Space Systems Engineer, Space Operations

About the role

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. Our team spans North America and Berlin, relying heavily on automation to scale our operations effectively. As a Space Systems Engineer, you'll support daily satellite operations, analyze operational data, triage anomalies, run on-orbit experiments, and deploy software across our fleet. You'll collaborate closely with cross-functional hardware and software experts to build reliable services and shape next-generation spacecraft strategies. We are looking for a data-driven self-starter with effective communication skills who thrives in a technical, dynamic environment.

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:

- Develop and maintain real-time, mission-critical software solutions for satellite operations

- Conduct daily fleet checks, debug on-orbit satellite anomalies, and support On-Call shifts

- Tests and deploys flight software upgrades and performs on-orbit experiments

- Creates and maintains operational procedures

- Analyzes data to identify issues and inefficiencies in the full stack of services

- 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:

- 4+ years of experience in spacecraft operations or a closely related field