Paint Technician II

Jet Propulsion Laboratory; United States; On-site; USD 76,000 - 92,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Flexible schedule

Parental leave

Job summary

Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA seeks an Engineering Development Technician (Paint) to perform precision surface preparation and coating of critical flight hardware. You will apply primers and thermal coatings, operate paint booths and thermal chambers, and ensure product quality with QA coordination.

Role requires hands-on coating expertise, ability to read engineering drawings, and strict adherence to safety and contamination controls.

Qualifications

• High School diploma with a minimum of 6 years aerospace coating/surface prep/flight hardware finishing experience, or an Associate’s degree with at least 1 year related experience.
• Knowledge of thermal coating properties and material behavior.
• Ability to read engineering drawings and follow written instructions.
• Familiarity with surface preparation, masking, paint mixing, application, curing, and contamination control.
• Experience with general equipment maintenance (paint guns, filters, hoses).
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word.

Responsibilities

• Perform surface preparation, including cleaning, masking, and abrading.
• Mix paints and primers to precise chemical ratios.
• Apply thermal coatings for critical payloads using spraying, swabbing, or rolling methods.
• Operate paint booth systems and monitor temperature/humidity during application and cure cycles.
• Operate thermal chambers for accelerated cure processes.
• Maintain safety and proper handling of flight hardware during painting and curing.
• Coordinate with QA to inspect and verify coating quality, including thickness checks.
• Provide labor estimates and communicate schedule or cost impacts to projects.
• Collaborate with MTL engineers to define coating requirements and scheduling.

Skills

Coating experience

Surface preparation

Flight hardware finishing

Reading engineering drawings

Microsoft Office

Education

High School diploma with aerospace experience

Associate’s degree (related field)

Tools

Paint guns

Filters

Hoses

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.

Benefits and Perks

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.

For further benefits information

Pay Range

$75,504 - $91,936

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.

About JPL

Formed in 1936, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech.) JPL joined NASA as an FFRDC when the agency was founded in 1958. JPL helped open the Space Age by developing America’s first Earth‑orbiting science satellite, creating the first successful interplanetary spacecraft, and sending robotic missions to the solar system. Today JPL continues its world‑leading innovation, implementing programs in planetary exploration, Earth science, space‑based astronomy and technology development while applying its capabilities to technical and scientific problems of national significance. Above all, we are explorers. At JPL we promote collaboration, innovation, integrity, and excellence in distinct academic areas. We turn ideas for science investigation into the reality of groundbreaking space missions, partnering with our strategic business teams to guide JPL into the future.