Engineering Program Manager

Planet•San Francisco, CA

3h•Hybrid

About The Position

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, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands. About the Role: The Engineering Program Manager (EPM) at Planet will be a fearless organizer and an excellent cross-functional leader, working with multiple teams inside Planet, and with our external customers and manufacturing partners. A successful candidate will help set strategy, drive problem-solving efforts, eliminate roadblocks, execute on schedule, and be responsible for managing and communicating status and issues along the way. The position demands broad technical strength and experience in multiple areas of spacecraft design and manufacturing. This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our San Francisco office 3 days per week. Travel to Europe is also expected.

Requirements

A BA/BS degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field.
6+ years of relevant experience of program management in aerospace, manufacturing or similar industry.
Excellent written and verbal communication and facilitation skills, including externally to customers.
Experience in an engineering program management role for the development and ramp of hardware systems in a cross-functional context.
Ability to be self-motivated and enthusiastic with creative and critical thinking capabilities.
Experience working with and managing external contract manufacturers (CMs), suppliers, and vendors to drive program success.
Excellent written and verbal communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to present complex technical information clearly to diverse audiences.
Ability to travel internationally, specifically to Europe.

Nice To Haves

Experience with scaling systems on satellite manufacturing
Experience successfully delivering hardware products through the entire New Product Introduction (NPI) lifecycle.
Excellent problem-solving, organizational, and analytical skills, with the ability to drive strategy based on data.
Professional fluency in Swedish or German.

Responsibilities

Lead satellite development programs from planning and requirements definition through critical design, build, test, and launch.
Ensure efficient execution of all program phases, including MCR, SRR, PDR, CDR, IRR, SRR, and LRR.
Develop project schedules and budgets and track performance across all project phases.
Oversee execution of technical plans at all levels, both internally and with external suppliers, including project definition, budgeting, and long-term strategic planning.
Collaborate and coordinate with external stakeholders, including suppliers, partners, vendors, and customers, to manage deliverables, technical plans, and program milestones.
Coordinate schedules, priorities, and status updates with engineering, manufacturing, teams, stakeholders, and management.
Work directly with multiple engineering teams and cross-functional stakeholders to drive productivity and progress on concurrent projects.
Develop tools and processes to measure and improve engineering productivity.
Drive root cause problem-solving, identify, and eliminate blocking issues.
Work directly with Program Management, Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain, Compliance, Facilities teams to drive progress on concurrent manufacturing lines and initiatives
Lead manufacturing ramp programs from early factory engagement and readiness through key build phases into production.
Drive root cause analysis for complex engineering and manufacturing issues, identify and eliminate blocking problems, and implement robust corrective actions.