA. | Hybrid
Travel Requirements: internationally roughly once a year
About Nextpower
Nextpower is a global leader in intelligent energy technology, delivering innovative solutions across solar power, electrical infrastructure, automation, and digital technologies. Our products and services help optimize energy performance, improve efficiency, and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable energy future. Driven by innovation and collaboration, our global teams are shaping the future of energy.
Job Summary
We are seeking a Staff Engineering Program Manager to lead complex power conversion programs from product definition through validation, manufacturing release, and production ramp. The role brings engineering, systems integration, product management, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, compliance, and commercial teams together to deliver reliable products that meet performance, cost, and schedule goals.
The ideal candidate has a proven track record leading power conversion hardware programs with globally distributed teams, managing complex dependencies, and driving decisions across organizational boundaries.
Key Responsibilities
- Own the integrated program plan, including scope, milestones, dependencies, budget, risks, resource and priority conflicts, and recovery plans.
- Ensure clear, consistent communication across time zones, enabling effective decision-making across international teams.
- Lead cross-functional execution from product definition through design, prototype builds, validation, manufacturing release, and production ramp.
- Partner with engineering leads to frame technical decisions, assess program impacts, and resolve cross-functional dependencies.
- Align globally distributed internal teams, suppliers, and manufacturing partners on priorities, deliverables, and decisions.
- Drive product readiness, including bill of materials maturity, drawing and documentation readiness, factory testing, and production capacity.
- Present to senior leadership and communicate program health, risks, tradeoffs, and decisions.
- Establish effective program practices across teams and mentor others in program planning, risk management, and cross-site execution.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent experience; a master’s degree is preferred.
- 10-15+ years of relevant experience, including leading complex technical hardware programs through development, validation, and manufacturing scale-up.
- Experience working with international, cross-functional teams and external partners.
- Ability to influence stakeholders and drive decisions in fast-paced, matrixed environments.
- Experience with program management and reporting tools such as Jira, Confluence, Power BI, or equivalent.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with solar, energy storage, microgrids, or utility-scale equipment.
- Grid-connected systems, protection, power quality, and site integration.
- Experience managing programs with high voltage, high power, or significant certification requirements.
- Design for manufacturing, supplier qualification, bills of materials, change control, and factory test.
- Product verification, reliability testing, and applicable safety or certification processes.
We are Nextpower
Nextpower offers a comprehensive benefits package. We provide health care coverage, dental and vision, 401(K) participation including company matching, company paid holidays with unlimited paid time off, generous discretionary company bonuses, life and disability protection and more. Employees in certain positions may be eligible for stock compensation. All plans are in accordance with relevant plan documents.
Pay is based on market location and may vary based on factors including experience, skills, education and other job-related reasons. The annual salary range for this position is $190,000 to $205,000 (eligible in California).
At Nextpower, we are driving the global energy transition with an integrated clean energy technology platform that combines intelligent structural, electrical, and digital solutions for utility-scale power plants. Our comprehensive portfolio enables faster project delivery, higher performance, and greater reliability, helping our customers capture the full value of solar power. Our talented worldwide teams are redefining how solar power plants are designed, built, and operated every day with smart technology, data-driven insights, and advanced automation. Together, we’re building the foundation for the world’s next generation of clean energy infrastructure.
Nextpower is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
See all 267+ Program Engineer Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Program Engineer
Align your degree to the role
Program Engineer job descriptions vary widely. Make sure your degree field matches the technical discipline the role requires. A general engineering degree may not satisfy specialty occupation requirements if the employer defines the role as, say, systems or aerospace engineering specifically.
Look up prevailing wage tiers before negotiating
Your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above the DOL prevailing wage for the role and location. Run the OFLC Wage Search for your job title and metro area before you negotiate an offer so you know the floor your employer must meet.
Target cap-exempt employers strategically
Defense contractors, federally funded research centers, and universities can sponsor H-1B workers outside the annual lottery. Program Engineer roles are common at these organizations, so targeting them removes lottery timing risk from your job search entirely.
Find sponsors with active LCA filing history
Use Migrate Mate to browse Program Engineer roles at employers with verified H-1B LCA filing history. This shows you which companies have already committed to sponsoring the role, not just which ones list it as a possibility in job postings.
Get your credentials evaluated before you apply
If you earned your engineering degree outside the U.S., have it evaluated by a NACES-member credential evaluator before applying. USCIS looks at the evaluation during I-129 adjudication, and a weak or missing evaluation is a common RFE trigger for Program Engineer petitions.
Clarify the LCA job site before your employer files
Program Engineers often rotate across project sites or work at client facilities. Each distinct worksite may require a separate LCA posting. Confirm with your employer before they file whether your work location is fixed or multi-site, as mismatches trigger DOL audit exposure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Program Engineer role qualify as an H-1B specialty occupation?
Yes, in most cases. USCIS requires the position to normally require at least a bachelor's degree in a directly related field. Program Engineer roles in aerospace, defense, systems, or software engineering typically satisfy this standard. Roles where any engineering degree is accepted regardless of field can face RFEs if the employer can't demonstrate the degree-job nexus clearly.
Which visa types can sponsor a Program Engineer working in the U.S.?
The H-1B is the most common path, covering most engineering specialty occupations. TN visa is available to Canadian and Mexican nationals if the role fits a qualifying USMCA engineering category. For Australian nationals, the E-3 visa offers a cap-exempt alternative with no lottery. Green card sponsorship through EB-2 or EB-3 is also available for Program Engineers with an employer willing to run PERM labor certification.
How do I find Program Engineer jobs where employers are actively sponsoring visas?
Migrate Mate lists Program Engineer roles at employers with verified sponsorship history drawn from DOL LCA data, so you can focus on companies already committed to sponsoring rather than guessing from job postings. This saves time you'd otherwise spend applying to roles where the employer hasn't actually sponsored the visa type you need.
What degree does a Program Engineer need for visa sponsorship?
Most employers sponsoring H-1B petitions for Program Engineer roles specify a bachelor's degree in mechanical, aerospace, systems, electrical, or computer engineering. USCIS scrutinizes whether the degree field is directly related to the role's duties. If your degree is in a broader field like general engineering or applied science, the employer's job description needs to justify why that specific background is required.
What can delay or complicate H-1B sponsorship for a Program Engineer?
Common issues include multi-site work arrangements requiring multiple LCA postings, clearance-required roles that slow the employer's internal approval process, and specialty occupation RFEs when the job description is written too broadly. Employers new to sponsoring engineering roles may also underestimate DOL prevailing wage requirements, which can delay LCA certification and push back the USCIS filing timeline.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Program Engineer 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.