RF, Communications & Payloads
RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California
212 open RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California right now, at 34 employers, typically posting $151k–$203k a year. Make spacecraft talk and sense: antennas, phased arrays, modems, laser links and the payloads satellites carry.
- The Aerospace Corporation39 open
- SpaceX29 open
- Amazon Leo13 open
- Boeing13 open
- Rocket Lab13 open
- K2 Space10 open
- Blue Origin9 open
- Viasat8 open
- Impulse Space7 open
- E-Space6 open
The 10 employers with the most open jobs here. 34 in all.
- 25th percentile$150,550/hr
- Median (50th)$183,000/hr
- 75th percentile$202,500/hr
- Distinct posted rates161
- Jobs stating an hourly rate161
- Employers33
The median is the middle of the 161 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $150,550–$202,500 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 RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California
Checked 7 Nov 2026, 11:17 UTC
$145,000–$185,000/yr
$126,300–$174,800/yr
$230,398–$322,557/yr
$198,000–$330,000/yr- $132,000–$198,000/yr
- $136,000–$184,000/yr
- $151,500–$252,500/yr
$119,850–$197,800/yr
$161,100–$241,700/yr
$103,600–$129,500/yr
$169,000–$187,000/yr- $180,000–$220,000/yr
- $130,000–$280,000/yr
- $269,175–$376,844/yr
- $114,000–$171,000/yr
$140,000–$226,000/yr- $98,600–$133,400/yr
- $119,850–$239,200/yr
$175,000–$263,000/yr- $175,000–$263,000/yr
$150,000–$220,000/yr
$160,000–$180,000/yr- $126,800–$158,500/yr
- $185,200–$250,000/yr
$141,500–$224,000/yr- $141,500–$224,000/yr
- $95,000–$149,500/yr
$125,000–$210,000/yr
- $269,175–$376,844/yr
- $140,000–$230,000/yr
- $110,000–$170,000/yr
$219,161–$316,566/yr- $169,067–$244,208/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
These agencies and apps pay SpaceJobs.Now a referral fee when someone we introduce is placed or signs up. It costs you nothing and never changes your pay. Employers' own jobs below keep their own order.
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What RF, communications and payload jobs in space pay in California
Typical posted pay
The middle half of the pay figures posted on 161 open RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California, from 33 employers, median $183k/yr, before bonuses, equity and overtime. RF & Payloads pay in every state.
RF & Payloads 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 RF & Payloads in California
The employers with the most open RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California. Each page shows every job the employer has open and what it pays.
- The Aerospace Corporation39 open in California
- SpaceX29 open in California
- Amazon Leo13 open in California
- Boeing13 open in California
- Rocket Lab13 open in California
- K2 Space10 open in California
- Blue Origin9 open in California
- Viasat8 open in California
- Impulse Space7 open in California
E-Space6 open in California- Northwood Space6 open in California
- CesiumAstro5 open in California
Where the jobs are
The towns in California with the most open RF, communications and payload jobs in space.
- El Segundo · 61
- San Diego · 22
- Hawthorne · 20
- Long Beach · 20
- Los Angeles · 16
- Carlsbad · 8
- Palo Alto · 8
- Redondo Beach · 8
- Torrance · 6
- Burlingame · 5
- Irvine · 4
- Redwood City · 4
- Costa Mesa · 3
- Cupertino · 3
- Mountain View · 3
- San Francisco · 3
- Santa Clara · 3
- Saratoga · 3
- Sunnyvale · 3
- Rancho Cordova · 2
- San Carlos · 2
- Goleta · 1
- Manhattan Beach · 1
- Menlo Park · 1
- San Jose · 1
- Seal Beach · 1
RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California: common questions
What do RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California pay?
Of the 161 open RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California that state a salary, at 33 space companies, the middle half offers $151k–$203k a year, $183k/yr at the median. The level, the company and any clearance move the figure, and each role shows the range its employer posted. Compare RF & Payloads salaries in every state.
Who has the most RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California?
By open jobs on this board: The Aerospace Corporation (39), SpaceX (29) and Amazon Leo (13). In all, 34 employers have RF, communications and payload jobs in space open in California.
What do you need to get hired?
An electrical engineering degree with RF or signal-processing work; payload roles often want physics or optics. Each posting lists its own requirements.
Where in California are the most RF, communications and payload jobs in space?
El Segundo (61), San Diego (22), Hawthorne (20), Long Beach (20) and Los Angeles (16). 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).
RF, communications and payload jobs in space in other states
Other space industry jobs in California
Sources and method
- SpaceJobs.Now job board: open RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California, read every night from each employer's own careers site, published 7 Nov 2026
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: RF & Payloads occupations in California (on each occupation's California page)
Cite this page
SpaceJobs.Now. (2026). RF, communications and payload jobs in space in California. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/states/california/rf-communications