Principal Engineer, Platform

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, and The Netherlands.

About the Role:  

In this role, you will be the technical leader for the Customer Growth pillar within Planet. The Customer Growth pillar’s mission is centered around increasing the customers who get value from Planet, directly or indirectly via partners. You will be responsible for the architectural design and operation of the infrastructure that supports the pillar. These systems initially include an online data processing system supporting our usage/reporting functions as well as the product catalog and the authorization mechanisms underlying it. As we continue to mature, the architecture will have a special emphasis on leveraging customer data to increase retention and hasten the time to first value for customers. You will be required to have a sharp product sense, work with other technical leaders to deliver architecture that aids in development velocity, deliver work incrementally,  and de-risk hard problems. You will also be required to have a compelling vision towards creating the Earth Data Platform as we evolve from providing imagery and data to providing components and tools to build business solutions on earth data.

What You Bring:

• Deep understanding of building evolvable and simple backend systems for customer-facing products
• An understanding around building data-intensive systems that support real-time product use cases
• A track record of incrementally and continuously delivering engineering solutions that have business impact
• An excellent understanding of the principles for “building for builders”
• A desire and track record in mentoring and elevating engineers
• High EQ and the ability to listen, manage, and use opinions to make important decisions
• A history of working with cross-functional partners or teams to build holistic solutions for customers
• The skills and determination to build and operate systems with a high bar for quality and reliability
• At least 7 years of experience working in cross-functional teams focused on solving customer problems
• Experience building systems on Cloud platforms

Benefits While Working at Planet:

• Comprehensive Health Plan
• Wellness program and onsite massages in specific offices
• Flexible Time Off
• Recognition Programs
• Commuter Benefits
• Learning and Tuition Reimbursement
• Parental Leave
• Offsites and Happy Hours
• Volunteering Benefits

Some Press About Us: 

Our CEO, Will Marshall featured on TED and featured in a Planet Blog

“Planet: Bringing Space Back Down to Earth”

Tiny, privately owned satellites are changing how we view the Earth features in NBC News

“Planet And Rocket Lab Create Mission Patch To Honor Women In Aerospace” —Planet Blog

Why we care so much about Belonging. 

We’re dedicated to helping the whole Planet, and to do that we must strive to represent all of it within each of our offices and on all of our teams. That’s why Planet is guided by an ultimate  north star of Belonging, dreaming big as we approach our ongoing work with diversit