Engineering Program Manager — Special Projects

Planet; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 162,600 - 203,200; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans

Generous Paid Time Off

Home Office Reimbursement

Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Planet is looking for an Engineering Program Manager for Special Projects in San Francisco. This full-time, hybrid role focuses on managing space security initiatives and requires 6+ years of experience in project management within a technical environment.

The ideal candidate will engage with security and engineering teams, driving project management workflows while navigating complex systems. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits, contributing to Planet’s mission to change how people see the world.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of relevant experience in engineering program management or technical project management.
• Experience in a dynamic hardware, software, or aerospace environment.
• Solid technical baseline with a focus on complex systems.

Responsibilities

• Drive project management workflows for Satellite Security.
• Manage program risks and support development on new satellite programs.
• Attend multidisciplinary engineering meetings to track requirements.

Skills

Engineering program management

Technical project management

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Cybersecurity knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, or Computer Science

Job description

Engineering Program Manager — Special Projects

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 worldwide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.

About the Role

The Engineering Program Manager (EPM) for Special Projects will be a fearless organizer and an excellent cross‑functional leader. Working directly with security, engineering, and cross‑functional space program teams, you will drive project management efforts specifically focused on space security initiatives. In this tactical, “in‑the‑weeds” role, you will help establish programmatic strategy, coordinate schedules, and ruthlessly eliminate roadblocks to ensure our constellations remain secure, robust, and compliant.

This role demands a solid baseline of technical strength. Some domain experience in cybersecurity or space security is required, along with a healthy technical aptitude necessary to credibly navigate engineering design discussions, facilitate high‑stakes technical tradeoffs, and represent the security team as a critical programmatic stakeholder across multiple concurrent satellite missions.

This is a full‑time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our San San Francisco office three days per week.

Impact You’ll Own

• Drive end‑to‑end project management workflows specifically for Satellite Security, translating security milestones into actionable engineering sprints.
• Partner shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the SatSec Manager to architect, baseline, and meticulously maintain the overall SatSec programmatic schedule and critical project milestones.
• Attend multidisciplinary engineering and program meetings to actively track space security requirements, managing dependencies and representing the security team as a core stakeholder during project planning and architectural tradeoffs.
• Manage tactical logistics for the team as needed, including processing purchase orders (POs), tracking equipment ordering, and managing vendor deliverables.
• Actively manage program risks, identify structural dependencies, and support development on new satellite programs and products.

What You Bring

• 6+ years of relevant experience in engineering program management or technical project management within a dynamic hardware, software, or aerospace environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• A solid technical baseline with a “roll‑up‑your‑sleeves” mentality, enabling you to engage deeply with complex systems and translate technical engineering constraints into high‑level programmatic impacts.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to stay highly organized, manage schedule health, and drive consensus across diverse, high‑stakes environments.

What Makes You Stand Out

• Experience managing spacecraft hardware and software build and release cycles.
• Deep technical fluency in at least one spacecraft specialization (e.g., operations, avionics, software) allowing you to engage credibly with engineers on complex trade‑offs.
• Familiarity with space security, hardware security, or aerospace cryptography architectures.
• A track record of successfully delivering complex hardware products through the entire development lifecycle against all odds.

Application Deadline

September 29, 2026 by 11:59 p.m. / 23:59 CET (Central European Time)

Export Control Requirement

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

• 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.

San Francisco Salary Range: $162,600 – $203,200 USD

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. Know Your Rights.