85 OPEN
SALARIES · GN&C ENGINEER
GN&C Engineer [YoY +8%]
Median total compensation for gn&c engineer roles in space. Open roles by salary, direct from each employer.
[ SENIOR COMPENSATION · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$210,000 – $270,000USD
§ 01Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$155K
[ SENIOR ]
$210K
[ STAFF ]
$270K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$340K
§ 02Top-paid open roles
- 01
Principal Spacecraft GNC Engineer - Secret ClearanceRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$195K–$376K - 02TPrincipal GNC EngineerTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$220K–$315K
- 03Senior GNC Engineer II- Mission FormulationRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$162K–$300K
- 04Senior Spacecraft GNC Engineer IIRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$162K–$300K
- 05TGNC EngineerTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$115K–$300K
- 06TGNC Engineer, Missile DefenseTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$115K–$300K
- 07TGNC Engineer, RPOTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$115K–$300K
- 08TStaff GNC EngineerTrue Anomaly·Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA$195K–$300K
- 09Senior Spacecraft GNC Engineer II - Secret ClearanceRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$162K–$300K
- 10
Staff Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) Engineer, Air Dominance & Strike - Advanced EffectsAnduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K–$292K
§ 03Top employers hiring gn&c engineers
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | 20 | $160K |
| Rocket Lab | 14 | $179K |
| Anduril Industries | 8 | $201K |
| True Anomaly | 8 | $208K |
| Muon Space | 6 | $183K |
| K2 Space | 4 | $190K |
| Inversion Space | 4 | $180K |
| Varda Space | 4 | $175K |
§ 04Top cities hiring gn&c engineers
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Long Beach | 11 | $183K |
| Denver | 8 | $208K |
| Redmond | 8 | $163K |
| Hawthorne | 7 | $150K |
| Costa Mesa | 6 | $201K |
| El Segundo | 4 | $175K |
| Burlingame | 4 | — |
| Littleton | 4 | $131K |
§ 05FAQ
- How much do gn&c engineers make in the space industry?
- Senior gn&c engineers in the space industry typically earn $210K base salary at top employers. Staff-level roles run $270K and principal-level reach $340K. Numbers are median base salary across 142 data points; total compensation including equity is typically 15-30% higher at private space companies.
- Who is hiring the most gn&c engineers right now?
- SpaceX (20 open roles), Rocket Lab (14 open roles), and Anduril Industries (8 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 85 open gn&c engineer roles sorted by recency.
- Where are most gn&c engineer jobs located?
- The top space industry hubs for gn&c engineer roles right now are Long Beach, Denver, and Redmond. Defense space tends to concentrate in DC/Northern Virginia and Colorado Springs (clearance-required roles), while commercial launch is heaviest in LA basin and Florida's Space Coast.
- Do gn&c engineer roles in space require security clearance?
- Many do. Defense space programs at Anduril, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space, and the US Space Force require Secret or TS/SCI clearance. Commercial-space roles at SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Vast, and Astranis generally do not, though some specific government contracts may. ITAR registration is more common than clearance — most rocket roles require it.
§ 06See all open roles
Browse every gn&c engineer role