OPT Service Advisor Jobs
Service Advisor jobs are open to F-1 OPT students with degrees in automotive technology, business, or a related field. Employers in dealerships and service centers regularly hire on OPT work authorization, making this a practical path to gain U.S. work experience while your STEM OPT extension eligibility is assessed.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Lead with Purpose. Partner with Impact.
The Service Advisor services and manages client relationships, generally Tier 3 and 4 clients with potential for select Tier 2 relationships, delivering financial planning, investment, and wealth management advice with limited oversight. Building on CFP® knowledge and real-world experience, the Service Advisor manages the full client-service process for an assigned book of business and consults a Lead Advisor or Director of Wealth Management on complex or high-stakes decisions.
This individual is a proven, developing professional who deepens existing relationships, mentors Support Advisors, and is on the path toward the Lead Advisor role, consistently reflecting our Simple Excellence and Collaborative Team values.
What You’ll Do:
- Autonomy: Works with limited oversight, initiating and completing client service and tasks with minimal supervision and navigating client challenges with less continuous guidance.
- Client Relationship Management: Manages and is accountable for a book of client relationships, generally Tier 3 and 4 with potential for select Tier 2 clients, serving as the primary advisor for those relationships and setting personal milestones for client retention.
- Financial planning: Independently manages significant portions of the seven-step planning process for standard cases, with evolving proficiency on more complex scenarios; prepares, delivers, and updates plans and finalizes assumptions with the Lead Advisor.
- Technical disciplines: Competently applies insurance, investment, tax, retirement, and estate planning for typical client needs; recognizes tax-efficient opportunities, evaluates policy options, designs retirement income strategies, and coordinates with attorneys and CPAs on moderately complex matters.
- Investment: Applies and explains the firm’s models and communicates rationale to clients. Developing knowledge of the macroeconomic environment in the context of portfolio selection with an ability to communicate this topic successfully with clients.
- Ethics and conduct: Upholds ethical standards in client interactions with minimal supervision, discloses potential conflicts, maintains continuing education, and role-models professionalism for staff.
- Business development: Grows the assigned book by identifying opportunities for additional services and generating referrals from existing clients. Independent prospecting and developing new business sources are not primary expectations and are supported by the office’s marketing efforts.
- Mentoring and coaching: Mentors Support Advisors, shares knowledge with peers, and helps develop teammates in line with our Collaborative Team value.
- Problem-solving: Uses education and experience to address more complex cases, analyzes client scenarios with planning tools, weighs options, and recommends process improvements.
What You Bring:
- CFP® preferred; at minimum, Series 65 required.
- Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline such as Accounting, Finance, or Economics
- Typically 3 to 5 years of financial planning, service delivery, and client interaction
- Track record of successful contributions to client service and project management
- Solid working knowledge of financial planning, investment management, and wealth management
- Ability to independently manage a book of client relationships with limited oversight
- Strong client-facing communication and presentation skills
- Sound judgment in recognizing when to escalate complex decisions
- Proficiency in financial planning, CRM, and portfolio management systems
- Ability to mentor and train Support Advisors
- Ability to successfully coordinate across advisory, client service, and operations teams
- Commitment to professionalism, accountability, and client focus
Measures of Success:
- Responsible for a developing book of up to approximately $1M in revenue (illustrative and subject to firm calibration)
- Client retention and satisfaction within the assigned book
- Growth of existing relationships and referrals generated
- Performance evaluations completed by the Director of Wealth Management
Internal Application Policy:
Internal applicants must be in good standing and have a minimum of 1 year of service with Kestra. Internal applicants must also have a minimum of 1 year service in current role unless approved by EVP.
Benefits to support you:
- Competitive pay and benefits with a large employer (over 1600 employees nationwide)
- 401(k), health insurance, and a competitive benefits package
- Work in a supportive, collaborative environment committed to professional excellence
- Help clients navigate meaningful financial decisions with confidence
- Opportunities for training, development, and long-term growth within the firm
- Tuition reimbursement for qualified expenses
Kestra Values:
Our Mission is Powering Financial Independence, enabling the growth and success of investing clients and the advisors who serve them. We do that by living our values: Serve, Make it Happen, and One team.
Apply Today
Lead with purpose. Apply now and help shape the future of Kestra.
Disclosure By applying to a job at Kestra Financial, Inc., you are agreeing to the following statements:
- You acknowledge that if hired, Kestra Financial, Inc. may, obtain and use background information concerning your credit, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, work habits, performance and experience for evaluation for your potential employment.
- It is the policy of Kestra Financial to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Kestra Financial prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.
INTRODUCTION
Lead with Purpose. Partner with Impact.
The Service Advisor services and manages client relationships, generally Tier 3 and 4 clients with potential for select Tier 2 relationships, delivering financial planning, investment, and wealth management advice with limited oversight. Building on CFP® knowledge and real-world experience, the Service Advisor manages the full client-service process for an assigned book of business and consults a Lead Advisor or Director of Wealth Management on complex or high-stakes decisions.
This individual is a proven, developing professional who deepens existing relationships, mentors Support Advisors, and is on the path toward the Lead Advisor role, consistently reflecting our Simple Excellence and Collaborative Team values.
What You’ll Do:
- Autonomy: Works with limited oversight, initiating and completing client service and tasks with minimal supervision and navigating client challenges with less continuous guidance.
- Client Relationship Management: Manages and is accountable for a book of client relationships, generally Tier 3 and 4 with potential for select Tier 2 clients, serving as the primary advisor for those relationships and setting personal milestones for client retention.
- Financial planning: Independently manages significant portions of the seven-step planning process for standard cases, with evolving proficiency on more complex scenarios; prepares, delivers, and updates plans and finalizes assumptions with the Lead Advisor.
- Technical disciplines: Competently applies insurance, investment, tax, retirement, and estate planning for typical client needs; recognizes tax-efficient opportunities, evaluates policy options, designs retirement income strategies, and coordinates with attorneys and CPAs on moderately complex matters.
- Investment: Applies and explains the firm’s models and communicates rationale to clients. Developing knowledge of the macroeconomic environment in the context of portfolio selection with an ability to communicate this topic successfully with clients.
- Ethics and conduct: Upholds ethical standards in client interactions with minimal supervision, discloses potential conflicts, maintains continuing education, and role-models professionalism for staff.
- Business development: Grows the assigned book by identifying opportunities for additional services and generating referrals from existing clients. Independent prospecting and developing new business sources are not primary expectations and are supported by the office’s marketing efforts.
- Mentoring and coaching: Mentors Support Advisors, shares knowledge with peers, and helps develop teammates in line with our Collaborative Team value.
- Problem-solving: Uses education and experience to address more complex cases, analyzes client scenarios with planning tools, weighs options, and recommends process improvements.
What You Bring:
- CFP® preferred; at minimum, Series 65 required.
- Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline such as Accounting, Finance, or Economics
- Typically 3 to 5 years of financial planning, service delivery, and client interaction
- Track record of successful contributions to client service and project management
- Solid working knowledge of financial planning, investment management, and wealth management
- Ability to independently manage a book of client relationships with limited oversight
- Strong client-facing communication and presentation skills
- Sound judgment in recognizing when to escalate complex decisions
- Proficiency in financial planning, CRM, and portfolio management systems
- Ability to mentor and train Support Advisors
- Ability to successfully coordinate across advisory, client service, and operations teams
- Commitment to professionalism, accountability, and client focus
Measures of Success:
- Responsible for a developing book of up to approximately $1M in revenue (illustrative and subject to firm calibration)
- Client retention and satisfaction within the assigned book
- Growth of existing relationships and referrals generated
- Performance evaluations completed by the Director of Wealth Management
Internal Application Policy:
Internal applicants must be in good standing and have a minimum of 1 year of service with Kestra. Internal applicants must also have a minimum of 1 year service in current role unless approved by EVP.
Benefits to support you:
- Competitive pay and benefits with a large employer (over 1600 employees nationwide)
- 401(k), health insurance, and a competitive benefits package
- Work in a supportive, collaborative environment committed to professional excellence
- Help clients navigate meaningful financial decisions with confidence
- Opportunities for training, development, and long-term growth within the firm
- Tuition reimbursement for qualified expenses
Kestra Values:
Our Mission is Powering Financial Independence, enabling the growth and success of investing clients and the advisors who serve them. We do that by living our values: Serve, Make it Happen, and One team.
Apply Today
Lead with purpose. Apply now and help shape the future of Kestra.
Disclosure By applying to a job at Kestra Financial, Inc., you are agreeing to the following statements:
- You acknowledge that if hired, Kestra Financial, Inc. may, obtain and use background information concerning your credit, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, work habits, performance and experience for evaluation for your potential employment.
- It is the policy of Kestra Financial to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Kestra Financial prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding OPT Sponsorship in Service Advisor
Target franchised dealership groups
Large dealership groups like AutoNation and Penske Automotive hire at volume and have HR infrastructure familiar with OPT work authorization. Smaller independent shops often lack that experience, making the sponsorship conversation harder before you even start.
Lead with your OPT authorization clearly
State your OPT status and EAD card details upfront in applications. Hiring managers in service departments aren't immigration specialists, so removing ambiguity early prevents your application from being filtered out by uninformed screeners.
Highlight bilingual communication skills
Service Advisors who speak Spanish, Mandarin, or other languages are in high demand at dealerships serving diverse markets. Frame bilingual ability as a direct business asset, giving employers a concrete reason to invest in your OPT work authorization.
Get ASE Service Consultant certification
Earning the ASE C1 Service Consultant certification signals professional credibility and reduces employer hesitation around OPT sponsorship. Certified candidates are demonstrably more qualified, making the authorization process feel like a worthwhile investment for the dealership.
Mention your full OPT timeline early
Employers worry about short authorization windows. If you have 12 months of OPT remaining, say so. If you qualify for a 24-month STEM OPT extension, explain it, because that three-year total window makes long-term hiring far more viable for them.
Use Migrate Mate to find OPT-open roles
Migrate Mate filters Service Advisor listings by OPT sponsorship willingness, so you're not cold-applying to employers who won't hire on work authorization. Focusing your effort there significantly improves your response rate and shortens your job search.
Service Advisor OPT: Frequently Asked Questions
Can F-1 OPT students work as Service Advisors in the U.S.?
Yes. Service Advisor roles qualify under OPT because they directly relate to degrees in automotive technology, business administration, and related fields. Your EAD card is your work authorization document, and most franchised dealerships can hire you without filing any additional petitions with USCIS. Confirm your degree-to-role connection is clear on your resume.
Do Service Advisor jobs qualify for the STEM OPT extension?
Possibly, depending on your degree. If you graduated with a STEM-designated degree, such as automotive engineering technology or a business analytics program on the STEM OPT list, you may qualify for a 24-month extension beyond your initial 12 months. Check your program's CIP code against the official STEM OPT designated degree list and confirm with your DSO before assuming eligibility.
How do I find Service Advisor employers willing to hire OPT students?
Migrate Mate is the most direct way to find Service Advisor openings from employers already open to OPT work authorization. The platform filters roles by sponsorship willingness, so you're not wasting time applying to dealerships that won't consider candidates on work authorization. Large dealership groups are generally your strongest targets given their HR familiarity with OPT.
What happens to my OPT status if I'm laid off from a Service Advisor role?
You have a cumulative 90-day unemployment allowance during your standard OPT period, reduced to 60 days if you're on a STEM OPT extension. The clock starts the day your employment ends. You must report the job change through your DSO and update your SEVIS record promptly. Finding a new qualifying position before you exhaust those days is critical to maintaining valid F-1 status.
Does a Service Advisor role need to be full-time for OPT compliance?
Yes. USCIS requires OPT employment to be at least 20 hours per week, and most Service Advisor positions at dealerships are full-time by nature. Part-time arrangements can satisfy the minimum threshold, but working fewer than 20 hours per week is considered unemployment for OPT purposes and counts against your 90-day limit. Full-time roles are the safer and more common path.