Space Systems Engineer

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.

Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one.

Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world's toughest obstacles.

As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.

We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world.

Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands.

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. You will work in Mission Optimization, developing and maintaining critical software responsible for maximizing the productivity of all our satellite missions.

You will help identify possible inefficiencies in the automated services we use to operate our satellites, and design and implement solutions to improve the overall productivity of the fleet and unlock more value for our customers. We are looking for a data-driven, self-starter engineer with effective communication skills that collaborates well within a technical team and adapts quickly to changing tasks and contexts. You will also work closely with hardware and software experts across teams to provide operational insights that shape our next-generation satellites.

This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our San Francisco office 3 days per week.

Impact You'll Own:

• Design, 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 to improve productivity
• Drive improvements to fleet capacity and productivity through process enhancements

What You Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or Computer Science
• Experience in software development, particularly in Python or equivalent languages
• Data-driven mindset with experience in statistical analysis
• Proactive, self-starter 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
• Experience with DevOps tools and practices (e.g., Git, GitLab, Docker, Jenkins, Bash, Linux, CI/CD, Sentry, Datadog)
• Familiarity with satellite engineering and/or the space environment and its challenges
• Hands-on experience operating spacecraft or remote systems
• Familiarity with automation and optimization tools
• Contributions to open-source software projects

Application Deadline:

March 2, 2026 at 11:59pm PT

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