Senior Camera Hardware Engineer

Planet•San Francisco, CA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Planet seeks a Senior Camera Hardware Engineer to serve as the lead electrical architect for our satellite imaging payloads within the Electrical Engineering team. This role encompasses the complete electrical life cycle of our camera systems, including recommending the optimal image sensor, designing ultra-low-noise power rails, and guaranteeing high-speed data integrity from the sensor to the FPGA. The engineer will collaborate closely with Electrical, Mechanical, Thermal and Optical engineers to optimize the entire optical payload (camera and telescope) to meet our mission requirements. This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our San Francisco office 3 days per week.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field.
10+ years of experience in hardware design, with a significant focus on digital/analog imaging systems and camera hardware.
Expertise in CMOS sensor operation, including the ability to model and design practical solutions to minimize electronic noise.
Hands-on experience with high-end oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and optical test equipment (monochromators, integrating spheres).
Ability to navigate the trade-offs between power consumption, thermal dissipation, and image SNR.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Earth observation payload specifications and remote sensing mission requirements.
Experience designing electronics for the LEO environment, including knowledge of radiation mitigation and vacuum-compatible design.
Professional experience with FPGA-based signal processing and high-speed data serialization.
Deep experience in precision analog design specifically for sensor biasing and high-resolution ADC interfacing.

Responsibilities

Design and own the high-speed PCBA architectures for next-generation camera payloads, including sensor headboards and data acquisition systems.
Collaborate with Payload Systems Engineers to define the electrical specification and selection of CMOS image sensors, focusing on quantum efficiency, full-well capacity, and minimizing temporal/spatial noise.
Architect low-noise power delivery networks (PDN) and high-speed differential signaling (LVDS/MIPI) to ensure pristine image data capture.
Partner with Firmware/FPGA teams to optimize the Image Signal Processing pipeline, implementing hardware-level calibration for dark current and defective pixels.
Drive the electrical requirements for precision sensor alignment, including the design of flexible interconnects and thermal monitoring circuits that maintain focus across orbital temperature swings.