Lockheed Martin Plans Up to 1,250 Jobs in Highlands Ranch and Littleton: How to Get Ready

DENVER, CO — Lockheed Martin is planning to add as many as 1,250 jobs at its south metro campuses over the coming years, split between a new expansion in Highlands Ranch and its long-running Waterton Canyon site outside Littleton. The work is aerospace research, development and systems manufacturing, and the roles the company has named run from cybersecurity and software engineers to technicians and administrative staff.

No hiring event has been announced and Lockheed has not published pay for these jobs. This is a get-your-resume-ready story, and the time to get ready is now.

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Employer	Lockheed Martin Space
New jobs	Up to 1,250 across Douglas and Jefferson counties
Highlands Ranch	About 450 jobs over the next four years, about 190,000 square feet of added space
Waterton Canyon, Littleton	Most of the remaining jobs, according to a company spokesman
Roles named	Cybersecurity engineers, software engineers, technicians, administrative staff
Pay	Not announced
Apply	lockheedmartinjobs.com

💼 What Lockheed Martin Announced

The company announced the expansion in early October 2026, with the news delivered to site selectors and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce in RiNo. The Douglas County piece sits off C-470 and Kendrick Castillo Way in Highlands Ranch. The rest of the hiring is expected at Waterton Canyon, the Jefferson County campus where Lockheed has worked since 1955 and where, according to the Denver Gazette, roughly 8,000 of its Colorado employees already report.

A Lockheed Martin Space strategy executive credited Colorado's aerospace ecosystem for the growth, and Gov. Jared Polis called them good-paying jobs. Neither the company nor the state has put a dollar figure on them yet.

🏛️ Douglas County Put Money Behind the 450

On October 20, Douglas County commissioners approved a performance-based package worth up to $2.7 million for the Highlands Ranch expansion, as reported by Colorado Politics. The structure is the useful part for job seekers: the county pays $6,000 for each new job that is created and kept in Douglas County for at least 24 months. The county also approved a 35-year rebate of its share of business personal property tax. Lockheed's projected investment in the expansion is about $29 million.

In plain terms, the incentive only pays out if the jobs show up and stick. Expect the seats to fill steadily over four years, not all at once.

🔥 Who Lockheed Is Recruiting

The company has named four groups so far:

Cybersecurity engineers, protecting the networks and software behind the work.
Software engineers, for the company's space and defense programs.
Technicians, the hands-on manufacturing and test side of the work.
Administrative staff, the program, contracts and office roles that keep big programs moving.

Lockheed's Littleton and Highlands Ranch listings already include associate and early-career engineering titles alongside senior ones, so this is not only a story for veterans of the industry. Watch each posting closely, though. Defense work often carries citizenship or security-clearance requirements, and the listing spells out which ones apply.

📋 How to Get Ready Now

Set alerts by campus name. Search for Littleton and Highlands Ranch, not just Denver, so south metro postings reach you.
Lead with the work, not the title. Spell out the systems, languages, test equipment or certifications you have used.
Look at the neighbors too. Blue Origin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance and other aerospace employers work in the same corridor, and the skills carry over.
Plan the commute. Waterton Canyon sits at the far southwest edge of the metro, south of C-470 on Wadsworth, and Highlands Ranch traffic at shift change is real.

🔎 Search Aerospace Jobs Now

Frequently Asked Questions

How many jobs is Lockheed Martin adding in the Denver area?

Up to 1,250, split between Douglas County and Jefferson County. About 450 are planned for the Highlands Ranch expansion over the next four years, and most of the rest are expected at Waterton Canyon near Littleton.

Is there a Lockheed Martin hiring event in Denver?

None has been announced for this expansion. Openings post on the company's own careers site, and we will cover a hiring event if one is scheduled.

What do the new Lockheed Martin jobs pay?

The company has not published pay for the expansion. Check the salary range on each individual posting.

Do I need a security clearance to work at Lockheed Martin?

Not for every job, but some defense roles require one, and many require U.S. citizenship. Each posting lists its own requirements.

Get Ready for South Metro Aerospace Jobs

Create a free LocalJobPage account and set alerts for Littleton, Highlands Ranch and the aerospace roles you want. Browse the Denver Career Center for more role guides.

Employers: Hiring engineers, technicians or office staff in the south metro? Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach Denver-area candidates.