Space Systems Engineer, Space Operations

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 will 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 will 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 Berlin 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:

• 4+ years of relevant experience
• Bachelor's Degree in an Engineering, Software, or Science related field
• 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:

• Solid command of core spatial concepts, including coordinate reference systems, projections, and transformations, alongside proficiency in geometric operations such as clipping, buffering, and dissolving
• Extensive experience working with diverse geospatial data structures and formats, including vector (Shapefile, GeoJSON) and raster ((Geo)TIFF) datasets
• Proficiency in industry-standard GIS software and libraries, specifically QGIS and GeoPandas, with a solid understanding of spatial ETL tools like GDAL, Fiona, or Rasterio
• Hands-on experience operating spacecraft or remote systems
• Experience coordinating resources and projects with multiple engineering teams
• Practical expertise in data analysis for problem-solving
• Familiarity with automation and optimization tools
• Contributions to open-source software projects

Application Deadline:

July 15, 2026 by 11:59p / 23:59 CET (Central European Time)

Export Control Requirements:

Planet Labs Germany GmbH is authorized to receive U.S. export-controlled information at Planet under an export license issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security. This position requires access to U.S. and German/EU 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 German, EU, or U.S. authorities.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

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

• Paid time off including vacation, holidays and company-wide days off
• Employee Wellness Program
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
• Equity
• Volunteering Paid Time Off