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NASA jobs

NASA runs the United States' civil space program: science missions across Earth, the Sun, the planets and astrophysics, human spaceflight and the Artemis program, aeronautics research and space technology. Its civil servants work at its Washington headquarters and its centers: Johnson in Houston, Kennedy in Florida, Marshall in Huntsville, Goddard in Greenbelt, Maryland, Ames and Armstrong in California, Glenn in Cleveland, Langley in Hampton, Virginia, and Stennis in Mississippi. Every role listed here is a federal job announcement on USAJOBS, the government's job site, where the application is made; only announcements open to applicants from outside the federal workforce are listed. Much of NASA's work is done by contractors and by JPL, which have their own pages here.

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 8 open jobs at NASA; their typical pay runs $124k to $203k a year, with a median of $157k.

$124k–$203k/yr

Typical pay, live

8 open jobs now
Browse its 8 open jobsWhat it looks forHow to get accepted

Latest NASA openings

Read 7 Nov 2026, 10:02 UTC
Every NASA posting in full, on its own page
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NASA openings, sent to you weekly

Each week we send the newest postings from NASA's own careers site, along with similar openings at other space employers. It costs nothing and you can stop anytime.

NASA at a glance

NASA runs the United States' civil space program: science missions across Earth, the Sun, the planets and astrophysics, human spaceflight and the Artemis program, aeronautics research and space technology. Its civil servants work at its Washington headquarters and its centers: Johnson in Houston, Kennedy in Florida, Marshall in Huntsville, Goddard in Greenbelt, Maryland, Ames and Armstrong in California, Glenn in Cleveland, Langley in Hampton, Virginia, and Stennis in Mississippi. Every role listed here is a federal job announcement on USAJOBS, the government's job site, where the application is made; only announcements open to applicants from outside the federal workforce are listed. Much of NASA's work is done by contractors and by JPL, which have their own pages here.

8 roles taken from its careers site on 2026-11-07
Sites with open roles
Texas (2), Alabama (1), Florida (1), Maryland (1), Mississippi (1) and New Jersey (1)
Part of the industry
Spacecraft & stations · The US civil space agency: science missions, human spaceflight, aeronautics and technology
Where its roles come from
USAJOBS, the US government's job site: NASA's open announcements (agency code NN, all its centers) from its Search API, the ones open to outside applicants.
Pay in its postings
Today 100% of its open roles give a pay range.
Applying
Through NASA's careers site: the Apply button on a role opens that posting there. Screening, interviews and the offer all run between you and NASA; we are not part of it.

A recruiter wrote to you in NASA's name?

NASA's own sites: nasa.gov · usajobs.gov.

What NASA pays

Read from the ranges on its open jobs · 2026-11-07
$124k–$203k/yrMiddle half, today

The median is $157k/yr over the 8 open jobs with a posted range, and single figures go from $50.5k/yr up to $217k/yr. Interns, technicians and senior engineers all sit in that figure; the table below separates the disciplines.

Measured from 8 distinct posted rates, at this employer, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours).

DisciplineOpen jobsMiddle half
Mechanical, Structures & Thermal2$117k-$217k/yr2 posted figures
Programs & Business2$77.8k-$165k/yr2 posted figures
Quality & Mission Assurance2$145k-$197k/yr2 posted figures
Supply Chain & Facilities2$50.5k-$197k/yr2 posted figures

The top-paying NASA jobs open now

Every 8, highest pay first

The middle half is the 25th percentile of what roles pay (the middle of each posted range, as a year's pay: an hourly rate counts at 2,080 hours, 40 a week for 52 weeks) to the 90th-percentile posted top, measured the same way for every list on the site. A posting's range is base salary only: stock, sign-on money and bonuses are extra where a company offers them. The methodology explains how each pay figure is measured and graded.

What NASA looks for

The usual bar in each discipline NASA is staffing right now. A posting can ask for more or less (a clearance, a degree, years on hardware), so check the role itself before applying.

Mechanical, Structures & Thermal2 open at NASA

A mechanical or aerospace engineering degree; CAD (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks) and FEA analysis for most roles.

Programs & Business2 open at NASA

A business, finance, law or engineering degree; program managers often hold a PMP or an engineering background.

Quality & Mission Assurance2 open at NASA

An engineering degree or inspection certifications (NDT levels, AS9100 experience); safety roles want EHS credentials.

Supply Chain & Facilities2 open at NASA

Often no degree for logistics and maintenance; buyers and planners usually have business or supply-chain training.

NASA's disciplines

Each discipline page covers the work itself, the usual entry bar and the pay posted for it across the industry.

Systems, Integration & TestScience, Imaging & Earth DataFlight Software & GNCGround Software & ITLaunch & Mission OperationsMechanical, Structures & Thermal2 at NASAAvionics & ElectricalPrograms & Business2 at NASA

For the wider picture, open the pay tables for every discipline or the space employers that pay the most.

NASA sites with openings

A town's page gathers the space roles open there, NASA's and its neighbours', ranks the busiest employers and points to nearby towns.

Houston, TXGreenbelt, MDHuntsville, ALLas Cruces, NMNew Orleans, LANew York, NYPasadena, CAWashington, DC

Signing up with NASA

Researched Oct 2026

Create a USAJOBS profile, attach a resume of two pages or fewer to a NASA announcement, finish the application in NASA's own system before midnight Eastern Time on the closing day, then wait for the eligibility review, a referral to the hiring manager and interviews. Civil service roles are open to U.S. citizens.

Eligibility

  • U.S. citizenship: NASA's civil service employees must be U.S. citizens, and NASA calls exceptions extremely rare.
  • Students (Pathways internships): a U.S. citizen, enrolled or accepted on at least a half-time basis at an accredited institution, with a cumulative 2.9 GPA on a 4.0 scale kept throughout.
  • Each announcement asks its own eligibility questions, which vary by type of announcement.

The sign-up steps

  1. 1

    Create or review your USAJOBS profile

    A USAJOBS profile is required before you can apply for any NASA civil service job. If you already have one, check that it is accurate before applying.

  2. 2

    Write a resume of two pages or fewer

    Every resume submitted through USAJOBS must be two pages or fewer, and longer ones are automatically rejected. NASA recommends the USAJOBS resume format, with each job title, its dates (month and year) and a short description of your key duties and accomplishments.

  3. 3

    Apply to the announcement

    Open the vacancy on USAJOBS, click Apply and attach your USAJOBS resume. You are then taken to NASA's own application system to complete the application, and sent back to USAJOBS when you finish.

  4. 4

    Answer the eligibility questions and any assessment

    The questions vary by type of announcement. You may also be emailed an invitation to a USA Hire assessment of non-technical skills, whose results stay valid for one year.

  5. 5

    Make changes before the closing date

    You can update your application while the announcement is open, but an update must be completed and resubmitted before midnight Eastern Time on the closing date.

  6. 6

    Review, referral and interviews

    After the announcement closes, NASA checks applicants' eligibility and qualifications. If your resume is forwarded to the hiring manager, you may be contacted for an interview, by a panel, in person, by phone or virtually, sometimes over several rounds. If you are selected, NASA contacts you to start the job offer process.

The USA Hire assessment and NASA's interviews

Some announcements send an emailed invitation to a USA Hire assessment, which tests non-technical skills and whose results are valid for one year. Applicants whose resume reaches the hiring manager may then be interviewed, by a panel, in person, by phone or virtually, sometimes over several rounds.

Format

An online assessment, then one or more interviews

How to prepare

  • Read the eligibility questions of the announcement before you start: they differ by type of announcement.
  • Write your answers yourself: NASA allows AI tools for grammar and style only, not to generate the content of your responses.

Why people get rejected

  • A resume longer than two pages is automatically rejected.
  • A change not resubmitted before midnight Eastern Time on the closing date does not count.

Preparing for it? How to get a space internship (2027): who hires, when to apply, what it pays →

Preparing for it? Space industry interviews: what employers ask and check, from application to offer (2026) →

How long it takes
NASA reviews eligibility and qualifications only after an announcement closes, then forwards resumes to the hiring manager, who may call applicants for interviews.

Tips to get accepted

  • Roles at NASA's contractors are not NASA civil service jobs: each contractor company runs its own application process and hiring, so you apply to the company directly.
  • A Pathways internship can lead to a permanent or term (one to six year) position after graduation with no additional application. You must be able to complete at least 480 hours of work before finishing your degree.
  • NASA posts the disciplines and skills it is hiring Pathways interns for in the weeks before applications open, and every Pathways vacancy is on USAJOBS.
  • If you are not a U.S. citizen, NASA points to its international partner agencies instead of its civil service.

What isn't public

  • NASA does not publish how long its announcements stay open or how long it takes to decide after one closes.
  • NASA's application pages do not describe the background investigation a selected candidate goes through.
  • NASA's Pathways page states no pay; each USAJOBS announcement states its own grade and pay range.
Start your NASA application (opens the job details)
Sources (2)
  • NASA, How to Apply
  • NASA, Pathways Programs

Questions about NASA

How do I apply to NASA?

Choose a role below and use its Apply button, which opens that posting on NASA's careers site; the application goes straight to NASA. Screening, interviews and any offer happen between you and the company, without us.

What does NASA pay?

Across the 8 open NASA jobs that give a pay range, the middle of the market is $124k–$203k/yr and the median $157k/yr. The lowest posted figure is $50.5k/yr and the highest $217k/yr. These are base salary ranges as the postings give them; equity, bonuses and relocation help come on top where offered.

Which disciplines is NASA staffing?

Of its 8 openings, the largest groups are mechanical, structures & thermal (2), programs & business (2) and quality & mission assurance (2).

What does NASA ask for in mechanical, structures and thermal engineering jobs in space?

A mechanical or aerospace engineering degree; CAD (NX, CATIA, SolidWorks) and FEA analysis for most roles. The exact bar is in each NASA posting.

How fresh is this list of NASA roles?

We read NASA's public careers site every night. A role stays here as long as NASA keeps it up, dated with our last check.

Companies that compete with NASA for staff

Space employers recruiting the same disciplines as NASA, in the same states: who has roles open now, the ranges they post and where their sites are.

All the NASA alternatives

NASA versus similar employers

Choosing between NASA and a rival? A matchup sets their posted ranges, open jobs and sites next to each other.

NASA vs Blue OriginNASA vs European Space Agency (ESA)NASA vs SpaceXNASA vs US Space Force

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Compare space industry pay

Hiring at NASA? How space employers put their roles in front of more engineers here.