Director of Software Engineering, Analytics

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.

As the Director of Engineering, Analytics, you will lead, staff, and scale the engineering organization that builds Planet’s analytics: the models and pipelines that turn daily satellite imagery into answers about what changed at a site, what is moving in a port, and what is being built across a country. These analytics power Planet’s dual-use products such as Global Monitoring Service (GMS) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) for defense use cases, and are expanding into commercial and civil government use through the same models and platform.

You will lead engineering managers and engineers across Denver, Washington DC, remote North America, and Europe. You will be responsible for building the team, the plan, the delivery, and the operating model and will report to the VP of Technology. This is a build role: the organization is moving from hand-built detectors to foundation-model-based methods, scaling from hundreds of monitored sites to thousands, and operating across classified and unclassified environments.

• Engineering Leadership & Staffing: Develop and execute a talent strategy supporting our product roadmap. Build a staffing plan and develop, recruit, and hire talent accordingly. Manage performance directly and build bench depth to limit single points of failure.
• Delivery & Cross-Team Contracts: Turn program commitments into dated, owned work and report status plainly, including slippage. Own the analytics side of the interface with the Global Monitoring Service (GMS) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) application teams and deliver against the shared quality and latency targets.
• Classified & Unclassified Operating Model: Define and execute a strategy for developing models that serve classified and unclassified environments. Serving the needs of customers in classified spaces while keeping the models themselves dual-use.
• Foundation Model Transition: Build a strategy for how to evolve our existing portfolio of analytics to stay up to date with the latest developments in foundation models.
• Cost & Capacity: Know what each pipeline costs per site and per square kilometer, and plan for the ten-times scale-up that contract growth implies.

• 8+ years of experience in software or machine learning engineering, with a focus on computer vision, geospatial analytics, or high-scale data systems.
• 6+ years of experience leading engineering teams, including direct experience managing engineering managers and growing an organization through a scaling step.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Track record of shipping machine learning, computer vision, or geospatial analytics into production and owning the results.
• Direct experience leading engineering work governed by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), with cleared and uncleared staff on the same team.
• Success pairing with a solid technical lead or architect who owned technical direction while you owned people, plan, and delivery.
• Ability to write a clear plan and a clear status report, and to drive delivery against dated commitments.
• US person status and an active US government security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one upon hire (TS/SCI preferred).

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Remote Sensing, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience leading a computer vision team through a shift from task-specific models to foundation models or embeddings.
• Experience delivering analytics into classified, air-gapped, or sovereign cloud environments (e.g., AWS GovCloud/C2S) and knowing what breaks.
• Experience integrating an acquired team or merging two engineering groups.
• Domain knowledge in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), maritime, or activity-based intelligence work.
• Defense or intelligence customer exposure, including working directly with operators and analysts.

11:45p / 23:45 PT on the date stated below. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. This posting may be removed earlier than projected if a suitable pool of applications has been received. For this reason, we recommend applying as soon as you are able to.

This position requires access to 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 the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

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.  If this job intrigues you, but you’re thinking you might not have all the qualifications, please... do apply!  At Planet, we are looking for well-rounded people from around the world who can contribute to more ways than just what is listed in this job description.  We don’t just fill positions, we aspire to fulfill people’s careers, most excited about folks who are motivated by our underlying humanitarian efforts.  We are a few orbits around the sun before we get to where we want to be, so we hope you’re excited to come along for the ride. 

EEO statement:
Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs and we invite people from all backgrounds to apply. Planet is an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Know Your Rights.

Accommodations: 
Planet is an inclusive community and we know that everyone has their own needs. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the hiring process, please reach out to accommodations@planet.com or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.

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Privacy Policy (European Applicants): By clicking "Apply Now" at the top of this job posting, I acknowledge that I have read the Candidate Privacy Notice GDPR Planet Labs Europe, and hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of my personal information as described therein.

AI in Our Interviewing Process: Planet is committed to providing an exceptional interview experience for all candidates. We currently use Metaview to better focus on candidates and less on trying to capture notes. As such, with the candidate's consent, select interviews may be recorded and include a "Planet AI Notetaker" for transcription and summarization purposes. Should an interview involve use of AI interview technologies, the candidate will receive notification and have the ability to opt out both in advance and/or real-time. Opting out will not affect one's candidacy.

Candidate AI Policy: Planet embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, and we encourage its responsible use. We understand that candidates may use various resources, including AI tools, to prepare for interviews and assessments. However, during any live interview stage or when actively completing assessments for this position, the use of AI tools—e.g. Large Language Models (LLMs), deep fake technology, etc.—is strictly prohibited unless explicitly prompted by an interviewer or assessment instructions. If you are unsure about acceptable use, please contact your recruiter for clarification. If an AI tool or similar technology is desired as an accommodation, please contact accommodations@planet.com with your request for assistance. Your message will be confidential, and we will be happy to assist you. Violation of this policy may result in disqualification of your application.