Manufacturing Technician

Planet•San Francisco, CA

36d•$55 - $69•Onsite

About The Position

As a Manufacturing Technician at Planet, you’ll work directly on the flight hardware that goes to space, assembling imaging satellites with complex bills of materials. You will partner with technicians and engineers who care about quality, precision, and mission success. This role is well-suited for someone who is detail-oriented, methodical, and consistent in their approach to work, with a track record of reading and following instructions carefully, taking pride in clean and organized workmanship, and communicating early when more context or clarification is needed. You’ll work in a lab and cleanroom environment where production can move quickly, timelines constantly shift based on launch schedules and program priorities, and the quality you bring to each build directly supports Planet’s mission to deliver reliable data from space. This is a full-time, in-office position based in our San Francisco office 5 days per week.

Requirements

4+ years of hands-on technician experience in production, manufacturing, aerospace, or other precision hardware environments, with experience building multiple units rather than only one-off prototypes.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
Experience in high-paced production is strongly preferred over purely R&D or prototype-only work.
Ability to follow detailed build procedures and work instructions from start to finish, with a strong track record of completing work accurately.
Solid hands-on skills with small components and delicate hardware, such as torquing fasteners, cable and harness routing, connector assembly and crimping, adhesive/epoxy work, and lifting and moving sensitive parts.
Proficient communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with technicians, engineers, and leads on the production floor.
Solid organizational and problem-solving skills, with a steady, methodical approach to prioritizing work and meeting deadlines in a production environment that can be high-paced and occasionally stop-and-go.
A proactive mindset: you surface issues early, ask questions when requirements are unclear, and raise concerns when something in the build does not match the documentation.
Familiarity with proper lab and/or cleanroom safety and housekeeping practices, including ESD controls and maintaining clean, organized work areas.
Experience working on assemblies with a BOM and understanding part numbers and revisions in a production setting.

Nice To Haves

Experience assembling flight hardware, high-reliability electronics, or other mission-critical systems at scale.
Background in high-volume or high-throughput production where dozens of units are built and delivered on tight schedules.
Experience using issue-tracking tools (e.g., Jira) and writing clear, informative tickets to capture build issues or nonconformances.
Ability to read and interpret both mechanical and electrical drawings and translate them into practical assembly steps.
Experience with light machine shop equipment (e.g., mill, lathe, band saw, chop saw) to support fixtures or simple mechanical components.
Experience acting as a go-to assembler for a particular product or process area, helping train or mentor others on best-known methods.

Responsibilities

Perform electro-mechanical assembly and integration of production and prototype satellite systems, following work instructions and drawings.
Assemble a wide range of hardware (e.g., fasteners, harnesses, brackets, subassemblies), using calibrated tools and fixtures to achieve consistent, repeatable results.
Handle and install sensitive components with care, including cleaning parts, epoxy application, torquing fasteners, and routing cables to defined standards.
Support test technicians and engineers by setting up satellites and subassemblies on test fixtures, making required mechanical and electrical connections, and assisting with debug activities.
Communicate via Slack, Jira, and other team tools to keep engineers and stakeholders informed of build status, issues, and risks.
Help debug failed units by performing careful rework and providing clear feedback about what you observe on the hardware and in the data.
Maintain an organized, safe, and FOD-free workspace, including proper housekeeping, tool control, and ESD-safe handling where required, and consistently follow lab and cleanroom gowning protocols (lab coat, hair net, gloves, booties, ESD straps).
Contribute to the development and refinement of work instructions and build documentation by flagging unclear steps, mis-matched parts, or frequent sources of error.
Cross-train across multiple assembly areas and product lines to support shifting priorities and keep production moving.
Work with our in-house software to track each stage of the build, stay organized and up to date, upload photos, and follow step-by-step guides.