Work at JPL
We hire innovative thinkers to design, develop, and implement pioneering technologies for flight systems. Our bright minds keep JPL running--while making space exploration a reality.
Interested in our open positions? Check out job opportunities at JPL.
Early Career Hire Development Program (Phaeton)
Last year in school? Looking for a job where you can actually get to work on a real mission that will end up in space? Phaeton is a selective, rapid training program for early career hires interested in broad flight systems experience at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Phaeton's small project environment provides system-level, cross-phase and cross-discipline exposure; a vital perspective for any role on JPL projects.
What's in it for you?
- Expose young professionals to small spacecraft and the NASA way of doing business
- Exposure to 2 project phases
- Mentoring by senior engineers
- Work on primary subsystem
- Support secondary subsystem
About the program
- Designed by early career hires for people like you
- 1 month training/orientation
- 6- to 12-month
- 50%-75% time on the project
Engineering and Science Divisions
Systems and Software Division (31)
The Division plays a key role in every phase of a project's lifecycle - from planning to final execution. Providing products and services in the following broad areas: Mission Concept Development and Formulation, Systems Engineering and Analysis, Mission Operations, Ground Data Systems, Flight Software, and Systems Verification and Validation. Spacecraft capabilities are enabled and performance enhanced by the close coupling of systems engineering and software. The overall goal is to make the system as reliable, robust, and efficient as possible.
Science Division (32)
Scientists in the Division conduct theoretical and experimental studies leading to new missions. They are engaged in the development of new instrumentation and in the analysis of data, publishing new scientific knowledge, and in the communication of that knowledge to the general public. Research areas include studying the nature of the Martian surface, the causes and mitigation of ozone depletion and global warming in Earth's atmosphere, the search for life in and the nature and evolution of the universe - all vital issues related to NASA's mission.Telecommunications, Tracking and Radar Division (33)
Provides scientific and technological leadership and expertise to NASA/JPL for deep space and planetary communications, navigational tracking, and active radio frequency remote sensing. Closely related responsibilities include the scientific observation of Earth and space by radio or radar remote sensing, and application in Earthly communications. The Division performs scientific investigations, advanced technology research, engineering developments, and system implementations encompassing space telecommunications, tracking, and active remote sensing using electromagnetic waves.
Autonomous Systems Division (34)
The Division is actively involved in both flight system and technology development, encompassing the areas of mobility and robotic systems, power systems, command and data management systems, and guidance, navigation, and control systems. Research and development efforts are active in surface and aerial robotic vehicles, advanced thermoelectric power systems, highly integrated miniature avionics, formation flying, and terrain-relative guidance systems.Mechanical Systems Engineering Division (35)
Contributes to the end-to-end implementation of unprecedented scientific robotic space missions in the areas of mechanical, propulsion and thermal engineering, technology development and operations. Expertise spans the full breadth of mechanical disciplines and is applied to conception, implementation, validation and operation of JPL's products.
The Enterprise Engineering Division (37)
Comprised of three sections: electronic and mechanical fabrication, environmental testing, metrology, and instrumentation. Provides services such as electrical fabrication, mechanical fabrication, environmental testing, metrology and instrumentation. Additionally, the Division provides JPL's enterprise-wide technical infrastructure with facilities such as the Environmental Test Lab, the Microdevices Laboratory, Spacecraft Test Complex, the Spacecraft Assembly Facility, the 10ft and 24ft Space Simulators, clean rooms, and various mechanical and electrical fabrication shops.Instruments and Science Data Systems Division (38)
This division brings diverse cross-disciplinary teams of hardware engineers, software engineers and scientists together to solve unique and challenging problems and create one-of-a-kind instrument systems. Expertise spans the entire instrument system life-cycle, beginning with research in advanced technologies that maximize scientific knowledge capture and delivery, infusing those technologies into instrument and data system concepts, engineering the design and implementation, operating the flight and ground instrument system, delivering the science and instrument data products, and finally archiving the products.
