Government OPT Jobs in California
Government F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in California span federal agencies, state departments, and public universities across Sacramento, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. Employers like the California Department of Technology, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and UC system campuses regularly bring on OPT candidates in policy, data, engineering, and research roles supporting California's large public sector.
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Get Access To All JobsThe San Francisco Planning Department is recruiting for one (1) Temporary Provisional (TPV) Planner III within the Environmental Planning Division.
Specific Information Regarding This Recruitment Process Is Listed Below
- Application Opening: October 13, 2026
- Application Deadline: November 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM (PST)
- Analyst: Zoey Feng
- Amended on October 27, 2026: Extended the application deadline. Applicants who have already applied to this recruitment do not need to re-apply.
Appointment Type: This is a Temporary Provisional (TPV) position, limited to no more than 3 years in duration. This temporary position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process. This is considered "at will" and shall serve at the discretion of the Department Head. This position will be subject to the Permanent Civil Service examination process at a later date. Successful participation in the Permanent Civil Service examination and selection through an open competitive process is needed in order to be considered for the permanent appointment.
The Department
The San Francisco Planning Department (CPC) shapes how land is used to meet community needs and guide our city’s future, creating inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous neighborhoods. We envision an equitable San Francisco where everyone thrives—a welcoming city that honors diverse cultures, provides secure housing, strengthens environmental resilience, and drives economic stability for current and future generations.
Role description
Under direction, the Planner III in the Environmental Planning Division performs difficult and responsible environmental review work, participating in all phases of environmental review including analysis of environmental impacts and mitigation measures; coordinates difficult environmental review cases; performs complex initial environmental studies; provides information to the public on environmental review procedures; evaluates projects for compliance with applicable environmental laws, regulations, and policies; and coordinates with project sponsors, consultants, regulatory agencies, and other City departments on environmental review matters; and performs related duties as required. The Planner III may also perform complex and responsible planning work in areas such as land use, zoning, urban design, economic development, housing development, open space and recreation, code enforcement, historic preservation, real estate, waterfront planning, airport planning, park planning, natural resource management, emergency planning, or other related planning fields.
Important And Essential Duties
Essential duties of the position include but are not limited to the following:
- Performs difficult environmental impact evaluations of projects including review of technical portions of environmental impact reports (EIRs) involving mathematical modeling, surveys, analyses, and forecasts as applied to a range of environmental matters such as air pollution, water, energy, waste and endangered species
- Reviews EIRs for compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations
- Coordinates environmental impact reviews for major public and private projects, including preliminary conferences, consultations with consulting specialists, coordination with other involved agencies and Planning Department staff
- Prepares and presents environmental review findings, recommendations, staff reports, technical reports, correspondence, and other documents for the City Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, and other decision-making bodies
- Supervises, designs, and prepares graphic presentations including maps, reports, plans, PowerPoint (or similar) presentations, charts, models, sketches and graphs to illustrate and analyze environmental, planning and development concepts
- Reviews and/or coordinates the Federal, State, and Local permitting processes, including coordinating various stakeholders and integrating required data and documents and obtaining other regulatory approvals for projects
- Supervises and reviews the work of subordinates engaged in the performance of professional and sub-professional level planning work; oversees consultant planning work
- Prepares clearly written, concise staff reports and documents that are understandable to the general public; prepares (or assists in the preparation of) reports and planning studies; provides information on planning policies, practices and procedures
- Coordinates with other city, regulatory and governmental agencies on planning matters; reviews documents prepared by other government agencies, such as technical reports, policies, legislation and plans
- Represents the Department/Agency to government officials, community groups, developers, business organizations and the general public
- Interprets and explains legal, technical and procedural aspects of planning work to agencies, commissioners, government officials and members of the public
- Reviews project plans and supporting technical materials, including architectural, site, landscape, engineering, and other project documents (e.g., site plans, floor plans, exterior elevations; structural plans; etc.) for consistency with applicable environmental and planning requirements
Planner III’s may be required to attend meetings or participate in work-related activities outside of normal working hours (evenings and weekends) at local boards and commissions and in various community locations. Some positions may require possession of a valid driver license and may require specialized experience in order to perform department-specific planning duties.
Minimum Qualifications
- Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND four (4) years (8,000 hours) of verifiable full-time-equivalent experience in an urban, city, regional and/or other related planning environment (such as transportation planning, environmental planning, architecture or urban design); OR
- Possession of a master's degree from an accredited college or university in City, Regional or Urban Planning, or a closely related field such as Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Urban Studies or Environmental Studies AND two (2) years (4,000 hours) of verifiable full-time-equivalent experience in an urban, city, regional and/or other related planning environment (such as transportation planning, environmental planning, architecture or urban design).
Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Desirable Qualifications
During the selection process the following desirable qualifications may be used to identify applicants selected to become a job finalist.
- Experience conducting or coordinating environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and/or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- Experience preparing, reviewing, or coordinating Initial Studies, Negative Declarations, Mitigated Negative Declarations, Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs), and related environmental documents
- Knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental laws, regulations, policies, and procedures applicable to land use and development projects
- Experience evaluating environmental impacts and mitigation measures related to topics such as air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, transportation, noise, biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, energy, hazardous materials, and other environmental topics
- Experience coordinating environmental review with project sponsors, consultants, technical specialists, regulatory agencies, and other governmental agencies
- Experience reviewing technical studies, environmental analyses, and consultant-prepared environmental documents
- Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex environmental and planning concepts to technical and non-technical audiences
- Experience presenting environmental review findings and recommendations to planning commissions, boards, public agencies, community groups, and the public
- Experience using GIS, mapping, data analysis, or other technical tools to support environmental or planning analysis
Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Additional screening mechanisms may be implemented in order to determine candidates’ qualifications. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview.
Verification
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/index.aspx?page=456
Note
Falsifying one's education training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.
How To Apply
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Submit your application through this job ad.
- Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen
Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com). Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records.
Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
- Information About The Hiring Process
- Conviction History
- Employee Benefits Overview
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Disaster Service Worker
- ADA Accommodation
- Veterans Preference
- Right to Work
- Copies of Application Documents
- Diversity Statement
Questions:
If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Zoey Feng, by telephone at 628-652-7628, or by email at yajian.feng@sfgov.org.
The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.
The San Francisco Planning Department is recruiting for one (1) Temporary Provisional (TPV) Planner III within the Environmental Planning Division.
Specific Information Regarding This Recruitment Process Is Listed Below
- Application Opening: October 13, 2026
- Application Deadline: November 3, 2026 at 11:59 PM (PST)
- Analyst: Zoey Feng
- Amended on October 27, 2026: Extended the application deadline. Applicants who have already applied to this recruitment do not need to re-apply.
Appointment Type: This is a Temporary Provisional (TPV) position, limited to no more than 3 years in duration. This temporary position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process. This is considered "at will" and shall serve at the discretion of the Department Head. This position will be subject to the Permanent Civil Service examination process at a later date. Successful participation in the Permanent Civil Service examination and selection through an open competitive process is needed in order to be considered for the permanent appointment.
The Department
The San Francisco Planning Department (CPC) shapes how land is used to meet community needs and guide our city’s future, creating inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous neighborhoods. We envision an equitable San Francisco where everyone thrives—a welcoming city that honors diverse cultures, provides secure housing, strengthens environmental resilience, and drives economic stability for current and future generations.
Role description
Under direction, the Planner III in the Environmental Planning Division performs difficult and responsible environmental review work, participating in all phases of environmental review including analysis of environmental impacts and mitigation measures; coordinates difficult environmental review cases; performs complex initial environmental studies; provides information to the public on environmental review procedures; evaluates projects for compliance with applicable environmental laws, regulations, and policies; and coordinates with project sponsors, consultants, regulatory agencies, and other City departments on environmental review matters; and performs related duties as required. The Planner III may also perform complex and responsible planning work in areas such as land use, zoning, urban design, economic development, housing development, open space and recreation, code enforcement, historic preservation, real estate, waterfront planning, airport planning, park planning, natural resource management, emergency planning, or other related planning fields.
Important And Essential Duties
Essential duties of the position include but are not limited to the following:
- Performs difficult environmental impact evaluations of projects including review of technical portions of environmental impact reports (EIRs) involving mathematical modeling, surveys, analyses, and forecasts as applied to a range of environmental matters such as air pollution, water, energy, waste and endangered species
- Reviews EIRs for compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations
- Coordinates environmental impact reviews for major public and private projects, including preliminary conferences, consultations with consulting specialists, coordination with other involved agencies and Planning Department staff
- Prepares and presents environmental review findings, recommendations, staff reports, technical reports, correspondence, and other documents for the City Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors, and other decision-making bodies
- Supervises, designs, and prepares graphic presentations including maps, reports, plans, PowerPoint (or similar) presentations, charts, models, sketches and graphs to illustrate and analyze environmental, planning and development concepts
- Reviews and/or coordinates the Federal, State, and Local permitting processes, including coordinating various stakeholders and integrating required data and documents and obtaining other regulatory approvals for projects
- Supervises and reviews the work of subordinates engaged in the performance of professional and sub-professional level planning work; oversees consultant planning work
- Prepares clearly written, concise staff reports and documents that are understandable to the general public; prepares (or assists in the preparation of) reports and planning studies; provides information on planning policies, practices and procedures
- Coordinates with other city, regulatory and governmental agencies on planning matters; reviews documents prepared by other government agencies, such as technical reports, policies, legislation and plans
- Represents the Department/Agency to government officials, community groups, developers, business organizations and the general public
- Interprets and explains legal, technical and procedural aspects of planning work to agencies, commissioners, government officials and members of the public
- Reviews project plans and supporting technical materials, including architectural, site, landscape, engineering, and other project documents (e.g., site plans, floor plans, exterior elevations; structural plans; etc.) for consistency with applicable environmental and planning requirements
Planner III’s may be required to attend meetings or participate in work-related activities outside of normal working hours (evenings and weekends) at local boards and commissions and in various community locations. Some positions may require possession of a valid driver license and may require specialized experience in order to perform department-specific planning duties.
Minimum Qualifications
- Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university AND four (4) years (8,000 hours) of verifiable full-time-equivalent experience in an urban, city, regional and/or other related planning environment (such as transportation planning, environmental planning, architecture or urban design); OR
- Possession of a master's degree from an accredited college or university in City, Regional or Urban Planning, or a closely related field such as Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, Urban Studies or Environmental Studies AND two (2) years (4,000 hours) of verifiable full-time-equivalent experience in an urban, city, regional and/or other related planning environment (such as transportation planning, environmental planning, architecture or urban design).
Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
Desirable Qualifications
During the selection process the following desirable qualifications may be used to identify applicants selected to become a job finalist.
- Experience conducting or coordinating environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and/or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- Experience preparing, reviewing, or coordinating Initial Studies, Negative Declarations, Mitigated Negative Declarations, Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs), and related environmental documents
- Knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental laws, regulations, policies, and procedures applicable to land use and development projects
- Experience evaluating environmental impacts and mitigation measures related to topics such as air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, transportation, noise, biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, energy, hazardous materials, and other environmental topics
- Experience coordinating environmental review with project sponsors, consultants, technical specialists, regulatory agencies, and other governmental agencies
- Experience reviewing technical studies, environmental analyses, and consultant-prepared environmental documents
- Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex environmental and planning concepts to technical and non-technical audiences
- Experience presenting environmental review findings and recommendations to planning commissions, boards, public agencies, community groups, and the public
- Experience using GIS, mapping, data analysis, or other technical tools to support environmental or planning analysis
Applications will be screened for relevant qualifying experience. Additional screening mechanisms may be implemented in order to determine candidates’ qualifications. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview.
Verification
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/index.aspx?page=456
Note
Falsifying one's education training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.
How To Apply
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Submit your application through this job ad.
- Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen
Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com). Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records.
Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
- Information About The Hiring Process
- Conviction History
- Employee Benefits Overview
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Disaster Service Worker
- ADA Accommodation
- Veterans Preference
- Right to Work
- Copies of Application Documents
- Diversity Statement
Questions:
If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Zoey Feng, by telephone at 628-652-7628, or by email at yajian.feng@sfgov.org.
The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.
OPT Government Job Roles in California
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Search Government Jobs in CaliforniaGovernment OPT Sponsorship Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which government employers in California sponsor F-1 OPT workers?
Federal agencies with a significant California presence, including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, the Department of Defense installations, and NOAA's West Coast offices, have hired F-1 OPT candidates. At the state level, the California Department of Technology and California Environmental Protection Agency have brought on OPT workers. The University of California and California State University systems are among the most active public employers hiring international students on OPT.
Which cities in California have the most government F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs?
Sacramento concentrates the highest volume of state government roles, as it is the state capital and home to most California agency headquarters. Los Angeles and the surrounding region host major federal installations and public university campuses. San Francisco and Oakland offer city and county government positions alongside federal offices. San Jose and Berkeley have strong public-sector research and technology roles tied to nearby university and federal lab activity.
What types of government roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT sponsorship in California?
Roles in data analysis, software engineering, environmental science, public health, urban planning, and research tend to align well with OPT eligibility because they directly connect to STEM or professional degree fields. Policy analyst and program coordinator positions at state agencies have also hired OPT candidates when the role relates to the applicant's field of study. Eligibility depends on whether the work directly relates to the degree that authorized the OPT period.
How do I find government F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate lists government F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in California in one place, so you can filter specifically by visa type and industry without sorting through roles that don't apply to your status. Government positions in California move quickly, particularly at state agencies and federal offices with active hiring cycles. Checking Migrate Mate regularly and setting up filters for California government roles gives you the best view of what is currently available.
Are there any California-specific considerations for F-1 OPT in government roles?
Many federal government positions in California require security clearances, which can complicate or restrict hiring of F-1 OPT holders depending on the clearance level required. State government roles generally do not carry the same clearance requirements, making them more accessible. California's public universities operate under different hiring frameworks than state agencies and often have established processes for employing international students on OPT, particularly in research and technical departments.