System Design Engineer Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
System Design Engineer jobs attract strong H-1B visa sponsorship activity because the role qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring a directly related bachelor's degree. Employers file a Labor Condition Application before you start, and your initial H-1B status runs up to three years, extendable to six.
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Get Access To All JobsSUMMARY
Imagine the world without Apple devices! Does it feel strange? Apple products might even be one of the reasons you wanted to BE a Hardware Design Engineer. Now, imagine yourself designing future Apple products. Designing hardware for iPhone means learning how to build high-performance electronics where every cubic millimeter matters. It is a masterclass in modern hardware engineering—blending high-speed digital buses, ultra-low-noise power rails, and flexible circuits into an integrated system built at unprecedented quality and scale. The iPhone Hardware System Design team is looking for a driven Electrical Engineer who is passionate about circuit design, board-level bring-up, and hands-on problem solving. You will own the design, validation, and integration of critical rigid-board and flexible-circuit modules, working side-by-side with world-class engineers. If you are eager to dive deep into schematics, spend time in the lab probing waveforms, and see your designs ship in products used by millions, join us.
DESCRIPTION
In this role, you will be an active contributor to the hardware design and validation cycle of future iPhone hardware:
Circuit Design & Integration: Own schematics, component selection and collaborate closely with CAD layout engineers for dedicated rigid boards, flexible printed circuits (FPCs), and system interconnect modules.
Hands-On Lab Bring-Up: Lead the first-time power-on and functional bring-up of your hardware blocks in the lab; debug hardware bugs down to component level using high-speed scopes and digital analyzers.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner daily with mechanical engineering (Product Design), firmware, thermal, silicon, and factory teams to ensure smooth mechanical and electrical integration. There will be opportunities for international travel.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent.
- 2+ years of experience in board-level electrical hardware design and verification.
- Strong grasp of core EE fundamentals: circuit theory, analog fundamentals, digital logic, and basic power regulation.
- Demonstrated hands-on lab experience bringing up and debugging prototype hardware.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- High speed digital design
- Schematic capture and PCB layout
- Hands-on lab experience with hardware bring-up and debug
- Fundamentals of signal and power integrity
- Understanding of low voltage power regulation solutions
- Integration of hardware into multi-functional systems
- Use of scripting languages to assist with hardware development
- Familiarity with the challenges of taking a product from design through to production
- Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
- Experience working with dynamic multi-functional teams
- Automation: Proficiency with tools to enable automation (AI usage to develop tools and for other efficiency improvements is a plus)
COMPENSATION
At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $129,300 and $225,300, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.
Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant
At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.
SUMMARY
Imagine the world without Apple devices! Does it feel strange? Apple products might even be one of the reasons you wanted to BE a Hardware Design Engineer. Now, imagine yourself designing future Apple products. Designing hardware for iPhone means learning how to build high-performance electronics where every cubic millimeter matters. It is a masterclass in modern hardware engineering—blending high-speed digital buses, ultra-low-noise power rails, and flexible circuits into an integrated system built at unprecedented quality and scale. The iPhone Hardware System Design team is looking for a driven Electrical Engineer who is passionate about circuit design, board-level bring-up, and hands-on problem solving. You will own the design, validation, and integration of critical rigid-board and flexible-circuit modules, working side-by-side with world-class engineers. If you are eager to dive deep into schematics, spend time in the lab probing waveforms, and see your designs ship in products used by millions, join us.
DESCRIPTION
In this role, you will be an active contributor to the hardware design and validation cycle of future iPhone hardware:
Circuit Design & Integration: Own schematics, component selection and collaborate closely with CAD layout engineers for dedicated rigid boards, flexible printed circuits (FPCs), and system interconnect modules.
Hands-On Lab Bring-Up: Lead the first-time power-on and functional bring-up of your hardware blocks in the lab; debug hardware bugs down to component level using high-speed scopes and digital analyzers.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner daily with mechanical engineering (Product Design), firmware, thermal, silicon, and factory teams to ensure smooth mechanical and electrical integration. There will be opportunities for international travel.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- BS or MS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent.
- 2+ years of experience in board-level electrical hardware design and verification.
- Strong grasp of core EE fundamentals: circuit theory, analog fundamentals, digital logic, and basic power regulation.
- Demonstrated hands-on lab experience bringing up and debugging prototype hardware.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- High speed digital design
- Schematic capture and PCB layout
- Hands-on lab experience with hardware bring-up and debug
- Fundamentals of signal and power integrity
- Understanding of low voltage power regulation solutions
- Integration of hardware into multi-functional systems
- Use of scripting languages to assist with hardware development
- Familiarity with the challenges of taking a product from design through to production
- Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
- Experience working with dynamic multi-functional teams
- Automation: Proficiency with tools to enable automation (AI usage to develop tools and for other efficiency improvements is a plus)
COMPENSATION
At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $129,300 and $225,300, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.
Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant
At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.
See all 44+ System Design Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new System Design Engineer roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a System Design Engineer
Frame your portfolio around distributed systems
Hiring managers and USCIS both need to see that your role requires a specific technical degree. Document projects involving scalability, fault tolerance, and architecture trade-offs so your work clearly maps to a computer science or engineering specialty occupation.
Verify employer LCA filing history on Migrate Mate
Before applying, search Migrate Mate's database of verified LCA filings to confirm an employer has sponsored System Design Engineers before. Active filing history signals a mature sponsorship process and reduces the risk of an employer backing out mid-offer.
Target companies with dedicated immigration counsel
Large technology and infrastructure firms that file LCAs in volume typically have in-house immigration teams. These employers move faster through the DOL certification step because they're not coordinating with outside counsel for the first time on your petition.
Check prevailing wage levels before accepting an offer
Your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above the DOL prevailing wage for your location and role. Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up the Level I through Level IV rates for systems engineers in your target metro before salary negotiations begin.
Align your degree field with the job description
If your degree is in electrical engineering or applied mathematics rather than computer science, ask the employer to include language in the offer letter that connects your specific degree field to the system design duties. This directly supports the specialty occupation determination USCIS reviews.
Understand H-1B portability if you change employers
Once you're in H-1B status, you can start with a new employer as soon as the new I-129 petition is filed with USCIS. You don't need to wait for approval, which matters if a better system design role comes up during your first or second year of status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a System Design Engineer role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes. System Design Engineering requires at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a closely related field, which satisfies the specialty occupation definition USCIS uses. The key is that the job description must make clear a general degree isn't sufficient. Employers who include specific technical requirements like distributed systems, microservices architecture, or hardware-software co-design in the job posting are on stronger footing.
Which visa types are most commonly used to sponsor System Design Engineers?
H-1B is the most common path for most nationalities. Australian citizens can use the E-3 visa, which carries a separate annual cap of 10,500 slots and has never been exhausted. Chilean nationals have access to the H-1B1 visa, and Canadian and Mexican nationals may qualify under TN visa if the role maps to an eligible USMCA profession. F-1 graduates often work under OPT or STEM OPT while pursuing one of these employer-sponsored statuses.
What degree does an employer typically require for a sponsored System Design Engineer?
Most employers require a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or systems engineering. Some roles in hardware-software integration also accept degrees in applied physics or mathematics if the coursework covered relevant systems topics. USCIS scrutinizes whether the degree field is directly related to the duties, so a general business or liberal arts degree won't support the petition even with years of relevant experience.
How do I find System Design Engineer roles where employers are actively sponsoring visas?
Migrate Mate lists employers with verified sponsorship history for engineering roles, so you can focus your applications on companies that have already navigated the LCA and H-1B process for similar positions. This saves time compared to applying broadly and discovering sponsorship limitations deep into a hiring process.
Can a System Design Engineer on STEM OPT transition directly to H-1B with the same employer?
Yes, and this is one of the more common transitions in the field. Your employer needs to file your H-1B petition while your STEM OPT is still valid. If the petition is filed and your OPT expires before October 1, the cap-gap rule extends your work authorization automatically until your H-1B status begins. The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify to participate in STEM OPT, which most large technology employers already satisfy.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored System Design 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.