Space Systems Engineer

Planet Labs

Berlin, Germany

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.

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 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 full-time, hybrid role is based at our Berlin office with an expectation of at least two in-office 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;
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;
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:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, or equivalent experience;
2+ years of relevant work 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;
Ability to communicate in English, the working language of the company.

What Makes You Stand Out:

Experience with Agile software development;
Proficiency in DevOps tools and practices (e.g., Git, GitLab, Docker, Jenkins, Bash, Linux, CI/CD, Sentry, Datadog);
Hands-on experience operating spacecraft or remote systems;
Practical expertise in data analysis for problem-solving;
Familiarity with automation and optimization tools;
Contributions to open-source software projects.

Apply Now

Don't forget to mention Space-Careers when applying.

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