Planet-posted 6 days ago
Full-time • Manager
Onsite • San Francisco, CA
501-1,000 employees

The Engineering Program Manager at Planet will be a fearless organizer and an excellent cross-functional leader, working with multiple teams both inside Planet and with external partners. A successful candidate will help set strategy, actively drive hands-on problem-solving efforts, personally dive deep to eliminate technical and logistical roadblocks, and ruthlessly execute on aggressive schedules. You will be responsible for managing and communicating status and issues along the way. This is a tactical, "in-the-weeds" role that demands broad technical strength, hands-on experience in multiple areas of spacecraft design and manufacturing, and an obsession with meeting milestones. This is a full-time, in-office position based in our San Francisco office 5 days per week.

  • Lead satellite development programs from planning and requirements definition through critical design, build, test, and launch under tight, mission-critical deadlines.
  • Ensure efficient execution of all program phases, including MCR, SRR, PDR, CDR, IRR, SRR, and LRR.
  • Develop and meticulously maintain project schedules and budgets, tracking performance daily and course-correcting in real-time.
  • Actively manage the execution of technical plans at all levels, both internally and with external suppliers, including project definition, budgeting.
  • Collaborate and coordinate with external stakeholders, including suppliers, partners, vendors, and customers, to manage deliverables, technical plans, and program milestones.
  • Be the first point of contact for technical fires; actively triage, prioritize, and drive issues to closure.
  • Work shoulder-to-shoulder with multiple engineering teams and cross-functional stakeholders to drive productivity and progress on concurrent projects.
  • Aggressively manage program risks and develop mitigation plans to keep the program on its uncompromising timeline.
  • Drive root cause problem-solving, identify, and eliminate blocking issues.
  • Bachelor’s in a technically relevant field Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Aerospace.
  • 6+ years of relevant experience in Engineering Program Management or Engineering Management.
  • A "roll-up-your-sleeves" mentality; you are not afraid to live in the lab or on the factory floor to solve problems.
  • Experience managing concurrent, fast-paced hardware projects with non-negotiable deadlines.
  • A strong bias for action and enthusiasm, with proven creative and critical thinking capabilities.
  • Experience in an engineering project management role for the development of hardware systems in a cross-functional, cross-organizational context.
  • Experience working with and managing external partners, suppliers, vendors, and customers to drive program success.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication and facilitation skills, especially in high-stakes technical trade-off discussions.
  • Exceptional ability to stay organized and prioritize in a high-pressure, ambiguous, and rapidly changing environment.
  • Experience managing spacecraft hardware and software build and release cycles.
  • Experience with scaling systems on satellite manufacturing.
  • Experience applying agile hardware development practices and managing rapid prototype cycles.
  • Ability to work on assignments that require data evaluation, recommendation development, and decision-making.
  • Excellent problem-solving, organizational, and analytical skills.
  • Deep technical fluency in at least one spacecraft specialization (like optics, operations, avionics, software) allowing you to engage credibly with engineers on complex trade-offs.
  • A track record of successfully delivering complex hardware projects against all odds.
  • Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
  • Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
  • Generous Paid Time Off in addition to 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 (if local to an office)
  • Volunteering Paid Time Off
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