OPT Compliance Analyst Jobs
Compliance Analyst roles sit squarely within specialty occupation territory, making them a strong fit for F-1 OPT students with degrees in finance, law, business, or a related field. Most positions align well with both standard 12-month OPT and the 24-month STEM extension for qualifying degree holders.
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Get Access To All JobsJob Title: Senior IT Security Compliance Analyst
Location: Lansing, MI, (Hybrid)-Onsite from day 1, two days a week
Position Type: Contract
Interview Mode: 1st round MS Teams & 2nd round In-person
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
This is a repost of posting ID # 166272. Please note added requirement (Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) -3+ years (Keylight preferred)).
Job responsibilities:
- Provide leadership and oversight for maintaining and updating System Security Plans (SSPs), ensuring documentation accuracy, completeness, and alignment with NIST protocol and SOM compliance standards.
- Lead and coordinate the Authority to Operate (ATO) renewal process, including planning, preparing required materials, managing timelines, and ensuring successful approval and continuous compliance for all supported applications.
- Ensure all applications maintain a valid ATO on a three‑year cycle and lead efforts to validate and maintain accurate security controls throughout each renewal period.
- Reviews and informs management on security risk assessment results and recommends corrective actions as necessary.
- Reviews, assesses risks and scope for high level security incidents. Develops new reports for management based on those collected metrics across multiple agencies: conducts trend analysis.
- Work with stakeholders to address and track Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&Ms) and other compliance requirements, ensuring timely reporting and closure.
- Provide senior‑level support across multiple business areas, MDCR, MCSC & MiLEAP, with a focus on standardized security plan updates, documentation improvements, and long‑term process consistency.
- Analyze existing compliance documentation, identify gaps or risks, and guide corrective actions to meet regulatory and organizational requirements.
- Coordinate cross‑functional collaboration with technical teams, business owners, enterprise security personnel, and project leadership to ensure all evidence and artifacts required for SSP and ATO processes are properly completed and maintained.
- Oversee review, updates, and remediation of security controls, ensuring issues are tracked, communicated, and resolved in collaboration with stakeholders.
- Lead efforts to identify procedural gaps, risks, or required updates during renewal cycles, ensuring consistent application of best practices across all supported systems.
- Contribute to enterprise security governance by providing guidance, maintaining accurate records, mentoring team members, and driving timely completion of compliance activities.
- Leads mid to high‑level Incident Responses when working to resolve incidents.
- Serves as the Incident response specialist for cyber event detection, correlation, response, and recovery.
Job Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in cyber security, Information Assurance, Business Analytics, or IT Related Field
- OR: 5 years of experience
- Preferred Advanced Degrees, Master’s in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Information Systems / IT Leadership, or an MBA with an IT or Security Concentration
- Educational or professional knowledge of NIST Framework and Controls a must
- Strong aptitude for written and oral communication
- Strong documentation skills
- Can collaborate cross‑functionally
Skill | Required / Desired | Required Years of experience
Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) -3+ years | Required | 3+ years
Experience providing audit evidence to comply with security standards such as NIST, PCI, HIPPA, FERPA | Required | 5 Years
Exposure to Complex IT web Applications, within the past 5 years | Required | 5 Years
Experience leading meetings and making oral and written reports | Required | 5 Years
Experience working as a liaison between different business and IT areas | Required | 5 Years
Knowledge or experience creating supporting documentation for IT system audits | Highly Desired | 2 Years
Experience with the creation of Disaster Recover Plans, Business Continuity Plans, and Incident Response Plans | Highly Desired | 2 Years
Keylight experience strong desired | Highly Desired | 1-3+ years
Flexible work from home options available.
Job Title: Senior IT Security Compliance Analyst
Location: Lansing, MI, (Hybrid)-Onsite from day 1, two days a week
Position Type: Contract
Interview Mode: 1st round MS Teams & 2nd round In-person
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
This is a repost of posting ID # 166272. Please note added requirement (Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) -3+ years (Keylight preferred)).
Job responsibilities:
- Provide leadership and oversight for maintaining and updating System Security Plans (SSPs), ensuring documentation accuracy, completeness, and alignment with NIST protocol and SOM compliance standards.
- Lead and coordinate the Authority to Operate (ATO) renewal process, including planning, preparing required materials, managing timelines, and ensuring successful approval and continuous compliance for all supported applications.
- Ensure all applications maintain a valid ATO on a three‑year cycle and lead efforts to validate and maintain accurate security controls throughout each renewal period.
- Reviews and informs management on security risk assessment results and recommends corrective actions as necessary.
- Reviews, assesses risks and scope for high level security incidents. Develops new reports for management based on those collected metrics across multiple agencies: conducts trend analysis.
- Work with stakeholders to address and track Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&Ms) and other compliance requirements, ensuring timely reporting and closure.
- Provide senior‑level support across multiple business areas, MDCR, MCSC & MiLEAP, with a focus on standardized security plan updates, documentation improvements, and long‑term process consistency.
- Analyze existing compliance documentation, identify gaps or risks, and guide corrective actions to meet regulatory and organizational requirements.
- Coordinate cross‑functional collaboration with technical teams, business owners, enterprise security personnel, and project leadership to ensure all evidence and artifacts required for SSP and ATO processes are properly completed and maintained.
- Oversee review, updates, and remediation of security controls, ensuring issues are tracked, communicated, and resolved in collaboration with stakeholders.
- Lead efforts to identify procedural gaps, risks, or required updates during renewal cycles, ensuring consistent application of best practices across all supported systems.
- Contribute to enterprise security governance by providing guidance, maintaining accurate records, mentoring team members, and driving timely completion of compliance activities.
- Leads mid to high‑level Incident Responses when working to resolve incidents.
- Serves as the Incident response specialist for cyber event detection, correlation, response, and recovery.
Job Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in cyber security, Information Assurance, Business Analytics, or IT Related Field
- OR: 5 years of experience
- Preferred Advanced Degrees, Master’s in Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Information Systems / IT Leadership, or an MBA with an IT or Security Concentration
- Educational or professional knowledge of NIST Framework and Controls a must
- Strong aptitude for written and oral communication
- Strong documentation skills
- Can collaborate cross‑functionally
Skill | Required / Desired | Required Years of experience
Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) -3+ years | Required | 3+ years
Experience providing audit evidence to comply with security standards such as NIST, PCI, HIPPA, FERPA | Required | 5 Years
Exposure to Complex IT web Applications, within the past 5 years | Required | 5 Years
Experience leading meetings and making oral and written reports | Required | 5 Years
Experience working as a liaison between different business and IT areas | Required | 5 Years
Knowledge or experience creating supporting documentation for IT system audits | Highly Desired | 2 Years
Experience with the creation of Disaster Recover Plans, Business Continuity Plans, and Incident Response Plans | Highly Desired | 2 Years
Keylight experience strong desired | Highly Desired | 1-3+ years
Flexible work from home options available.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship as a Compliance Analyst
Lead with your regulatory coursework
Compliance hiring managers want to see evidence of regulatory knowledge before anything else. Highlight coursework in securities law, risk management, or financial regulation on your resume. Relevant academic background signals you can contribute from day one without extensive training.
Target STEM OPT-eligible roles strategically
Compliance Analyst positions at fintech, banking technology, and data-driven risk firms often fall under CIP codes qualifying for the 24-month STEM extension. Confirm your degree classification with your DSO before applying, since this significantly extends your authorization window and your value to employers.
Frame OPT authorization clearly in applications
State your OPT status and exact authorization end date directly in your cover letter or application. Compliance employers value precision and transparency. Burying your visa situation or waiting until interviews to disclose it creates unnecessary friction and can cost you otherwise strong opportunities.
Pursue compliance certifications proactively
Certifications like CAMS or CRCM demonstrate commitment and reduce perceived training costs for employers hesitant about OPT timelines. Even enrollment in a certification program signals seriousness. Many OPT students overlook this, but it materially improves your candidacy at firms new to sponsoring.
Focus on firms with existing OPT or H-1B history
Banks, insurance companies, and large financial institutions file sponsorship paperwork regularly and have established legal processes. Smaller compliance consultancies may be willing but lack infrastructure. Prioritizing employers with a demonstrated history of sponsoring international candidates reduces the risk of stalled offers late in hiring.
Tailor your resume to specific compliance verticals
Compliance spans AML, KYC, regulatory reporting, trade surveillance, and more. Generalist resumes perform poorly. Identify one or two verticals where your coursework or internship experience is strongest and position yourself as a specialist. Focused candidates are easier for hiring managers to place and advocate for internally.
Compliance Analyst OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Is Compliance Analyst a qualifying specialty occupation for OPT?
Yes. Compliance Analyst roles typically require at minimum a bachelor's degree in a specific field such as finance, accounting, business administration, or law, which meets the specialty occupation standard. Your degree field should align with the specific compliance function the role covers. A general business degree usually qualifies for broad compliance roles, while AML or securities compliance positions may expect a closer match.
Can I work as a Compliance Analyst on the STEM OPT extension?
It depends on your degree's CIP code classification. Degrees in finance, economics, or management information systems commonly qualify for the 24-month STEM extension. If your undergraduate degree is in accounting or a business analytics concentration, confirm eligibility with your DSO. Employers in fintech and financial services are increasingly familiar with STEM OPT and tend to be receptive to the longer authorization window it provides.
Where can I find Compliance Analyst jobs that sponsor OPT students?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for F-1 OPT students and surfaces Compliance Analyst roles at employers with a track record of sponsoring international candidates. Searching general job boards often surfaces roles where OPT students are screened out early. Using Migrate Mate filters your results to positions where your work authorization is already expected, which saves significant time and reduces application friction during a period when your OPT clock is running.
What compliance verticals are most accessible to OPT students?
AML and KYC compliance roles at banks and fintech companies represent some of the highest-volume hiring areas for OPT students, partly because these functions require analytical skills well developed in academic programs. Regulatory reporting and trade compliance also hire regularly from university pipelines. Roles that require U.S. security clearances or certain government-contractor positions are typically not accessible to OPT students, so it is worth confirming citizenship requirements before applying.
How does the 60-day OPT grace period affect compliance job searches?
If your OPT employment ends before your authorization expires, you have a 60-day grace period to find new employment, but you cannot work during this time. For Compliance Analyst roles, which often have multi-week interview processes involving background checks and legal review, starting your search well before any employment gap is critical. Some compliance positions require employment background checks that take additional time, so factor that into your timeline to avoid authorization gaps.