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Engines and thrusters

Space Jobs for Propulsion Engineers

, SpaceJobs.Now lists 310 open roles for propulsion engineers on , including Inversion Space, Varda Space Industries and K2 Space; typical pay across them is $110k to $200k a year (median $130k), topped by $328k a year advertised at Stoke Space.

See 280 roles for propulsion engineers
$110k–$200k/yrtypical paylive median $130k/yrup to $328k/yr at Stoke Space

Measured from 160 distinct posted rates, across 14 employers, each as a year's pay (an hourly rate × 2,080 hours). 150 of the 310 listings open here post no pay at all.

Launch companies and spacecraft makers hire propulsion engineers to design, build and test rocket engines, thrusters and the fluid systems that feed them. Each listing here is re-verified on the employer's own job board once an hour.

Live roles for propulsion engineers

Updated 29 Oct 2026, 22:01 UTC

Showing the 280 roles posted for United States. See every role

Propulsion and engine test

33 open

Run engines and components on the test stand: plan the test, operate the stand, read the data and find what the hardware is telling you.

Show 23 more propulsion test roles

Engines, turbomachinery and combustion

213 open

Design and develop liquid rocket engines and their parts: turbopumps, combustion devices, injectors and nozzles, from analysis to hardware.

Show 203 more engine development roles

In-space and electric propulsion

24 open

Thrusters and propulsion systems for satellites and spacecraft, chemical and electric, that keep a vehicle on orbit and move it between orbits.

Show 14 more in-space propulsion roles

Propulsion engineers

5 open

Propulsion roles across the vehicle, from system design to production support.

Before you apply

Space hardware is built, tested and flown in person, so many roles name a factory, a test site, a launch site or a control room, and each listing states its location. US roles that touch export-controlled technology (ITAR or EAR) can ask that you be a U.S. person, and some ask for a security clearance. A real employer never charges you to apply, never interviews you only by chat app and never asks you to buy equipment.

Pay by specialty

Every specialty gets its typical band from its own open roles, computed by the same method as the rest of the site (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). A specialty is listed once three or more distinct rates have been posted.

SpecialtyOpen rolesTypical payHighest rate
Propulsion and engine test41$109k–$160k/yr$215k/yr
Engines, turbomachinery and combustion235$113k–$195k/yr$328k/yr
In-space and electric propulsion24$110k–$222k/yr$226k/yr
Fluid and feed systems5Too few ratesNot stated
Propulsion engineers5$58.2k–$130k/yr$132k/yr

What the roles ask for

Drawn from the requirement lines of 135 out of 310 open roles for propulsion engineers, the same lines each role's pop-up quotes from its posting. Each role is counted once, at the lowest degree it will accept.

0

Ask for a PhD

8

Ask for a master's

120

Ask for at least a bachelor's

7

Name no degree

  • Name years of experience108
  • Name u.S. person status (ITAR or EAR)23
  • Set a residency or work-authorization condition16
  • Name a security clearance14
  • Require programming (Python, C++, MATLAB and similar)2

Where a posting states years of experience, the median ask is 5 years.

Who hires propulsion engineers in the space industry

EmployerOpen rolesPay stated
Inversion Space logoInversion Space3$106k–$193k/yr
Varda Space Industries logoVarda Space Industries13$109k–$263k/yr
K2 Space logoK2 Space6$100k–$200k/yr
Apex logoApex12$115k–$226k/yr
Stoke Space logoStoke Space3$129k–$328k/yr
True Anomaly logoTrue Anomaly13$90k/yr
Firefly Aerospace logoFirefly Aerospace11Not stated
Blue Origin logoBlue Origin68Not stated
The Exploration Company logoThe Exploration Company18Not stated
Isar Aerospace logoIsar Aerospace9Not stated
Axiom Space logoAxiom Space2Not stated
Boeing logoBoeing2Not stated
Northrop Grumman logoNorthrop Grumman1Not stated
SpaceX logoSpaceX53$100k–$215k/yr
AST SpaceMobile logoAST SpaceMobile1Not stated
Voyager Technologies logoVoyager Technologies6$90k–$218k/yr
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory logoNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory2$119k–$143k/yr
Ursa Major logoUrsa Major15$80k–$179k/yr
Relativity Space logoRelativity Space32$90k–$185k/yr
Vast logoVast9$86k–$162k/yr
Rocket Lab logoRocket Lab27$58.2k–$162k/yr
Astranis logoAstranis4$60.3k–$145k/yr

Sorted by the expected value of an application (acceptance odds times posted pay). No employer pays for its place in this order.

Where these roles are posted

Two groupings: roles posted for a single country, and roles with a language in the title. A place name leads to its own page, and a count lists the matching roles.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do propulsion engineers earn in the space industry?

Going by the 160 distinct salaries currently posted for roles for propulsion engineers (each put on a full-time year), the typical range is $110k–$200k/yr and the median is $130k/yr. The top posted figure is $328k/yr, at Stoke Space. 150 of the 310 open roles for propulsion engineers state no pay, so check each listing.

What do propulsion roles ask for?

Usually an engineering degree (mechanical and aerospace are the most common) and hands-on hardware experience in the role's area, from test operations to fluid systems. A license is rarely asked. Each listing states the degree, the years of experience and the location it asks for. Of the 135 open roles for propulsion engineers whose requirements we read, 8 a master's, 120 at least a bachelor's and 7 name no degree.

What does a propulsion engineer do at a space company?

A propulsion engineer designs, analyzes and tests the systems that make thrust: engines and their turbomachinery, combustion devices, thrusters, and the valves, lines and tanks that carry propellants. Much of the work is on hardware: building test articles, firing them on a stand and changing the design from what the data shows.

How do space companies hire propulsion engineers?

Each employer runs its own hiring, and each listing says what it asks for: the degree or the hands-on experience, the location, and for export-controlled work in the US, often U.S. person status.

Are these jobs real?

Every role here is read from a space employer's own careers page or job board (Inversion Space, Varda Space Industries, K2 Space and Apex among them), and each employer's page here covers who they are and how they hire. A real employer never charges you to apply, never asks you to buy equipment and never interviews you only by chat app.

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Propulsion & Engines

Every open propulsion role across space employers, with live pay.