Spacecraft & stations · The US civil space agency: science missions, human spaceflight, aeronautics and technology
NASA
About NASA
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.
Typical pay, live
, the SpaceJobs.Now board shows 5 open NASA roles; typical pay across them is $129k to $216k a year (median $167k).
Live NASA roles
Updated 31 Oct 2026, 09:02 UTCManager Orion Program (opens the job details)
Programs & Business · Kennedy Space Center, Florida; Houston, Texas· 1w agoDetails
$223,380–$228,000/yr- $145,480–$189,126/yr
- $161,169–$197,200/yr
Mail Clerk (opens the job details)
Supply Chain · Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, United States· 1d agoDetails
$40,736–$52,957/yrPublic Notice - Logistics Management Specialist (Direct Hire) (opens the job details)
Supply Chain · Huntsville, Alabama; Edwards AFB +11 more· 2d agoDetails
$61,722–$197,200/yr
NASA jobs by country
Where NASA has open roles. Pick a country to see which of its openings accept applicants there.
NASA programs
NASA openings, sent to your inbox
Each week we send what NASA posted since the last email, with comparable openings at other space companies. No cost, and you can stop it with one click.
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About NASA
The US space agency, hiring civil servants at its headquarters and its centers in Texas, Florida, Alabama, Maryland, California, Ohio, Virginia and Mississippi. It pays $129k–$216k/yr typically (median $167k/yr).
Hiring now, with pay we measure from its own live feed5 open roles on NASA, independently checked 31 Oct 2026.
Paid as a federal employee, on the pay plan and grade each announcement states.
Washington, DC; Houston, TX; Kennedy Space Center, FL; Huntsville, AL; Greenbelt, MD; Moffett Field and Edwards, CA; Cleveland, OH; Hampton, VA; Stennis Space Center, MS
Honest catches
- 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.
What NASA pays
From current postings · as of 31 Oct 2026Median $167k/yr, taken across 5 postings with a stated rate. Posted rates go as low as $40.7k/yr and as high as $228k/yr.
Measured from 5 distinct posted rates, at this employer, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours).
| Kind of work | Open roles | Typical pay | Highest rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality | 2 | $145k–$197k/yr2 rates | $197k/yr |
| Supply Chain | 2 | $40.7k–$197k/yr2 rates | $197k/yr |
| Programs & Business | 1 | $223k–$228k/yr1 rate | $228k/yr |
Best-paid NASA openings today
All 5 by payManager Orion Program (opens the job details)
Programs & Business · Kennedy Space Center, Florida; Houston, Texas· 1w agoDetails
$223,380–$228,000/yr- $161,169–$197,200/yr
Public Notice - Logistics Management Specialist (Direct Hire) (opens the job details)
Supply Chain · Huntsville, Alabama; Edwards AFB +11 more· 2d agoDetails
$61,722–$197,200/yr- $145,480–$189,126/yr
Mail Clerk (opens the job details)
Supply Chain · Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, United States· 1d agoDetails
$40,736–$52,957/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 NASA 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 NASA
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 hiring5 open roles, 0.0% of all the space roles we read, across 3 kinds of work; 5 of them posted in the last 30 days.
- Who can apply0.0% of the postings are open only to US persons or US citizens, and 0.0% name a security clearance.
- Degrees and experience0.0% of the postings take a high school diploma or an associate's degree, 20.0% name a master's or PhD.
- Pay transparency100.0% of the postings state their pay, at a median $167,000 a year.
- Shifts, weekends and travel0.0% of the postings ask for weekend work, 0.0% for overtime or extended hours.
How to apply to NASA
Researched Oct 2026Create 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.
Who can apply
- 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.
Step by step
- 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
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
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
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
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
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.
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 hired
- 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.
Sources (2)
From the forum
Ask the people doing NASA work what only they can tell you.
Frequently asked questions
What does NASA do?
The US space agency, hiring civil servants at its headquarters and its centers in Texas, Florida, Alabama, Maryland, California, Ohio, Virginia and Mississippi.
How much does NASA pay?
Openings at NASA pay $129k–$216k/yr in the usual case, and the midpoint sits at $167k/yr. We take both from the 5 current postings with a stated rate. The lowest posted rate is $40.7k/yr; the highest is $228k/yr.
What is it like to work at NASA?
NASA pays $129k–$216k/yr typically (median $167k/yr).
Which locations does NASA hire in?
Washington, DC; Houston, TX; Kennedy Space Center, FL; Huntsville, AL; Greenbelt, MD; Moffett Field and Edwards, CA; Cleveland, OH; Hampton, VA; Stennis Space Center, MS
Do you need to be a U.S. citizen to work at NASA?
For a civil service job, yes: NASA says its civil service employees must be U.S. citizens and that exceptions are extremely rare. Its contractors run their own hiring, and NASA points non-citizens to its international partner agencies.
How long can a NASA resume be?
Two pages or fewer. Resumes submitted through USAJOBS that are longer are automatically rejected.
Can I use AI to write my NASA application?
Only for grammar and style. NASA says AI tools may not be used to generate the content of your responses.
What GPA does a NASA Pathways internship require?
A cumulative 2.9 on a 4.0 scale, kept while you are enrolled at least half time. Pathways is open to U.S. citizens.
Where are NASA internships posted?
Every Pathways internship vacancy is posted on USAJOBS, and NASA lists the disciplines it is hiring for in the weeks before applications open.
Does NASA hire through contractors?
Yes. Each contractor company handles its own application process and hiring, so you apply to the contractor directly.
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Struggling to fill roles at NASA? We find the people (you hire them yourself).
Hiring for NASA? Feature NASA's roles to get a marked Featured slot above the lists and the lead place in the weekly job email for 30 days. Pricing:$99 for a single role, or $299 to cover every role you have open. To see who else is hiring your disciplines and at what pay, read the monthly space hiring brief.