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US Space Force

About US Space Force

The US Space Force, the space service within the Department of the Air Force, operates the military's satellites and the Eastern and Western launch ranges and buys its space systems. Its civilian employees work beside its uniformed members: at Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, which buys satellites and launches; at Peterson, Schriever and Buckley Space Force Bases in Colorado; at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral in Florida; at Vandenberg in California; and in the Space Development Agency and the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. Every role listed here is a federal job announcement on USAJOBS, where the application is made; many require US citizenship and a security clearance, as each states.

Live US Space Force roles

Updated 30 Oct 2026, 14:04 UTC

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About US Space Force

The civilian side of the US Space Force: engineers, program managers and specialists at Space Systems Command and the space bases in California, Colorado and Florida. It pays $71.6k–$165k/yr typically (median $106k/yr).

Hiring now, with pay we measure from its own live feed
Verified active

40 open roles on US Space Force, independently checked 30 Oct 2026.

Getting paid

Paid as a federal civilian employee of the Department of the Air Force, on the pay plan and grade each announcement states.

Who can apply

El Segundo, CA; Colorado Springs and Aurora, CO; Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral, FL; Vandenberg, CA; Washington, DC area

Honest catches

  • The Space Force's own application process page is written for its intelligence careers; other civilian roles follow the same USAJOBS steps, but each announcement sets its own requirements.
  • No official page states how long Space Force civilian hiring takes or how long its security clearance process lasts.

What US Space Force pays

From current postings · as of 30 Oct 2026
$71.6k–$165k/yrTypical pay, live

Median $106k/yr, taken across 40 postings with a stated rate. Posted rates go as low as $34.8k/yr and as high as $197k/yr.

Measured from 40 distinct posted rates, at this employer, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours).

Best-paid US Space Force openings today

All 40 by pay

“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 US Space Force 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.

How to apply to US Space Force

Researched Oct 2026

Space Force civilian jobs are posted on USAJOBS: complete your USAJOBS profile, read the announcement's requirements and who may apply, upload a resume of two pages or fewer with the documents it asks for (such as transcripts or a DD-214), then expect a review of your qualifications, a phone or video interview if you meet them, and a tentative offer followed by the suitability and security clearance process.

Who can apply

  • Who may apply is set by each announcement. This site lists only Space Force announcements open to applicants from outside the federal workforce (the public, students, recent graduates, veterans, military spouses and others), and leaves out those open only to current federal employees.
  • Citizenship, a security clearance and any other condition of the role are stated in the announcement's requirements: read them before you apply.
  • A selected applicant completes pre-employment paperwork and the suitability and security clearance process after accepting a tentative offer.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Complete your USAJOBS profile

    The Space Force's application process starts with your profile on USAJOBS, where its civilian announcements are posted.

  2. 2

    Read the job announcement

    Search for the job and review its announcement, including what it requires and which documents it asks you to upload.

  3. 3

    Upload a resume of two pages or fewer

    Include your education, previous jobs, employment dates and relevant certifications. Since 27 September 2025, OPM limits resumes for competitive and excepted service announcements to two pages.

  4. 4

    Upload the supporting documents

    Add the documents the announcement asks for, such as academic transcripts or military documents like your DD-214.

  5. 5

    Review and interview

    Space Force representatives or hiring managers review your application, resume and qualifications. If you meet the posting's requirements, you may be contacted for a video or phone interview.

  6. 6

    Tentative offer, paperwork and clearance

    If you are selected you receive a tentative job offer. After accepting it, you complete pre-employment paperwork and the suitability and security clearance process.

The qualification review and interview

Representatives or hiring managers review each application, resume and set of qualifications against the announcement; applicants who meet the requirements may be called for a video or phone interview.

Format

A review of your application, then a video or phone interview

How to prepare

  • Make the resume show each requirement of the announcement within two pages: education, previous jobs with dates, and certifications.
  • Have the documents the announcement asks for ready before you start, such as transcripts or a DD-214.

Why people get rejected

  • A resume longer than two pages on an announcement under OPM's two-page limit.
  • A required document missing from the application.
How long it takes

The Space Force's application process page publishes no timeline: after the review and interview, a selected applicant gets a tentative offer, then the suitability and security clearance process.

Tips to get hired

  • Every USAJOBS announcement states its own grade, pay range and closing date: check them before you write the application.
  • Military service is a separate path: joining the Space Force as a Guardian goes through its recruiters, not USAJOBS.

What isn't public

  • The Space Force's own application process page is written for its intelligence careers; other civilian roles follow the same USAJOBS steps, but each announcement sets its own requirements.
  • No official page states how long Space Force civilian hiring takes or how long its security clearance process lasts.
Sources (2)

From the forum

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Frequently asked questions

What does US Space Force do?

The civilian side of the US Space Force: engineers, program managers and specialists at Space Systems Command and the space bases in California, Colorado and Florida.

How much does US Space Force pay?

Openings at US Space Force pay $71.6k–$165k/yr in the usual case, and the midpoint sits at $106k/yr. We take both from the 40 current postings with a stated rate. The lowest posted rate is $34.8k/yr; the highest is $197k/yr.

What is it like to work at US Space Force?

US Space Force pays $71.6k–$165k/yr typically (median $106k/yr).

Which locations does US Space Force hire in?

El Segundo, CA; Colorado Springs and Aurora, CO; Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral, FL; Vandenberg, CA; Washington, DC area

How do I apply for a Space Force civilian job?

On USAJOBS: complete your profile, review the announcement, upload a resume and the documents it asks for, and apply. If you meet the requirements you may be called for a video or phone interview, and a selected applicant receives a tentative offer.

How long can my resume be for a Space Force civilian job?

Two pages. Since 27 September 2025 OPM limits resumes to two pages for competitive and excepted service announcements.

Do I need a security clearance before applying?

The clearance comes after the offer: a selected applicant completes the suitability and security clearance process after accepting a tentative offer. The announcement says what the role requires.

What documents do Space Force civilian applications ask for?

Each announcement lists its own; common ones are academic transcripts and military documents such as a DD-214.

Compare US Space Force with

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$147k–$228k/yrTypical pay, live

Sorted by the expected value of an application (acceptance odds times posted pay). A referral agreement, if an employer has one, can raise it in this order but never changes the salary it offers.

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