Space Systems Engineer

About the Role:

The Space Operations team is crucial to Planet's success, responsible for maintaining and optimizing the health and productivity of the world's largest Earth Observation satellite constellation. Our team spans North America and Berlin. Given the scale of our fleet, automation is at the heart of our operations. You'll develop and maintain critical software, transforming large datasets into actionable metrics.

As a Space Systems Engineer, you'll support daily satellite operations, analyze data, triage and resolve anomalies, run on-orbit experiments, test and deploy software both on the ground and in orbit, and commission satellites. We are looking for a data-driven self-starter with effective communication skills that collaborates well within a technical team and adapts quickly to changing tasks and contexts. You'll work closely with hardware and software experts across teams to debug anomalies, enhance or create services, and provide operational insights to shape our next-generation satellites.

This full-time, hybrid role is based at our San Francisco HQ with an expectation of at least two in-office days per week.

Impact You'll Own:

• Conduct daily fleet checks and support On-Call shifts
• Test and deploy flight software upgrades, debug satellite anomalies, and perform on-orbit experiments
• Create and maintain operational procedures
• Develop and maintain real-time, mission-critical software solutions for satellite operations
• Write scripts to aggregate satellite data and generate system monitoring metrics
• Analyze data to identify issues and inefficiencies in the full stack of services and propose solutions
• Drive improvements to fleet capacity and productivity through process enhancements
• Provide feedback to launch, manufacturing, and spacecraft engineering teams based on on-orbit performance, technical demonstrations, and forecasting models
• Shape operational strategies for next-generation spacecraft

What You Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years of relevant work experience
• Proficiency in software development, particularly in Python or similar languages
• Data-driven mindset with experience in statistical analysis
• Familiarity with the space environment and its challenges
• Proactive approach to engineering and problem-solving
• Effective interpersonal and collaboration skills within a technical team

What Makes You Stand Out: 

• Experience with Agile software development
• Proficiency in DevOps tools and practices (e.g., Git, GitLab, Docker, Jenkins, Bash, Linux, CI/CD, Sentry, Datadog)
• Hands-on experience operating spacecraft or remote systems
• Practical expertise in data analysis for problem-solving
• Familiarity with automation and optimization tools
• Contributions to open-source software projects

EAR/ITAR Requirements:

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
• Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off 
• 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Remote-friendly work environment 
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
• Equity
• Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation:

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is listed below.  Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location.  The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only.  Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.