Electrical Engineer (Power)

Planetlabs; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 144,500 - 180,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Generous Paid Time Off

Tuition Reimbursement

Equity

Job summary

Planetlabs is looking for an Electrical Engineer to design power subsystems for their satellite systems. This full-time hybrid role will require you to be in the San Francisco office three days a week.

Responsibilities include overseeing PCB layouts, validating designs for the space environment, and working on automated test procedures. Candidates should have 4+ years of experience in PCB design, a relevant Bachelor's degree, and familiarity with tools like Altium Designer.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience designing and testing PCBAs, focusing on power electronics.
• Familiarity with analog, digital, and mixed-signal design.
• Knowledge of PCB layout techniques for power and ground routing.

Responsibilities

• Design and schematic entry of power subsystems.
• Oversight of PCB layout process and release for manufacturing.
• PCBA bring-up, debugging, and functional verification.
• Work with the manufacturing test engineering team to define automated test procedures.

Skills

PCB Design

Power Electronics

Embedded Systems Design

Analog Design

Digital Design

EMI/EMC Compliance

Python Scripting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or similar

Tools

Altium Designer

Oscilloscopes

Network Analyzers

Signal Generators

Job description

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 a data company, all rolled into one.

About the Role

As a member of the Electrical Engineering team, you will work in a group of dedicated engineers responsible for the design of Planet’s satellites. You will architect and design the power subsystems on our modular satellite bus, and bring‑up, validate, and qualify your designs for the space environment.

This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to be in our San Francisco office 3 days per week.

Impact You'll Own

• Design and schematic entry of power subsystems including MPPTs, electronic propulsion PPUs, power regulation and distribution for our fleets of nano and small satellites
• Oversight of PCB layout process for your designs, as well as release of drawings for manufacturing
• PCBA bring‑up, debugging, and functional verification
• With assistance from other teams, qualify design for EMI/EMC compliance, thermal performance, and ensure design can survive high shock and vibration loads of a rocket launch
• Work with the manufacturing test engineering team to define a highly automated test procedure for each PCBA
• Anomaly response and troubleshooting systems for on‑orbit spacecraft

What You Bring

• 4+ years of experience designing and testing PCBAs, with a focus on power electronics
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or similar
• Familiarity with analog design, digital design, mixed-signal design (ADCs/DACs)
• Experience in embedded systems design
• Knowledge of PCB layout techniques for power and ground routing and EMI mitigation
• Experience using common EE lab tools (oscilloscopes, network analyzers, signal generators, etc.)
• Experience with simulation tools for power electronics
• Familiarity with schematic capture tools like Altium Designer
• Basic scripting experience in Python or other languages for automating lab equipment

What Makes You Stand Out

• Exposure to high voltage power component selection and design principles
• Basic understanding of mechanical, thermal, and packaging constraints in electrical design

Benefits While Working at Planet

• 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)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation

San Francisco Salary Range: $144,500 — $180,600 USD per annum, with potential additional short-term and long-term incentives.

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 is 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.