Paint Technician II

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; California; On-site; USD 76,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Flexible schedule

Job summary

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California seeks an Engineering Development Technician (Paint) to support the MTL coating operations. You will perform surface preparation, paint application, and coating verification for critical flight hardware, while coordinating with QA to ensure adhesion, thickness, and contamination control.

You’ll read engineering drawings, mix coatings, monitor environmental conditions, and maintain full documentation.

Qualifications

• High School diploma with 6 years aerospace coating experience or an Associate’s with 1 year related experience.
• Knowledge of thermal coating properties and material behavior.
• Ability to read engineering drawings and follow written instructions.
• Familiar with surface prep, masking, paint mixing, application, curing, and contamination control.
• Experience with paint guns, filters, hoses, and general equipment maintenance.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Working knowledge of Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word.

Responsibilities

• Perform surface preparation, masking, and abrading.
• Mix paints and primers to precise ratios.
• Apply thermal coatings using spraying, swabbing, or rolling.
• Operate paint booth systems and monitor cure cycles.
• Coordinate with QA to inspect coating quality and thickness.
• Provide labor estimates and communicate schedule or cost impacts.
• Read dimensions from drawings and CAD models.
• Maintain documentation and track consumables and materials.

Skills

Aerospace coating experience

Read engineering drawings

Verbal and written communication

Paint gun maintenance

Surface prep and masking

Curing processes

Microsoft Office

Education

High School diploma + aerospace experience

Associate’s degree in related field

Tools

CAD

Paint equipment

Job description

Job Details

New ideas are all around us, but only a few will change the world. That’s our focus at JPL. We ask the biggest questions, then search the universe for answers—literally. We build upon ideas that have guided generations, then share our discoveries to inspire generations to come. Your mission—your opportunity—is to seek out the answers that bring us one step closer. If you’re driven to discover, create, and inspire something that lasts a lifetime and beyond, you’re ready for JPL.

Located in Pasadena, California, JPL has a campus-like environment situated on 177 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and offers a work environment unlike any other: we inspire passion, foster innovation, build collaboration, and reward excellence.

This unique opportunity is part of the Mechanical and Control Systems Division (35) , which creates advanced mechanical, robotics, thermal, propulsion, onboard GNC, and electronic packaging systems. Division 35 develops hardware and systems from early architecture through design, fabrication, subsystem, and system-level integration and test.

You will be working as an Engineering Development Technician , within the Manufacturing, Packaging, and Test Services Section , which supports the mechanical and electronic fabrication, assembly, packaging, and testing needs of all JPL projects. As a paint technician supporting the Materials Testing Laboratory (MTL), you will perform precision surface preparation, primer and paint application, environmental control, and coating verification for critical flight hardware.

Perform surface preparation, including cleaning, masking, and abrading.
Mix paints and primers to precise chemical ratios.
Apply thermal coatings for critical payloads, selecting appropriate application methods (spraying, swabbing, rolling).
Operate paint booth systems, monitor temperature and humidity throughout application and cure cycles, and ensure proper coating thickness.
Operate thermal chambers for accelerated cure processes.
Ensure strict adherence to flight hardware handling practices, maintaining hardware stability and safety during painting and curing.
Coordinate with Quality Assurance (QA) to inspect, verify, and validate coating quality, including coverage, adhesion, contamination checks, and thickness verification.
Provide labor estimates and proactively communicate schedule or cost impacts to projects.
Partner with the MTL engineers and technicians to define coating requirements, masking strategies, and scheduling alignment; resolve workflow issues to maintain production flow.
Read and interpret dimensions from engineering drawings and CAD models.
Maintain required technical documentation, including procedures, temperature/humidity logs, chemical usage logs, spray gun cleaning records, and final paint certifications.
Maintain a clean, organized workspace with proper paint and primer storage conditions; track consumables and flight‑certified materials for traceability; monitor and replace filters; and maintain GSE used for paint operations.

******IMPORTANT******* This position, because of its associated job duties, has been determined by JPL to be safety-sensitive as defined in JPL's Drug Free Workplace Requirement. An employee holding this position will be subject to periodic, unannounced, random drug testing. Please refer to JPL's Drug Free Workplace Requirement for more information. Candidates who are hired into designated safety-sensitive positions will be included in a pool from which individuals are randomly selected to participate in the unannounced drug testing.

Required Qualifications

• High School diploma with a minimum of 6 years of aerospace experience specializing in hands-on coating, surface preparation, or flight‑hardware finishing; or an Associate’s degree with a minimum of 1 year of related experience.
• Knowledge of thermal coating properties and material behavior.
• Ability to work from engineering drawings and written instructions.
• Familiarity with surface preparation methods, masking techniques, paint mixing, paint application, curing processes, and contamination control.
• Experience with general equipment maintenance (paint guns, filters, hoses, etc.)
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Working knowledge of basic Microsoft tools (Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word).

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) platforms to assess hardware geometry for masking and coating strategy.
• Experience working with common aerospace paints (polyurethane, inorganic, silicone).
• Understanding of hazardous waste handling and disposal requirements.
• Experience with heat treatment of aerospace materials, adhesive bonding, composite lay-up, mechanical testing, and/or environmental/thermal vacuum testing.

JPL has a catalog of benefits and perks that span from the traditional to the unique. This includes a variety of health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans, paid time off, learning, rideshare, childcare, flexible schedule, parental leave and many more. Our focus is on work-life balance, and living healthy, fulfilling lives as we Dare Mighty Things Together. For benefits eligible positions, benefits are effective the first day of the month coincident with or immediately following the employee’s start date.

The hiring range displayed below is specifically for those who will work in or reside in the location listed. In extending an offer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory considers factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s job related skills, experience, knowledge, and relevant education/training.

The typical full time equivalent annual hiring range for this job in Pasadena, California.

$75,504 - $91,936

JPL is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status or any other characteristic or condition protected by Federal, state or local law.

In addition, JPL is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

EEO is the Law.
EEO is the Law Supplement
Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federal facility. Due to rules imposed by NASA, JPL will not accept applications from citizens of designated countries or those born in a designated country unless they are U.S. Citizens, Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S or have other protected status under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). The Designated Countries List is available here .