Space Systems Engineer, Space Operations

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. 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, and streamline key workflows around satellite performance. 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. 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 of 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. 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: Conduct daily fleet checks and support On-Call shifts Test and deploy flight software upgrades, debug satellite anomalies, and perform on-orbit experiments Provide feedback to launch, manufacturing, and spacecraft engineering teams based on on-orbit performance, technical demonstrations, and forecasting models 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 Shape operational strategies for next-generation spacecraft What You Bring: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or equivalent 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 Understanding of DevOps and CI/CD concepts Experience with Agile software development Proficiency in DevOps tools and practices (e.g., Git, GitLab, Docker, Jenkins, Bash, Linux, CI/CD, Sentry, Datadog) What Makes You Stand Out: Hands-on experience operating spacecraft or remote systems Experience coordinating resources and projects with multiple engineerin ... (truncated, view full listing at source)