OPT Principal Jobs
Principal roles in education and professional services do qualify for OPT work authorization, but STEM OPT extension eligibility depends on your specific degree field and employer. Most school principal positions fall outside STEM OPT scope, so planning your 12-month timeline carefully is critical before applying.
Find OPT Principal JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 7,360+ Principal jobs










See all 7,360+ Principal Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Principal roles.
Get Access To All Jobs
INTRODUCTION
Data is at the center of everything we do. As a startup, we disrupted the credit card industry by individually personalizing every credit card offer using statistical modeling and the relational database, cutting edge technology in 1988! Fast-forward a few years, and this little innovation and our passion for data has skyrocketed us to a Fortune 200 company and a leader in the world of data-driven decision-making.
As a Data Scientist at Capital One, you’ll be part of a team that’s leading the next wave of disruption at a whole new scale, using the latest in computing and machine learning technologies and operating across billions of customer records to unlock the big opportunities that help everyday people save money, time and agony in their financial lives.
Team Description
The AI for Data team builds and ships state of the art machine learning solutions to support data lifecycle within the enterprise. We partner with product, tech and design teams to deliver personalized experiences to our data and platform users to drive productivity and innovation. You will be the driving force to experiment, innovate and create next generation experiences powered by the latest emerging ML technologies.
In this role, you will:
- Partner with a cross-functional team of data scientists, software engineers, and product managers to deliver a product customers love
- Leverage a broad stack of technologies — Python, Conda, AWS, H2O, Spark, and more — to reveal the insights hidden within huge volumes of numeric and textual data
- Build machine learning models through all phases of development, from design through training, evaluation, validation, and implementation
- Flex your interpersonal skills to translate the complexity of your work into tangible business goals
The Ideal Candidate is:
- Innovative. You continually research and evaluate emerging technologies. You stay current on published state-of-the-art methods, technologies, and applications and seek out opportunities to apply them.
- Creative. You thrive on bringing definition to big, undefined problems. You love asking questions and pushing hard to find answers. You’re not afraid to share a new idea.
- Technical. You’re comfortable with open-source languages and are passionate about developing further. You have hands-on experience developing data science solutions using open-source tools and cloud computing platforms.
- Statistically-minded. You’ve built models, validated them, and back tested them. You know how to interpret a confusion matrix or a ROC curve. You have experience with clustering, classification, sentiment analysis, time series, and deep learning.
- A data guru. "Big data" doesn't faze you. You have the skills to retrieve, combine, and analyze data from a variety of sources and structures. You know understanding the data is often the key to great data science.
Basic Qualifications:
- Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining one of the following with an expectation that the required degree will be obtained on or before the scheduled start date:
+ A Bachelor's Degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) plus 5 years of experience performing data analytics
+ A Master's Degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) or an MBA with a quantitative concentration plus 3 years of experience performing data analytics
+ A PhD in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field)
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s Degree in “STEM” field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics), or PhD in “STEM” field (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics)
- Experience working with AWS
- At least 3 years’ experience in Python, Scala, or R
- At least 3 years’ experience with machine learning
- At least 3 years’ experience with SQL
Capital One will consider sponsoring a new qualified applicant for employment authorization for this position.
COMPENSATION
- The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.
McLean, VA: $161,800 - $184,600 for Princ Associate, Data Science
New York, NY: $176,500 - $201,400 for Princ Associate, Data Science
San Jose, CA: $176,500 - $201,400 for Princ Associate, Data Science
Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter.
This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.
Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.
This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.
No agencies please.
Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City’s Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.
If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.
For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com.
Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.
Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).
See all 7,360+ OPT Principal Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new OPT Principal Jobs.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship in Principal
Confirm your OPT timeline before applying
Most principal roles take months to fill. Check your OPT start and end dates before applying so you're not mid-hiring process when your authorization expires. Build buffer time into your job search, especially for district-level positions with long decision cycles.
Identify whether the role qualifies as STEM OPT
Principal roles in education administration generally do not qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. If your degree is in a STEM field, explore corporate or higher education leadership roles where STEM OPT eligibility is far more likely to apply.
Highlight your degree's relevance to the leadership role
OPT requires your job to be directly related to your degree field. Principal candidates should clearly connect their academic background in education, administration, or organizational leadership to the position's core responsibilities in every application document.
Target employers already familiar with work authorization
Larger school districts, private school networks, and university systems are more likely to have handled OPT documentation before. Smaller independent schools may require more education about the process, so factor that into your outreach and interview conversations.
Address OPT proactively, not defensively
When the topic of work authorization arises, be direct and prepared. Explain your current OPT status, its duration, and what next steps look like for H-1B visa sponsorship if applicable. Confidence and preparation build employer trust far more than vague answers do.
Understand the H-1B pathway from a principal role
If you're pursuing H-1B sponsorship after OPT, confirm the principal role meets specialty occupation standards. Educational leadership roles supported by a relevant master's degree typically qualify, but the employer must be willing to file a petition on your behalf.
Principal OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a principal on OPT?
Yes, you can work as a principal on OPT if the role is directly related to your degree field. A principal position supported by a degree in educational leadership, school administration, or organizational management satisfies the OPT employment requirement. The connection between your academic background and the job responsibilities needs to be clear and documentable.
Does a principal role qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
In most cases, no. Principal positions in K-12 or private school settings fall under education administration, which is not a qualifying STEM field. If your degree is in a STEM discipline and you're pursuing leadership roles in technology, research, or higher education institutions, STEM OPT may apply. Verify your specific degree's CIP code against the official STEM Designated Degree Program list before assuming eligibility.
Will employers sponsor an H-1B visa for a principal role after my OPT ends?
It depends on the employer type and role structure. Public school districts and many private institutions do sponsor H-1B visas for administrative leadership roles, particularly when the position requires a relevant master's degree. Larger networks and university systems are better positioned to handle the process. Discussing sponsorship expectations early in the interview process avoids complications later.
How do I find principal jobs open to OPT candidates?
Migrate Mate is the best starting point. It lists principal and school leadership roles from employers familiar with OPT and visa sponsorship, saving you from applying to positions where work authorization is an immediate dealbreaker. Filtering by authorization-friendly employers significantly improves your response rate and avoids wasted applications during a time-sensitive OPT window.
What documentation does my employer need to verify my OPT employment?
Your employer will need a copy of your EAD card and your Form I-20 with the OPT authorization page. Some districts or HR departments may also request your visa stamp or passport biographic page for their records. Keep digital copies of all OPT documents readily accessible, and notify your DSO promptly if your job title, employer, or work location changes during your OPT period.