Spacecraft & stations · A university research lab that builds and flies NASA and national security spacecraft
Johns Hopkins APL
About Johns Hopkins APL
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland is a university-affiliated research center whose Space Exploration Sector designs, builds and operates spacecraft for NASA and for national security space: New Horizons, Parker Solar Probe, the DART asteroid impactor and the Dragonfly mission to Titan among them. Only the roles APL files under its Space Exploration Sector are listed here; its defense sectors hire separately. Each posting states its pay range and the security clearance it needs.
Typical pay, live
, the SpaceJobs.Now board shows 35 open Johns Hopkins APL roles; typical pay across them is $140k to $290k a year (median $173k).
Live Johns Hopkins APL roles
Updated 31 Oct 2026, 07:01 UTC- $105,000–$290,000/yr
Space Operations Planning and Simulation Engineer (opens the job details)
Software & IT · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 3w agoDetails
$100,000–$245,000/yrAdministrative Assistant (opens the job details)
Programs & Business · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 1d agoDetails
$24.25–$44.30/hrSpace All-Source Intelligence Analyst (opens the job details)
Science & Data · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 3w agoDetails
$100,000–$245,000/yrNational Security Space Mission Engineer (opens the job details)
Systems & Test · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 4d agoDetails
$85,000–$195,000/yr- $105,000–$290,000/yr
Mission Design / Navigation Engineer (opens the job details)
Flight Software · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 1d agoDetails
$105,000–$290,000/yr2027 PhD Graduate - Computational Geospace Modeling Research Scientist (opens the job details)
Science & Data · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 2mo agoDetails
$105,000–$245,000/yrSpacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations Analyst (opens the job details)
Flight Software · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 3w agoDetails
$100,000–$245,000/yrKill Chain Engineer - National Security Space (opens the job details)
Systems & Test · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 4d agoDetails
$105,000–$290,000/yrSpace Situational Awareness Analyst (opens the job details)
Science & Data · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 3mo agoDetails
$100,000–$245,000/yr2027 PhD Graduate - Space Algorithms and Technologies (opens the job details)
Science & Data · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 1mo agoDetails
$105,000–$245,000/yr
Johns Hopkins APL jobs by country
Where Johns Hopkins APL has open roles. Pick a country to see which of its openings accept applicants there.
Johns Hopkins APL jobs by metro area
The areas around a city where Johns Hopkins APL has open roles; each area's page lists every space employer there.
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If Johns Hopkins APL is one of several options, compare these. They are open roles at other verified employers, picked for how closely they match the Johns Hopkins APL postings above, and refreshed every hour.
Manager, Information Security Management (opens the job details)
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Dream Chaser Flight Controller (Systems Engineer II) (opens the job details)
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Internal Communications Manager (opens the job details)
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Dream Chaser Flight Controller (Systems Engineer III) (opens the job details)
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About Johns Hopkins APL
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory's Space Exploration Sector, which built New Horizons, Parker Solar Probe and DART, hiring in Laurel, Maryland. It pays $140k–$290k/yr typically (median $173k/yr).
Hiring now, with pay we measure from its own live feed35 open roles on Johns Hopkins APL, independently checked 31 Oct 2026.
Paid as an employee of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Laurel, Maryland
What Johns Hopkins APL pays
From current postings · as of 31 Oct 2026Median $173k/yr, taken across 34 postings with a stated rate. Posted rates go as low as $42.7k/yr and as high as $290k/yr.
Measured from 34 distinct posted rates, at this employer, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 1 of the 35 listings open here posts no pay at all.
Best-paid Johns Hopkins APL openings today
All 35 by paySenior Technical Advisor for Space Warfighting Implementation (opens the job details)
Programs & Business · Colorado Springs, Colorado· 1mo agoDetails
$125,000–$290,000/yr- $105,000–$290,000/yr
- $105,000–$290,000/yr
Mission Design / Navigation Engineer (opens the job details)
Flight Software · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 1d agoDetails
$105,000–$290,000/yrKill Chain Engineer - National Security Space (opens the job details)
Systems & Test · Laurel, Maryland, United States· 4d agoDetails
$105,000–$290,000/yr
“Typical” here means 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; every role list on this site uses that one definition. Our methods page explains where each pay number comes from and how sure we are of it.
The work Johns Hopkins APL hires for
Open any of them for the day-to-day tasks, the other employers hiring for it, and the market rate.
First look at the space sector? Read the beginner guides first or line up pay at each employer side by side.
What our research measures about Johns Hopkins APL
Read from the open postings on 2026-10-30 by our space industry research, rebuilt every day. Every figure opens the row of the report it comes from.
- Who is hiring35 open roles, 0.2% of all the space roles we read, across 10 kinds of work; 16 of them posted in the last 30 days.
- Who can apply5.7% of the postings are open only to US persons or US citizens, and 97.1% name a security clearance.
- Degrees and experience5.7% of the postings take a high school diploma or an associate's degree, 85.7% name a master's or PhD.
- Degrees and experience2 of its open postings count military experience toward what they ask.
- Pay transparency97.1% of the postings state their pay, at a median $173,000 a year.
- Internships and entry level4 open roles are for someone starting out (11.4% of its open roles), 4 of them internships or co-ops.
- Shifts, weekends and travel8.6% of the postings ask for weekend work, 8.6% for overtime or extended hours.
- Shifts, weekends and travel35 of its open postings offer relocation.
From the forum
Ask the people doing Johns Hopkins APL work what only they can tell you.
Frequently asked questions
What does Johns Hopkins APL do?
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory's Space Exploration Sector, which built New Horizons, Parker Solar Probe and DART, hiring in Laurel, Maryland.
How much does Johns Hopkins APL pay?
Openings at Johns Hopkins APL pay $140k–$290k/yr in the usual case, and the midpoint sits at $173k/yr. We take both from the 34 current postings with a stated rate. The lowest posted rate is $42.7k/yr; the highest is $290k/yr.
What is it like to work at Johns Hopkins APL?
Johns Hopkins APL pays $140k–$290k/yr typically (median $173k/yr).
Which locations does Johns Hopkins APL hire in?
Laurel, Maryland
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