Director of Software Engineering, Analytics

Planet; Arlington, Denver (VA, CO); Hybrid; USD 181,000 - 226,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plans

HSA

Paid time off

Parental leave

Equity

Home office reimbursement

Phone reimbursement

Job summary

Planet seeks a Director of Software Engineering, Analytics to lead the team building analytics that convert satellite imagery into actionable insights. You will oversee engineering managers across multiple regions, define the operating model, and scale capabilities from hundreds to thousands of sites while navigating classified and unclassified environments.

You will drive talent strategy, plan delivery, and align with GMS and MDA application teams.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software or machine learning engineering, with a focus on computer vision, geospatial analytics, or high-scale data systems.
• 6+ years of experience leading engineering teams, including direct experience managing engineering managers and growing an organization through a scaling step.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Track record of shipping machine learning, computer vision, or geospatial analytics into production and owning the results.
• Direct experience leading engineering work governed by ITAR and EAR, with cleared and uncleared staff on the same team.
• Ability to write a clear plan and status report, and to drive delivery against dated commitments.
• Defense or intelligence customer exposure, including working directly with operators and analysts.
• US person status and an active US government security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one upon hire (TS/SCI preferred).

Responsibilities

• Engineering Leadership & Staffing: Develop and execute a talent strategy supporting our product roadmap. Build a staffing plan and develop, recruit, and hire talent accordingly. Manage performance directly and build bench depth to limit single points of failure.
• Delivery & Cross-Team Contracts: Turn program commitments into dated, owned work and report status plainly, including slippage. Own the analytics side of the interface with the Global Monitoring Service (GMS) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) application teams and deliver against the shared quality and latency targets.
• Classified & Unclassified Operating Model: Define and execute a strategy for developing models that serve classified and unclassified environments. Serving the needs of customers in classified spaces while keeping the models themselves dual-use.
• Foundation Model Transition: Build a strategy for how to evolve our existing portfolio of analytics to stay up to date with the latest developments in foundation models.
• Cost & Capacity: Know what each pipeline costs per site and per square kilometer, and plan for the ten-times scale-up that contract growth implies.

Job description

Director of Software Engineering, Analytics

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.

Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one.

Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles.

As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.

We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world.

Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands.

About the Role:

As the Director of Software Engineering, Analytics, you will lead, staff, and scale the engineering organization that builds Planet’s analytics: the models and pipelines that turn daily satellite imagery into answers about what changed at a site, what is moving in a port, and what is being built across a country. These analytics power Planet’s dual-use products such as Global Monitoring Service (GMS) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) for defense use cases, and are expanding into commercial and civil government use through the same models and platform.

You will lead engineering managers and engineers across Denver, Washington DC, remote North America, and Europe. You will be responsible for building the team, the plan, the delivery, and the operating model and will report to the VP of Technology. This is a build role: the organization is moving from hand-built detectors to foundation-model-based methods, scaling from hundreds of monitored sites to thousands, and operating across classified and unclassified environments.

This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our Denver or Washington DC office 3 days per week. This role requires US person status and the ability to obtain and hold a US government security clearance.

Impact You'll Own:

• Engineering Leadership & Staffing: Develop and execute a talent strategy supporting our product roadmap. Build a staffing plan and develop, recruit, and hire talent accordingly. Manage performance directly and build bench depth to limit single points of failure.


• Delivery & Cross-Team Contracts: Turn program commitments into dated, owned work and report status plainly, including slippage. Own the analytics side of the interface with the Global Monitoring Service (GMS) and Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) application teams and deliver against the shared quality and latency targets.


• Classified & Unclassified Operating Model: Define and execute a strategy for developing models that serve classified and unclassified environments. Serving the needs of customers in classified spaces while keeping the models themselves dual-use.


• Foundation Model Transition: Build a strategy for how to evolve our existing portfolio of analytics to stay up to date with the latest developments in foundation models.


• Cost & Capacity: Know what each pipeline costs per site and per square kilometer, and plan for the ten-times scale-up that contract growth implies.

What You Bring:

• 8+ years of experience in software or machine learning engineering, with a focus on computer vision, geospatial analytics, or high-scale data systems.


• 6+ years of experience leading engineering teams, including direct experience managing engineering managers and growing an organization through a scaling step.


• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).


• Track record of shipping machine learning, computer vision, or geospatial analytics into production and owning the results.


• Direct experience leading engineering work governed by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), with cleared and uncleared staff on the same team.


• Success pairing with a solid technical lead or architect who owned technical direction while you owned people, plan, and delivery.


• Ability to write a clear plan and a clear status report, and to drive delivery against dated commitments.


• Defense or intelligence customer exposure, including working directly with operators and analysts.


• US person status and an active US government security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one upon hire (TS/SCI preferred).

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Remote Sensing, or a related technical discipline.


• Experience leading a computer vision team through a shift from task-specific models to foundation models or embeddings.


• Experience delivering analytics into classified, air-gapped, or sovereign cloud environments (e.g., AWS GovCloud/C2S) and knowing what breaks.


• Experience integrating an acquired team or merging two engineering groups.


• Domain knowledge in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), maritime, or activity-based intelligence work.

Application Deadline:

11:45p / 23:45 PT on the date stated below. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. This posting may be removed earlier than projected if a suitable pool of applications has been received. For this reason, we recommend applying as soon as you are able to.

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.

• 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)

Compensation:

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is listed below. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location. The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

#LI-HYBRID

US National Salary Range

$180,700 - $225,900 USD

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Why we care so much about Belonging. We’re dedicated to helping the whole Planet, and to do that we must strive to represent all of it within each of our offices and on all of our teams. That’s why Planet is guided by an ultimate north star of Belonging—dreaming big as we approach our ongoing work. If this job intrigues you, but you’re thinking you might not have all the qualifications, please... do apply! At Planet, we are looking for well-rounded people from around the world who can contribute to more ways than just what is listed in this job description. We don’t just fill positions, we aspire to fulfill people’s careers, most excited about folks who are motivated by our underlying humanitarian efforts. We are a few orbits around the sun before we get to where we want to be, so we hope you’re excited to come along for the ride.

EEO statement: Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs and we invite people from all backgrounds to apply. Planet is an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Know Your Rights.

Accommodations: Planet is an inclusive community and we know that everyone has their own needs. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the hiring process, please reach out to [e-mail] or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.

Privacy Policy (European Applicants): I acknowledge that I have read the Candidate Privacy Notice GDPR Planet Labs Europe , and hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of my personal information as described therein.

AI in Our Interviewing Process: Planet is committed to providing an exceptional interview experience for all candidates. We currently use Metaview to better focus on candidates and less on trying to capture notes. As such, with the candidate's consent, select interviews may be recorded and include a \"Planet AI Notetaker\" for transcription and summarization purposes. Should an interview involve use of AI interview technologies, the candidate will receive notification and have the ability to opt out both in advance and/or real-time. Opting out will not affect one's candidacy.

Candidate AI Policy: Planet embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, and we encourage its responsible use. We understand that candidates may use various resources, including AI tools, to prepare for interviews and assessments. However, during any live interview stage or when actively completing assessments for this position, the use of AI tools—e.g. Large Language Models (LLMs), deep fake technology, etc.—is strictly prohibited unless explicitly prompted by an interviewer or assessment instructions. If you are unsure about acceptable use, please contact your recruiter for clarification. If an AI tool or similar technology is desired as an accommodation, please contact [e-mail] with your request for assistance. Your message will be confidential, and we will be happy to assist you. Violation of this policy may result in disqualification of your application.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Planet’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A \"disabled veteran\" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A \"recently separated veteran\" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An \"active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran\" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An \"Armed forces service medal veteran\" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

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The application deadline for this role is January 1, 2027