Communications Engineer - Part Time

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: Planet is working on the next generation small satellite bus that will host a high resolution optical imaging payload (Pelican) and a hyperspectral payload (Carbon Mapper). Planet has continuously iterated and developed small spacecraft communication systems including space and ground communications modems and software defined radios (SDRs). Our system consists of transceivers in several bands, optical laser communications systems and a worldwide network of ground stations. We are seeking a recent graduate or currently enrolled engineering student for a part time Communications Engineer position to assist in the development of our next-generation onboard links, ground radios and antenna systems that push the frontiers of satellite communications. You will contribute to communications systems development, integration, test and characterization. You will work closely with the RF/Comms team members and interact with cross functional teams - electrical, software and guidance, navigation and control (GNC) engineers to address challenging design issues. The ideal candidate will be excited by working in an agile, fast-paced environment, even in times of uncertainty and ambiguity. This is a part-time, remote position based in the United States. If located near an office, you are expected to work from that office a minimum of 3 days per week. Impact You'll Own: Assist in the development of GnuRadio based ground modem solution Assist in the design and verification of space segment software defined radios and modems FPGA based hardware transceivers: RF/Analog/Digital circuit design, simulation, instrumentation, test and characterization Support of RF/MW/Optical Comms system bringup, integration and test What You Bring: Graduate or Senior year level in Electrical Engineering, Physics or Computer Science Solid fundamentals in signal processing and floating point to fixed point design flow. Ability to adapt and learn a multitude of skills in order to contribute to the design of a complex system including but not limited to modem physical layer (PHY), active RF circuits, transceivers, PLL synthesizers, mixers, switches, RF amplifiers, oscillators, detectors, filters, and other building blocks for space and ground station applications Excellent documentation, presentation and communication skills What Makes You Stand Out: Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Physics or Computer Science, studying for a graduate degree in STEM Experience with Matlab and Simulink for communications systems design Experience with software Defined Radio (SDR) platforms and respective signal processing libraries (ex.: GNURadio). Experience in C, C++, Linux, Python, and data analysis tools #LI-REMOTE Application Deadline: June 16, 2026 at ... (truncated, view full listing at source)