Propulsion & Engines
Rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California
148 open rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California right now, at 23 employers, typically posting $130k–$175k a year. Design, build and fire the engines that move rockets and spacecraft, from turbopumps to in-space thrusters.
- Rocket Lab30 open
- Relativity Space19 open
- Impulse Space18 open
- SpaceX16 open
- The Aerospace Corporation10 open
- Varda Space Industries8 open
- True Anomaly6 open
- Vast6 open
- Voyager Technologies6 open
- CesiumAstro4 open
The 10 employers with the most open jobs here. 23 in all.
- 25th percentile$130,000/hr
- Median (50th)$155,750/hr
- 75th percentile$175,250/hr
- Distinct posted rates116
- Jobs stating an hourly rate116
- Employers20
The median is the middle of the 116 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $130,000–$175,250 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
Newest rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California
Checked 7 Nov 2026, 11:17 UTC
$100,000–$160,000/yr
$100,000–$140,000/yr- $140,000–$195,000/yr
$106,500–$197,500/yr
$125,000–$175,000/yr
$143,031–$218,132/yr- $100,000–$155,000/yr
- $118,031–$180,069/yr
$177,000–$265,600/yr- $110,000–$160,000/yr
$150,000–$200,000/yr
$132,000–$220,000/yr- $82,400–$123,600/yr
- $82,400–$123,600/yr
$160,000–$240,000/yr- $100,000–$160,000/yr
$24–$27/hr- $24–$27/hr
$104,000–$156,000/yr- $164,000–$246,000/yr
$109,148–$139,466/yr- $104,000–$156,000/yr
$42.97–$61/hr- $140,333–$179,314/yr
- $140,333–$179,314/yr
- $153,615–$199,400/yr
$165,000–$245,000/yr- $185,000–$280,000/yr
- $136,120–$193,224/yr
- $165,000–$245,000/yr
$120,000–$200,000/yr- $85,000–$150,000/yr
- $71,000–$132,000/yr
$175,000–$200,000/yr- $100,000–$160,000/yr
- $90,000–$125,000/yr
Selected agencies hiring now
Contract Professionals Inc (CPI)Engineering and technical staffing agency
Aerospace and defense staffing firm in Waterford, Michigan, placing engineers, maintenance technicians, mechanics, welders and CNC machinists.
Places: Propulsion, Mechanical, Avionics, RF & Payloads
Moseley Technical ServicesEngineering and technical staffing agency
Engineering and technical staffing firm in Huntsville, Alabama, placing engineers and A&P, sheet metal, CNC and quality technicians.
Places: Propulsion, Mechanical, Avionics, RF & Payloads
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What rocket propulsion and engine jobs pay in California
Typical posted pay
The middle half of the pay figures posted on 116 open rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California, from 20 employers, median $156k/yr, before bonuses, equity and overtime. Propulsion pay in every state.
Propulsion occupations in California
Each occupation's page for California sets the pay its jobs post beside what BLS measures in the state and its metro areas.
Employers hiring Propulsion in California
The employers with the most open rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California. Each page shows every job the employer has open and what it pays.
- Rocket Lab30 open in California
- Relativity Space19 open in California
- Impulse Space18 open in California
- SpaceX16 open in California
- The Aerospace Corporation10 open in California
- Varda Space Industries8 open in California
- True Anomaly6 open in California
- Vast6 open in California
- Voyager Technologies6 open in California
CesiumAstro4 open in California
Astra3 open in California- Benchmark Space Systems3 open in California
Where the jobs are
The towns in California with the most open rocket propulsion and engine jobs.
Rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California: common questions
What do rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California pay?
Of the 116 open rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California that state a salary, at 20 space companies, the middle half offers $130k–$175k a year, $156k/yr at the median. The level, the company and any clearance move the figure, and each role shows the range its employer posted. Compare Propulsion salaries in every state.
Who has the most rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California?
By open jobs on this board: Rocket Lab (30), Relativity Space (19) and Impulse Space (18). In all, 23 employers have rocket propulsion and engine jobs open in California.
What do you need to get hired?
Usually a mechanical or aerospace engineering degree; technicians and test operators often start from a trade or the military. Each posting lists its own requirements.
Where in California are the most rocket propulsion and engine jobs?
Long Beach (58), El Segundo (23), Hawthorne (22), Redondo Beach (17) and Mojave (8). A job open in several towns counts in each.
How current are these jobs, and how do I apply?
SpaceJobs.Now reads each employer's own job board every night, and a job stays listed while the employer keeps it posted. Each job has its own page with the full posting and the pay it states, and Apply shows the jobs like it that take your application now and the recruiters who place that work. Honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job (FTC: job scams).
Rocket propulsion and engine jobs in other states
Other space industry jobs in California
Sources and method
Cite this page
SpaceJobs.Now. (2026). Rocket propulsion and engine jobs in California. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/states/california/propulsion