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Planet Labs

Sells satellite imagery and geospatial analytics

Senior Engineering Program Manager

Full-Time
€86.6k - €108.3k/yr+ Discretionary bonus + Equity
Expert
Bachelor's
Berlin, Germany
In PersonFive days per week in-office in Berlin is required; international travel to San Francisco is expected about 2–3 times per year.
Project & Program ManagementProgram Management

About the job

Requirements
  • 10+ years of relevant program management experience in aerospace, manufacturing, or a similar industry.
  • A bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical field.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication and facilitation skills, including communication with customers.
  • Proficiency in spoken and written German and professional working proficiency in English.
  • Experience in an engineering program management role involving the development and ramp of hardware systems in a cross-functional context.
  • Capability to exercise creative and critical thinking in project execution.
  • Experience working with and managing external contract manufacturers, suppliers, and vendors to drive program success.
  • Ability to present complex technical information clearly to diverse audiences.
  • Ability to travel internationally, specifically to San Francisco approximately 2–3 times per year.
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 internally and with external suppliers, including project definition, budgeting, and long-term strategic planning.
  • Collaborate and coordinate with 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 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 with Program Management, Manufacturing Operations, and Supply Chain 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.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with satellite manufacturing and AI&T.
  • Experience with customer management on satellite programs.
  • Problem-solving, organizational, and analytical skills, with the ability to drive strategy based on data.

About the company

Planet Labs sells satellite imagery, geospatial data and analysis software to businesses, researchers and public agencies. Its Earth observation services help customers monitor changes in land use, infrastructure and natural resources, while tasking lets users request imagery of specific places. Customers access data through subscriptions, web tools and APIs, and can combine imagery with analytic feeds in their own workflows. The company also offers dedicated satellite capacity and constellation services, extending its business beyond image licensing to tailored observation systems. Founded in 2010, Planet Labs is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2010

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Demand accelerated: September 2026 results reported quarterly revenue of $116.1 million, up 58% year over year.
  • Renewable contracts underpin sales: Planet reports more than 90% recurring annual contract value.
  • Learning has support: Planet's careers page lists tuition reimbursement and development resources.

What critics are saying

  • Profitability remains incomplete: September 2026 results showed a $9.4 million quarterly GAAP net loss.
  • Remote work has location limits: Planet's US Platform Operations posting requires nearby employees onsite three days weekly.
  • Sensitivity limits coverage: Tanager's highest-sensitivity mode substantially shortens collection length compared with standard mode.

What makes Planet Labs unique

  • Specialized emissions sensing: Tanager maps facility-scale methane leaks using a NASA JPL instrument.
  • Spacecraft reuse supports multiple missions: Pelican and Tanager share Planet's modular satellite bus.
  • Manufacturing control extends to qualification: Planet operates its own environmental testing labs and automated satellite production.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
  • Unlimited Paid Time Off
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Paid Holidays
  • Sabbatical Leave
  • Remote Work Options
  • Wellness Program
  • Mental Health Support

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

-2%
Space Park Leicester
Oct 15th, 2026
Discover how to access free satellite imagery and Earth Observation data at Space Park Leicester Planet Day.

Discover how to access free satellite imagery and Earth Observation data at Space Park Leicester Planet Day. A global company which has revolutionised the Earth observation industry through its mission to image the Earth every day will host its first ever Planet Day at Space Park Leicester. Since 2013, Planet has successful deployed 462 satellites and businesses, governments, and research institutions use its data to scale their operations, increase efficiency, mitigate risk and develop novel solutions to address their most pressing challenges. The company has established a relationship with the University of Leicester and will visit Space Park Leicester this month to show visitors, students, professors and researchers how they can use Planet's high-resolution satellite imagery and Earth observation data for their research and projects. Professor Kevin Tansey, of Space Park Leicester and Head of the School of Chemical, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Leicester, said: "Planet was founded by three NASA scientists and it operates the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites. It provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to the world's leading agriculture, forestry, intelligence, education and finance companies and government agencies. "Space Park is also proud that Planet's Co-Founder and CEO, Will Marshall, studied Physics with Space Science and Technology (MPhys) at the University of Leicester before going on to complete a PhD at the University of Oxford and co-found one of the world's most innovative Earth observation companies. This is a fantastic example of the impact University of Leicester graduates are making across the global space sector. "We're thrilled that Planet is hosting its first ever Planet Day event at Space Park Leicester to give people the chance to meet members of the Planet team, take part in hands-on demonstrations and explore satellite imagery, Earth observation and artificial intelligence." As well as examining the opportunities for collaboration between academia and industry the event will include a practical session where attendees will work with Planet imagery, a demonstration using Planet imagery and artificial intelligence and talks from Leicester researchers. The event will take place from 1pm to 5pm on Wednesday, October 21, at Space Park Leicester. Anyone who is interested in attending is welcome to turn up on the day. To explore Space Park Leicester partnerships, missions, residents, facilities, training programmes and innovation products, visit space-park.co.uk or to learn more about the University of Leicester visit le.ac.uk/. Main image: Luke Jerram's Gaia artwork, commissioned by CGI, at Space Park Leicester

Yahoo Finance
Oct 15th, 2026
Planet Labs hits $116M record quarter, but satellite deals could make results uneven

Planet Labs reported record revenue of $116 million for fiscal Q2 2027, but most of the beat came from a single type of contract. The stock has still lost 55% in six months, while the S&P 500 gained 12.6%. The largest portion came from delivering the first Pelican satellite to the Swedish Armed Forces. Planet books such satellite services revenue at the point of handover, and it made up 12% of revenue, up from 1% a year earlier. Executives expect uneven quarters and shifting gross margins. Planet guides fiscal Q3 revenue at $101 million to $105 million, with gross margin of 56% to 58%, down from 59%. The company has identified over $4 billion of satellite services opportunities, including about $1 billion in near-term prospects. The stock trades at 14.4 times sales, against 3.1 for the S&P 500.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 13th, 2026
ESA picks Planet to build Slovenia's automated satellite alert system for emergency responders

The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected Planet's subsidiary Sinergise Solutions to build the Slovenia Space Resilience Node, a 12-month pilot project. It will automate the link between satellite change detection and high-resolution imaging for Slovenia's Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief. Working with software firm Lucis, the system will analyse open Copernicus data and PlanetScope imagery. When it detects anomalies or pre-set thresholds, it will alert users and trigger a high-resolution tasking request, including through Planet's Pelican fleet. Imagery will appear in the responder's map view within hours. The prototype will first target wildfire management across Slovenia's 20,000 square kilometres. It could later track floods, landslides, and other hazards. Planet's Diego Vanelli said Slovenia is an ideal pilot and the design can serve as a blueprint for civil agencies across Europe.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 12th, 2026
Planet Labs' government satellite sales surge, but $4B pipeline is yet to convert to contracts

Planet Labs is moving beyond selling satellite imagery. It now builds and operates custom satellites for government clients, and delivery of that hardware is lifting its sales. In fiscal Q2 2027, 12% of revenue was booked on delivery, against 1% a year earlier. The quarter included the first Pelican satellite built for the Swedish Armed Forces. Revenue rose about 58% to $116 million, while defence and intelligence sales grew more than 90%. Management cited more than $4 billion of possible satellite orders, though signed contracts are growing slowly. Backlog stood at about $815 million, up about 11%. The company still loses money: its net loss over the past twelve months equalled 95.1% of revenue. It guided fiscal Q3 revenue to $101 million-$105 million, and the stock has fallen 50% in six months.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 6th, 2026
Planet Labs launches 40th satellite for Google's AI project, shares jump 8.4%

Planet Labs announced its prototype satellite for Alphabet's Google has launched into orbit aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission. The satellite is part of Google's Project Suncatcher, which tests Tensor Processing Units in space. This marks Planet Labs' 40th successful launch, bringing its total delivered satellites to 718. The company's shares rose 8.43% on Friday following the announcement. Planet Labs operates an Earth-imaging satellite constellation and provides Space Infrastructure as a Service. In its second quarter, Planet Labs reported record revenue of $116.1 million, up 58.1% year-over-year, though it remains loss-making with $0.03 per share losses. The company raised its fiscal 2027 revenue guidance to between $430 million and $441 million. Analysts rate the stock a "Moderate Buy" with a mean target price indicating 102.4% potential upside.