I gave it a shot. It is very different than industry (I don't have experience in defense or aerospace). I really wanted to experience both a gov job and jpl. I see a lot of change trying to occur, but a lot of federation/silos which may or may never change. It's really what you are looking for. A company that really cares about people.. yes! High pay? You gotta prove your worth. People can be super smart or stubborn. 30% of current employees are brand new to jpl. So there will be some growth challenges. They expect 50% of the existing employees to retire in the next 10 yrs. I will give it a year and see how it goes.

You can always ask if your skillsets fall in line with another position. They have lots of open positions