Space Jobs for Propulsion Engineers

Going by the 161 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 311 open roles for propulsion engineers state no pay, so check each listing.

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 150 open roles for propulsion engineers whose requirements we read, 8 a master's, 134 at least a bachelor's and 8 name no degree.

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.

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.

Every role here is read from a space employer's own careers page or job board (Turion Space, Inversion Space, Varda Space Industries and K2 Space 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.