Associate, Space Operations

Planet • San Francisco, CA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Planet is seeking an Associate to support its Space Operations team, which maintains and optimizes the health and productivity of its Earth Observation satellite constellation. The team operates across North America and Berlin and relies on automation to manage the fleet. The role involves developing and maintaining software that turns large datasets into actionable operational metrics.

The Associate will support daily satellite operations, analyze data, triage and resolve anomalies, run on-orbit experiments, test and deploy software on the ground and in orbit, and commission satellites. The position works closely with hardware and software experts across teams to debug anomalies, improve or create services, and provide operational insights for future satellites.

This is a part-time, temporary role expected to last 12 months. It is hybrid and requires working from Planet’s San Francisco office three days per week. Employment is contingent on the ability to access applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing.

Requirements

• Actively enrolled in an accredited university programme.
• Software development experience, particularly in Python or similar languages.
• Familiarity with the space environment and its challenges.
• A data-driven mindset and experience in statistical analysis.
• Effective interpersonal and collaboration skills within a technical team.
• Ability to proactively tackle problems and contribute ideas as a self-starter.
• Comfort working in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to access applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required.

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of the space environment and space operations.
• Proficiency in DevOps tools and practices, such as Git, GitLab, Docker, Jenkins, Bash, Linux, CI/CD, Sentry, and Datadog.
• Practical expertise in data analysis for problem-solving.
• Familiarity with automation and optimization tools.
• Contributions to open-source software projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain real-time, mission-critical software solutions for satellite operations.
• Support daily fleet checks, including identifying, triaging, and resolving satellite anomalies.
• Write scripts to aggregate satellite data and generate system-monitoring metrics.
• Test and deploy flight software upgrades, debug satellite anomalies, and perform on-orbit experiments.
• Create and maintain operational procedures.
• Analyze data and provide operational insights to support satellite operations and next-generation satellite development.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution.
• Paid time off, holidays, and company-wide days off.
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Home office reimbursement.
• Monthly phone and internet reimbursement.
• Tuition reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning.
• Equity.
• Commuter benefits for employees local to an office.
• Paid volunteering time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed