Solutions Architect I, Professional Services

Planet Labs PBC; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 93,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, Vision

HSA with company contribution

Paid time off

Parental leave (16 weeks)

Tuition reimbursement

Equity

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Planet Labs PBC in Arlington, VA is seeking a Solution Architect for our Professional Services team. You will listen to customers, translate needs into actionable technical solutions, and drive successful adoption of the Planet Platform across domains.

The role is full-time and hybrid, requiring on-site presence three days per week at our Arlington office. Bring DoD/IC experience, strong geospatial skills, and the ability to lead engagements from scoping to delivery.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in the DoD/IC space in a technical capacity.
• Bachelor's degree in GIS, CS, Remote Sensing, Geography or related field.
• Ability to quickly learn unfamiliar systems and code bases.
• Experience working in a dynamic environment with unique challenges.

Responsibilities

• Apply expertise in remote sensing and geospatial tech to enable customers' use of Planet Platform.
• Align Professional Services projects with customer business and tech strategies.
• Build tools, proofs of concept, and sample apps using Planet APIs and analytics endpoints.
• Own customer success lifecycle from scoping through requirements and delivery.

Skills

DoD/IC experience

Remote sensing

Geospatial knowledge

Analytical thinking

Python scripting

Team collaboration

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's degree in GIS/CS/Remote Sensing/Geography

Tools

OpenLayers

Leaflet

ArcGIS API for JavaScript

Google Earth Engine

PostgreSQL

NoSQL

Linux shell scripting

Cloud platforms (GCP/AWS/Azure)

Job description

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

Solution Architects on Planet's Professional Services team are experienced technologists who work with customers to make them successful users of Planet's product offerings. Different users need different things; as a Solution Architect, you are a good listener capable of understanding users' problems to apply creative solutions. Your efforts will be directly visible in a customer's ability to make global change actionable.

This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our Arlington, VA office 3 days per week.

Impact You'll Own

• Apply your expertise in remote sensing and geospatial technologies to help Planet's Professional Services customers be successful in their adoption of the Planet Platform.
• Understand and align Professional Services project development to your customer's business and technology strategies.
• Build software tools, proofs of concept and sample applications, while continuously improving customer and developed applications, using Planet's APIs and analytics endpoints.
• Own the customer success lifecycle for Professional Services engagements, from scoping and discovery, to project execution and writing requirements documents, applying your expertise in data analytics, collaborating with software engineers, leading a training event, or delivering solutions to a client.
• Collaborate with the Sales team to help close business opportunities, further growing Planet's customer base and usage of Planet data across vertical markets.
• Influence the direction of Planet's products and offerings by gathering insights from customer engagements and the user community.
• Build and maintain APIs which serve our enterprise and federal customers.
• Understand client's needs and deliver tailored solutions.
• Help define, create and analyze usage metrics to drive customer growth.

What You Bring

• 4+ years of experience working in the DoD/IC space in a technical capacity
• Bachelor's degree in GIS, Computer Science, Remote Sensing, Geography or a related field
• Ability to quickly learn unfamiliar systems & code bases
• Experience working in a dynamic environment with the ability to tackle unique challenges presented by its dynamic conditions
• Experience progressing team initiatives and developing new ideas for applications and processes
• Experience debugging & triaging complex problems
• Willingness to collaborate across teams and work independently and as part of a team

What Makes You Stand Out

• Current TS/SCI Clearance
• Working knowledge of JavaScript and its mapping libraries (OpenLayers, Leaflet, ArcGIS API for JavaScript), Google Earth Engine and its SDK
• Experience with RDBMS (PostgreSQL, SQL) and distributed databases (NoSQL)
• Ability programming with Python to process imagery, manipulate vector data, interact with APIs and build data pipelines
• Familiarity with Linux systems and knowledge of shell scripting
• Expertise with QGIS, Esri software, GDAL or other common geospatial software.
• Experience with cloud deployments; GCP, AWS, Azure
• Experience designing and evolving public-facing APIs
• Ability to lead customer engagements
• Experience in Multi-Domain/Multi-Level Security architectures

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.

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)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

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. This role is eligible for commission.

US National Salary Range

$93,420—$116,730 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.

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.