Government Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
California's government sector offers extensive visa sponsorship opportunities across federal agencies, state departments, and local municipalities. Major employers include NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the California Department of Transportation. Cities like Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Francisco concentrate the highest number of sponsored positions, particularly for specialized research, engineering, and policy roles.
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Get Access To All JobsCompany Description
Appointment Type: Permanent-Exempt (PEX). This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive civil service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the appointing officer.
Application Opening: June 12, 2026
Application Deadline: May close anytime but not before July 12, 2026
Compensation Range: $196,612 and $250,978 (Range A)
Recruitment ID: REF60583R
Who We Are
Through the provision of coordinated, compassionate, and high‐quality services, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) strives to make homelessness in San Francisco rare, brief, and one time. The Department provides assistance and support to homeless and at‐risk youth, adults, and families to prevent imminent episodes of homelessness and end homelessness for people in San Francisco. Services including outreach, homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, drop‐in centers, transitional housing, supportive housing, short‐term rental subsidies, and support services to help people exit homelessness.
For more information about the department, please visit our website at https://hsh.sfgov.org.
What We Do
San Francisco is a pioneer in homeless services and a leader in providing supportive housing as a permanent exit from homelessness. The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), founded in 2016, is a national leader in the movement to end homelessness by developing a coordinated, equity-driven, client-focused system of compassionate services while piloting innovative models, and implementing best practice solutions with measurable results. HSH’s Homelessness Response System (HRS) funds, oversees and implements a system of care that shelters, houses, and serves approximately 15,000 people daily. Major programs include: street outreach and service connection through the Homeless Outreach Team (SFHOT); 3,600+ bed shelter system for transitional age youth, adults and families including shelters for members of the LGBTQ community; rapid rehousing rental subsidies for families, adults, older adults, and transitional aged youth; the Problem Solving and flexible financial assistance programs; and robust supportive housing programs with over 14,500 units which provide housing and services to formerly homeless transitional age youth, individuals, and families.
Job Description
What You’ll Be Doing
Under the direction of the Chief Deputy Director, the Deputy Director for Programs will have primary responsibility for implementation and oversight of a large and interconnected array of programs and services administered by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Acting in concert with the other members of the executive leadership team, this position will also provide overall strategic direction, community ambassadorship and leadership to the organization. The Deputy Director for Programs will lead City staff and community service providers to achieve measurable outcomes that are aligned with the Department’s strategic goals and its mission of making homelessness rare, brief, and one-time. The Deputy Director for Programs will help oversee the administration of local, state, and federal resources for homeless services and housing. The position will lead the Programs Division staff of approximately 119 employees and will directly supervise at least four (4) senior managers, one (1) administrative assistant, and (a) fellow(s) who oversee, and or support one or more key program area(s). The Programs Division is supported by and works in close coordination with the Department’s other divisions: Administration & Finance; Communications & Legislative Affairs; Planning, Performance & Strategy and Compliance, Equity, and Capacity Building.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities
Leadership & Strategic Direction
- Provide strategic leadership for all Programs Division functions to advance department and citywide homelessness response goals.
- Lead senior managers and staff to ensure the delivery of high‑quality, outcomes‑driven programs.
- Promote an equitable, collaborative, and accountable organizational culture.
Program Design, Operations & System Implementation
- Direct the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of shelter, housing, prevention, coordinated entry, and problem‑solving programs.
- Guide the opening, demobilization, and operational readiness of new and existing shelter and supportive housing sites.
- Operationalize policies, procedures, and programmatic requirements across program areas.
Internal Cross-Division Collaboration
- Partner with internal divisions to operationalize programs, policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives.
- Coordinate with Planning, Performance & Strategy, Administration & Finance, Equity, and Communications to advance department priorities.
Executive Team Leadership & Representation
- Serve as a member of the department’s executive team, contributing to department‑wide strategy and decision‑making.
- Provide high‑level briefings, updates, and recommendations to the Executive Director, Chief Deputy Director, and senior leadership.
Stakeholder Engagement, Public Interface & Accountability
- Represent the department with providers, community partners, city departments, and the Mayor’s Office.
- Engage with and respond to boards, commissions, oversight bodies, elected officials, and the public.
- Support Continuum of Care participation and multi‑stakeholder initiatives.
Funding, Grants & Resource Development
- Lead or support the development of grant applications for philanthropic, state, and federal funding.
- Ensure high‑quality reporting and compliance associated with awarded grants.
Compliance, Contracts & Fiscal/Programmatic Monitoring
- Ensure contract, fiscal, and programmatic compliance across all program areas.
- Maintain and oversee monitoring schedules and follow‑up actions.
- Ensure effective use of the Contract Lifecycle Management System (CLMS) for all contract‑related activities.
Qualifications
Education:
Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college.
Experience:
Six (6) or more years of senior-level management experience in the public, private or nonprofit sector and within the field of social services, homelessness, supportive housing, or a similar field. Responsibilities must have included: direct supervision of staff and their activities, program development, program implementation, and strategic collaboration across organizations or systems.
Substitution:
May substitute up to 2 years of education with additional years of experience. A Master’s degree in public administration, public policy, social work or another related field may substitute for one (1) year of the required management experience.
Desirable Qualifications
The ideal candidate will be a skilled manager and visionary leader who develops and supports employees, builds morale through staff recognition and celebration of success, and centers the needs of the Department’s clients in all aspects of the work. The Deputy Director for Programs will have a strong understanding of poverty, homelessness and the administration of federal, state and local social services. The successful candidate will possess all or most of the following experiences, skill sets and personal attributes:
- Has experience working at a senior management level in a large and complex public sector agency, or experience working closely with government agencies and is comfortable in an atmosphere that’s impacted by multiple stakeholders with potential different priorities, including elected officials, homeless advocates, funders, people with lived experience, nonprofit services providers, etc.
- Has the ability to not only lead but take direction from core leadership (Executive Director, Chief Deputy Director, and Chief of Finance and Administration).
- Has experience managing within a civil service/merit system environment and has outstanding personnel management skills including the ability to engage in coaching.
- Thrives in an extremely dynamic, fast-paced and high-profile workplace and can effectively manage multiple high priority projects at the same time.
- Has demonstrated experience running the day-to-day operations of a complex system of care and is comfortable making difficult decisions on regular basis.
- Is a system thinker.
- Has strong project management skills.
- Understands the relationship between systemic racism and homelessness and brings an equity lens to all aspects of the work.
- Possess emotional intelligence as well as strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Fosters an environment of continuous improvement and communicates feedback regularly.
- Can negotiate effective solutions that balance diverse interests and is able to prioritize the needs of people experiencing homelessness while responding to concerns of the community at-large.
- Demonstrates a practice of respectful communication, authentic collaboration, innovation and transparency.
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 https://www.sf.gov/how-to-verify-education-requirements.
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. All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.
Additional Information
Selection Procedures:
The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the oral/performance interview.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
- Information About The Hiring Process
- Conviction History
- Employee Benefits Overview
- Municipal Executive Association Benefits Overview
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Disaster Service Worker
- ADA Accommodation
- Right to Work
- Copies of Application Documents
- Diversity Statement
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.
- 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.
Analyst Information:
If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please send your inquiries to recruitment analyst Radha Mehta at radha.mehta@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.
Company Description
Appointment Type: Permanent-Exempt (PEX). This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive civil service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the appointing officer.
Application Opening: June 12, 2026
Application Deadline: May close anytime but not before July 12, 2026
Compensation Range: $196,612 and $250,978 (Range A)
Recruitment ID: REF60583R
Who We Are
Through the provision of coordinated, compassionate, and high‐quality services, the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) strives to make homelessness in San Francisco rare, brief, and one time. The Department provides assistance and support to homeless and at‐risk youth, adults, and families to prevent imminent episodes of homelessness and end homelessness for people in San Francisco. Services including outreach, homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, drop‐in centers, transitional housing, supportive housing, short‐term rental subsidies, and support services to help people exit homelessness.
For more information about the department, please visit our website at https://hsh.sfgov.org.
What We Do
San Francisco is a pioneer in homeless services and a leader in providing supportive housing as a permanent exit from homelessness. The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH), founded in 2016, is a national leader in the movement to end homelessness by developing a coordinated, equity-driven, client-focused system of compassionate services while piloting innovative models, and implementing best practice solutions with measurable results. HSH’s Homelessness Response System (HRS) funds, oversees and implements a system of care that shelters, houses, and serves approximately 15,000 people daily. Major programs include: street outreach and service connection through the Homeless Outreach Team (SFHOT); 3,600+ bed shelter system for transitional age youth, adults and families including shelters for members of the LGBTQ community; rapid rehousing rental subsidies for families, adults, older adults, and transitional aged youth; the Problem Solving and flexible financial assistance programs; and robust supportive housing programs with over 14,500 units which provide housing and services to formerly homeless transitional age youth, individuals, and families.
Job Description
What You’ll Be Doing
Under the direction of the Chief Deputy Director, the Deputy Director for Programs will have primary responsibility for implementation and oversight of a large and interconnected array of programs and services administered by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Acting in concert with the other members of the executive leadership team, this position will also provide overall strategic direction, community ambassadorship and leadership to the organization. The Deputy Director for Programs will lead City staff and community service providers to achieve measurable outcomes that are aligned with the Department’s strategic goals and its mission of making homelessness rare, brief, and one-time. The Deputy Director for Programs will help oversee the administration of local, state, and federal resources for homeless services and housing. The position will lead the Programs Division staff of approximately 119 employees and will directly supervise at least four (4) senior managers, one (1) administrative assistant, and (a) fellow(s) who oversee, and or support one or more key program area(s). The Programs Division is supported by and works in close coordination with the Department’s other divisions: Administration & Finance; Communications & Legislative Affairs; Planning, Performance & Strategy and Compliance, Equity, and Capacity Building.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities
Leadership & Strategic Direction
- Provide strategic leadership for all Programs Division functions to advance department and citywide homelessness response goals.
- Lead senior managers and staff to ensure the delivery of high‑quality, outcomes‑driven programs.
- Promote an equitable, collaborative, and accountable organizational culture.
Program Design, Operations & System Implementation
- Direct the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of shelter, housing, prevention, coordinated entry, and problem‑solving programs.
- Guide the opening, demobilization, and operational readiness of new and existing shelter and supportive housing sites.
- Operationalize policies, procedures, and programmatic requirements across program areas.
Internal Cross-Division Collaboration
- Partner with internal divisions to operationalize programs, policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives.
- Coordinate with Planning, Performance & Strategy, Administration & Finance, Equity, and Communications to advance department priorities.
Executive Team Leadership & Representation
- Serve as a member of the department’s executive team, contributing to department‑wide strategy and decision‑making.
- Provide high‑level briefings, updates, and recommendations to the Executive Director, Chief Deputy Director, and senior leadership.
Stakeholder Engagement, Public Interface & Accountability
- Represent the department with providers, community partners, city departments, and the Mayor’s Office.
- Engage with and respond to boards, commissions, oversight bodies, elected officials, and the public.
- Support Continuum of Care participation and multi‑stakeholder initiatives.
Funding, Grants & Resource Development
- Lead or support the development of grant applications for philanthropic, state, and federal funding.
- Ensure high‑quality reporting and compliance associated with awarded grants.
Compliance, Contracts & Fiscal/Programmatic Monitoring
- Ensure contract, fiscal, and programmatic compliance across all program areas.
- Maintain and oversee monitoring schedules and follow‑up actions.
- Ensure effective use of the Contract Lifecycle Management System (CLMS) for all contract‑related activities.
Qualifications
Education:
Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college.
Experience:
Six (6) or more years of senior-level management experience in the public, private or nonprofit sector and within the field of social services, homelessness, supportive housing, or a similar field. Responsibilities must have included: direct supervision of staff and their activities, program development, program implementation, and strategic collaboration across organizations or systems.
Substitution:
May substitute up to 2 years of education with additional years of experience. A Master’s degree in public administration, public policy, social work or another related field may substitute for one (1) year of the required management experience.
Desirable Qualifications
The ideal candidate will be a skilled manager and visionary leader who develops and supports employees, builds morale through staff recognition and celebration of success, and centers the needs of the Department’s clients in all aspects of the work. The Deputy Director for Programs will have a strong understanding of poverty, homelessness and the administration of federal, state and local social services. The successful candidate will possess all or most of the following experiences, skill sets and personal attributes:
- Has experience working at a senior management level in a large and complex public sector agency, or experience working closely with government agencies and is comfortable in an atmosphere that’s impacted by multiple stakeholders with potential different priorities, including elected officials, homeless advocates, funders, people with lived experience, nonprofit services providers, etc.
- Has the ability to not only lead but take direction from core leadership (Executive Director, Chief Deputy Director, and Chief of Finance and Administration).
- Has experience managing within a civil service/merit system environment and has outstanding personnel management skills including the ability to engage in coaching.
- Thrives in an extremely dynamic, fast-paced and high-profile workplace and can effectively manage multiple high priority projects at the same time.
- Has demonstrated experience running the day-to-day operations of a complex system of care and is comfortable making difficult decisions on regular basis.
- Is a system thinker.
- Has strong project management skills.
- Understands the relationship between systemic racism and homelessness and brings an equity lens to all aspects of the work.
- Possess emotional intelligence as well as strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Fosters an environment of continuous improvement and communicates feedback regularly.
- Can negotiate effective solutions that balance diverse interests and is able to prioritize the needs of people experiencing homelessness while responding to concerns of the community at-large.
- Demonstrates a practice of respectful communication, authentic collaboration, innovation and transparency.
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 https://www.sf.gov/how-to-verify-education-requirements.
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. All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.
Additional Information
Selection Procedures:
The selection process will include evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement to the interview. Depending on the number of applicants, the Department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the qualifications of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose qualifications most closely meet the needs of the Department will be invited to participate in the oral/performance interview.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
- Information About The Hiring Process
- Conviction History
- Employee Benefits Overview
- Municipal Executive Association Benefits Overview
- Equal Employment Opportunity
- Disaster Service Worker
- ADA Accommodation
- Right to Work
- Copies of Application Documents
- Diversity Statement
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process.
- 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.
Analyst Information:
If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please send your inquiries to recruitment analyst Radha Mehta at radha.mehta@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.
Government Job Roles in California
See all 202+ Government Jobs in California
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Search Government Jobs in CaliforniaGovernment Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which government agencies in California sponsor the most visas?
Federal research institutions lead California government sponsorship, including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The Department of Defense sponsors extensively through Naval Air Warfare Centers and military research facilities. State agencies like Caltrans and the California Department of Public Health also sponsor visas for specialized engineering and scientific positions.
What visa types are most common for government jobs in California?
H-1B visas dominate government sponsorship in California, particularly for research scientists, engineers, and IT specialists at federal labs and agencies. O-1 visas are common for distinguished researchers at institutions like JPL and Berkeley Lab. Some positions qualify for cap-exempt H-1B status when affiliated with universities or research institutions, avoiding lottery requirements.
Which California cities have the most government visa sponsorship opportunities?
Sacramento leads with state government agencies and federal regional offices. Los Angeles area concentrates aerospace and defense contractors plus JPL positions. San Francisco Bay Area hosts Lawrence Berkeley Lab, USGS offices, and federal research facilities. San Diego offers Navy research positions and border-related federal agencies. These metropolitan areas account for over 80% of California's government sponsorship jobs.
How to find government visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Browse government positions on Migrate Mate to see California agencies actively sponsoring visas. USAJobs.gov lists federal openings, though visa sponsorship isn't always clearly indicated. Research labs often recruit directly from universities with established visa programs. Network through professional associations in your field, as many government research positions are filled through referrals and academic connections.
What makes California's government sector unique for visa sponsorship?
California's concentration of federal research labs creates exceptional opportunities for scientists and engineers seeking visa sponsorship. The state's defense and aerospace industry connections mean many positions require security clearances, though initial sponsorship doesn't require citizenship. Prevailing wages tend to be higher due to California's cost of living, and many positions offer pathways to permanent residency through specialized programs.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored government jobs in California?
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.