204 OPEN
SALARIES · MANUFACTURING ENGINEER
Manufacturing Engineer [YoY +8%]
Median total compensation for manufacturing engineer roles in space. Open roles by salary, direct from each employer.
[ SENIOR COMPENSATION · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$160,000 – $205,000USD
§ 01Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$120K
[ SENIOR ]
$160K
[ STAFF ]
$205K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$255K
§ 02Top-paid open roles
- 01
Senior Manufacturing Engineer I/II – Assembly, Integration and TestRocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$115K–$255K - 02Senior Manufacturing Engineer I/II - TPARocket Lab·Long Beach, CA$115K–$255K
- 03SManufacturing Engineer - Soft GoodsStoke Space·Kent, Washington$110K–$252K
- 04VAvionics Manufacturing Engineer, Solar ArrayVast·Long Beach, California, United States$120K–$245K
- 05VAvionics Manufacturing EngineerVast·Long Beach, California, United States$120K–$245K
- 06VPrincipal Manufacturing Engineer- PayloadsVarda Space·El Segundo, California, United States$182K–$232K
- 07VSenior Manufacturing Engineer, ECLSSVast·Long Beach, California, United States$137K–$230K
- 08VManufacturing Engineer, StructuresVast·Long Beach, California, United States$138K–$230K
- 09
Manufacturing Engineering Manager (PCBA)Astranis·San Francisco$150K–$230K - 10VManufacturing Engineer, Fluid SystemsVast·Long Beach, California, United States$100K–$230K
§ 03Top employers hiring manufacturing engineers
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | 53 | $130K |
| Rocket Lab | 30 | $155K |
| Relativity Space | 29 | $130K |
| K2 Space | 17 | $158K |
| Vast | 14 | $165K |
| Anduril Industries | 13 | $170K |
| Varda Space | 10 | $155K |
| Astranis | 5 | $148K |
§ 04Top cities hiring manufacturing engineers
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Long Beach | 57 | $152K |
| Hawthorne | 23 | $130K |
| Bastrop | 21 | — |
| Los Angeles | 17 | $158K |
| El Segundo | 12 | $155K |
| Costa Mesa | 12 | $170K |
| San Francisco | 6 | $139K |
| Middle River | 5 | $140K |
§ 05FAQ
- How much do manufacturing engineers make in the space industry?
- Senior manufacturing engineers in the space industry typically earn $160K base salary at top employers. Staff-level roles run $205K and principal-level reach $255K. Numbers are median base salary across 168 data points; total compensation including equity is typically 15-30% higher at private space companies.
- Who is hiring the most manufacturing engineers right now?
- SpaceX (53 open roles), Rocket Lab (30 open roles), and Relativity Space (29 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 204 open manufacturing engineer roles sorted by recency.
- Where are most manufacturing engineer jobs located?
- The top space industry hubs for manufacturing engineer roles right now are Long Beach, Hawthorne, and Bastrop. 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 manufacturing 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 manufacturing engineer role