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Planet Labs

Sells satellite imagery and geospatial analytics

Technical Program Manager - Trade Compliance

Full-Time
$127k - $170k+ Bonus + Equity
Mid, Senior
Washington, DC, USA+1 moreMore locations: Denver, CO, USA
HybridThree days per week in the Washington, DC or Denver office.
Risk & ComplianceRegulatory Compliance & Ethics, Financial Crime & AML

About the job

Requirements
  • Four to six years of relevant software development or program management experience in SaaS, complex data lifecycles, discovery/search engines, or cloud-based content delivery.
  • Experience collaborating at the architectural level with engineering teams on cloud infrastructure, APIs, containerization, and data pipeline design.
  • Practical knowledge of International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), especially as they apply to software, dual-use items, encryption, and satellite/geospatial data analytics.
  • Experience with the product life cycle, from concept through development, launch preparation, go-to-market, deprecations, and end-of-life.
  • Ability to communicate analyses and recommendations to business leaders and discuss technical trade-offs with engineers.
  • Ability to balance day-to-day tactical work with forward-looking improvements to scale operational efficiencies.
  • Experience working in dynamic software engineering environments, including continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, cloud infrastructure, and Agile methodologies.
Responsibilities
  • Drive and enable trade compliance as a scalable, structured framework, embedding compliance into a rapid development environment rather than handling requirements ad hoc.
  • Collaborate with product managers and engineers to understand product roadmaps and product life cycles and drive trade compliance requirements.
  • Apply a pragmatic, risk-based compliance approach, evaluate technical trade-offs, and guide technical teams on meeting ITAR/EAR requirements without sacrificing speed to market.
  • Conduct and document systematic Export Classification Orders of Review, including ITAR and EAR reviews, for complex data analytics and software solutions.
  • Establish and maintain contemporaneous documentation tracking design intent and decisions and their impact on export controls associated with the product or solution.
  • Design, implement, and audit technical processes governing software development work by US- and non-US-based software teams according to product/software classification to ensure ITAR/EAR compliance.
  • Work with product teams to develop Know Your Customer (KYC) and restricted-party screening processes and workflows that integrate with the company’s restricted-party screening solution and ensure compliance with OFAC/sanctions requirements and applicable global equivalents.
Desired Qualifications
  • Ability to obtain clearance.
  • Experience with remote sensing, earth observation data, or geospatial systems.
  • Experience working with remote, worldwide teams.
  • Demonstrated success optimizing processes and tools to scale development cycles.
  • Proactive approach to learning and applying emerging regulatory standards to product development.

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

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

-1%
Yahoo Finance
Oct 22nd, 2026
Planet Labs launches Pelican-12 satellite as shares fall 38.7% in a quarter; 56% undervalued?

Planet Labs PBC has launched its Pelican-12 satellite on SpaceX's Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. The launch comes as the company's share price has slid 19.7% over the past month and 38.7% over the last quarter. The most followed investor narrative puts fair value at $31.00 against a last close of $13.71, which implies the stock is about 56% undervalued. Yet the shares trade at 13.2 times sales, against 0.9 times for the Professional Services industry and 0.7 times for peers. Risks include a net loss of $359.865 million and the chance that Planet Labs becomes a commoditised data supplier.

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.