Government OPT Jobs in Washington DC
Washington DC is one of the few places where F-1 OPT students can work alongside federal agencies, think tanks, international organizations, and government contractors all within a single metro area. Employers like Booz Allen Hamilton, Deloitte Federal, and SAIC regularly hire international students through OPT for policy, data, and technology roles across the public sector.
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Chief, Financial Stability Cyber and AI Solutions Lab (FS) - R025827
Primary Location
DC - Washington
Employee Status
Regular
Overtime Status
Exempt
Job Type
Standard
Relocation Provided: Yes
Compensation Grade Low: FR PAY GRADE 31
Compensation Grade High: FR PAY GRADE 31
Minimum Salary: $151,600.00
Maximum Salary: $298,200.00
Posting Date
Sep 8, 2026
Position Description
Minimum Education
PhD
Minimum Experience
4
Summary
The Chief, Economic Section, manages section resources directed to implementing an extensive program of current analysis, policy analysis, forecasting, developmental research, database maintenance, and data production. The chief represents the Board or System with outside groups in the private and public sectors.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Develops objectives for the section with guidance from a line officer. To achieve these objectives, formulates and implements an extensive program of current analysis, policy analysis, and forecasting, developmental research, development of applications programs, database maintenance, and data production. This involves preparation of a program budget annually and intra-year reviews.
- Supervises employees in the section: establishes priorities, assigns and directs work; reviews written output of section members; recruits, interviews, and selects candidates; provides opportunities for training and development; conducts performance appraisals; recommends career ladder adjustments and participates in salary adjustments; counsels and, when necessary, takes disciplinary action.
- Manages the section's information processing budget involving hardware, programming, and purchased machine resources.
- Ensures that quality and timeliness of the section's output meet division and Board requirements.
- Ensures compliance with Board policies and procedures, such as those for salary administration, EEO, procurement, and employee leave.
- Performs professional duties at Senior Economist or Senior Statistician level: provides technical advice and policy judgment to professional colleagues and senior management officials on research activities and results, analytical and quantitative methods, and publication of research findings.
- Represents the Board or System with outside groups in the private and public sectors.
Position Requirements
About the Division & Team
The Division of Financial Stability (FS) identifies and assesses risks to financial stability and evaluates potential policy responses in support of the Board’s mandates. We undertake research, coordinate expertise from across the System, and engage with domestic and international counterparts to develop and implement policies. FS’s Cyber and AI Solutions Lab (CASL) serves as the Board's center of excellence for analyzing technological risks to financial stability, assessing how cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing create both vulnerabilities and opportunities within financial markets and institutions. FS CASL also develops innovative applications of emerging technologies to advance understanding of financial stability issues and increase efficiency in the Division’s work. Through collaboration across the Federal Reserve System and other agencies, FS CASL conducts pioneering research on both the applications and implications of these technologies for the economy and financial markets, developing frameworks that equip policymakers with insights to maintain financial stability in an increasingly digital ecosystem.
About the Role
The chief manages the FS CASL, a multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering high-impact research and analytical solutions at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and financial stability. This work supports financial stability analysis and policy development across the organization.
Reporting to the Deputy Associate Director, the chief develops objectives and manages resources to execute an extensive program of financial stability research and analysis, as well as tools to drive adoption of AI methods throughout the Division. The role coordinates with other units within the Division and collaborates across other divisions at the Federal Reserve Board and System on policy, research, data, and technology initiatives.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Implements, monitors, and manages the strategic direction of the section, focusing on the intersection of emerging technologies (cyber, AI, quantum computing) and financial stability.
- Identifies novel risks and opportunities that inform the Board and its policy decisions.
- Formulates and implements an extensive program of analysis, development research, database maintenance, and data production.
- Develops annual objectives for the section with guidance from the line officer and participates in periodic division reviews of progress.
- Identifies key issues within the section’s purview and oversees research initiatives that produce high impact analysis and insights for the division and the Board.
- Serves as a member of the division’s management team, helping to identify future goals and objectives for the section and division.
Requirements
- Requires a PhD in economics, finance, or a related field.
- Minimum four (4) years of progressively responsible experience relevant to the section's field of responsibility, with at least 3 years directing staff, assessing performance, setting priorities, and allocating resources.
- We have a strong preference for candidates with extensive backgrounds in computer science, data science, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, applied mathematics, or a combination of those fields, obtained either through relevant work experience or formal education/degrees. Technical expertise in these areas is highly valued given the section's focus on emerging technologies and their implications for financial stability.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or application, membership, or service in the uniformed services.
INTRODUCTION
Chief, Financial Stability Cyber and AI Solutions Lab (FS) - R025827
Primary Location
DC - Washington
Employee Status
Regular
Overtime Status
Exempt
Job Type
Standard
Relocation Provided: Yes
Compensation Grade Low: FR PAY GRADE 31
Compensation Grade High: FR PAY GRADE 31
Minimum Salary: $151,600.00
Maximum Salary: $298,200.00
Posting Date
Sep 8, 2026
Position Description
Minimum Education
PhD
Minimum Experience
4
Summary
The Chief, Economic Section, manages section resources directed to implementing an extensive program of current analysis, policy analysis, forecasting, developmental research, database maintenance, and data production. The chief represents the Board or System with outside groups in the private and public sectors.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Develops objectives for the section with guidance from a line officer. To achieve these objectives, formulates and implements an extensive program of current analysis, policy analysis, and forecasting, developmental research, development of applications programs, database maintenance, and data production. This involves preparation of a program budget annually and intra-year reviews.
- Supervises employees in the section: establishes priorities, assigns and directs work; reviews written output of section members; recruits, interviews, and selects candidates; provides opportunities for training and development; conducts performance appraisals; recommends career ladder adjustments and participates in salary adjustments; counsels and, when necessary, takes disciplinary action.
- Manages the section's information processing budget involving hardware, programming, and purchased machine resources.
- Ensures that quality and timeliness of the section's output meet division and Board requirements.
- Ensures compliance with Board policies and procedures, such as those for salary administration, EEO, procurement, and employee leave.
- Performs professional duties at Senior Economist or Senior Statistician level: provides technical advice and policy judgment to professional colleagues and senior management officials on research activities and results, analytical and quantitative methods, and publication of research findings.
- Represents the Board or System with outside groups in the private and public sectors.
Position Requirements
About the Division & Team
The Division of Financial Stability (FS) identifies and assesses risks to financial stability and evaluates potential policy responses in support of the Board’s mandates. We undertake research, coordinate expertise from across the System, and engage with domestic and international counterparts to develop and implement policies. FS’s Cyber and AI Solutions Lab (CASL) serves as the Board's center of excellence for analyzing technological risks to financial stability, assessing how cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing create both vulnerabilities and opportunities within financial markets and institutions. FS CASL also develops innovative applications of emerging technologies to advance understanding of financial stability issues and increase efficiency in the Division’s work. Through collaboration across the Federal Reserve System and other agencies, FS CASL conducts pioneering research on both the applications and implications of these technologies for the economy and financial markets, developing frameworks that equip policymakers with insights to maintain financial stability in an increasingly digital ecosystem.
About the Role
The chief manages the FS CASL, a multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering high-impact research and analytical solutions at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and financial stability. This work supports financial stability analysis and policy development across the organization.
Reporting to the Deputy Associate Director, the chief develops objectives and manages resources to execute an extensive program of financial stability research and analysis, as well as tools to drive adoption of AI methods throughout the Division. The role coordinates with other units within the Division and collaborates across other divisions at the Federal Reserve Board and System on policy, research, data, and technology initiatives.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Implements, monitors, and manages the strategic direction of the section, focusing on the intersection of emerging technologies (cyber, AI, quantum computing) and financial stability.
- Identifies novel risks and opportunities that inform the Board and its policy decisions.
- Formulates and implements an extensive program of analysis, development research, database maintenance, and data production.
- Develops annual objectives for the section with guidance from the line officer and participates in periodic division reviews of progress.
- Identifies key issues within the section’s purview and oversees research initiatives that produce high impact analysis and insights for the division and the Board.
- Serves as a member of the division’s management team, helping to identify future goals and objectives for the section and division.
Requirements
- Requires a PhD in economics, finance, or a related field.
- Minimum four (4) years of progressively responsible experience relevant to the section's field of responsibility, with at least 3 years directing staff, assessing performance, setting priorities, and allocating resources.
- We have a strong preference for candidates with extensive backgrounds in computer science, data science, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, applied mathematics, or a combination of those fields, obtained either through relevant work experience or formal education/degrees. Technical expertise in these areas is highly valued given the section's focus on emerging technologies and their implications for financial stability.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or application, membership, or service in the uniformed services.
OPT Government Job Roles in Washington DC
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Search Government Jobs in Washington DCGovernment OPT Sponsorship Jobs in Washington DC: Frequently Asked Questions
Which government employers in Washington DC sponsor F-1 OPT students?
Government contractors and consulting firms are the most active OPT sponsors in Washington DC. Companies like Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, SAIC, Deloitte Federal, and Accenture Federal Services hire international students for technology, analytics, and policy roles. Federal agencies themselves generally cannot sponsor OPT directly, but their contractors and affiliated nonprofits often can. Think tanks such as the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution also hire OPT students in research capacities.
Which parts of Washington DC have the most government F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs?
Downtown DC and the Capitol Hill corridor concentrate the most government-sector OPT roles, particularly in policy, research, and consulting. The Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Northern Virginia, just across the Potomac, houses a dense cluster of federal contractors and defense firms. Bethesda and Rockville in Maryland are also significant hubs, home to health-focused agencies and contractors. The broader DC metro area functions as a single government employment market for OPT purposes.
What types of government roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT sponsorship?
Roles that align with a student's degree field are the primary eligibility requirement for OPT. In the government sector, qualifying positions typically include data analyst, software engineer, policy analyst, budget analyst, cybersecurity specialist, public health researcher, and program manager roles. The job must be directly related to the student's major. STEM-designated roles in engineering, computer science, and public health may also qualify for the 24-month STEM OPT extension if the employer is enrolled in E-Verify.
How do I find government F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in Washington DC?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international students searching for OPT-eligible roles and filters government and public-sector positions by visa type and location, making it easier to identify Washington DC employers with active sponsorship history. Beyond job searching, reviewing DOL Labor Condition Application filings through OFLC can help you confirm which contractors have historically sponsored international workers. Networking through your university's alumni in DC-based agencies and contractors is also a practical approach.
Are there any DC-specific considerations for F-1 OPT in the government sector?
Washington DC's government sector has a distinct hiring factor that other markets don't: many federal roles require security clearances, and OPT students are generally ineligible for clearances due to citizenship requirements. This limits direct federal agency employment but does not affect positions with contractors, nonprofits, or international organizations operating in DC. OPT students should also be aware that DC's high concentration of policy and research organizations means strong demand for bilingual and internationally experienced candidates, which can be an advantage.