Satellite Data Processing Engineer

About the role

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong>Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.</strong></p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p></div><p><strong>About the Role: </strong></p> <p>Image Quality Support (IQS) makes sure Planet's imagery meets that bar. We sit between imaging operations, satellite operations, software engineering, and the business — close enough to engineering to build our own tools, close enough to customers to know what "quality" means to them.</p> <p>We're looking for a Satellite Data Processing Engineer to help assess and automate imagery quality across Planet's satellite fleet. You'll split your time between hands-on visual QA and writing the software that scales it — a hybrid of remote-sensing know-how and software engineering, building up both with guidance from senior teammates.</p> <p>This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our Berlin office 3 days per week.</p> <p><strong>Impact You’ll Own:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Assess satellite imagery, manually and via automated tooling, against contractual and technical quality standards.</li> <li>Help build and maintain the internal tools that power quality assessment — from QGIS-based QA tooling to backend scripts and data pipelines.</li> <li>Support investigations into customer-reported quality disputes, gathering technical evidence for the team's decisions.</li> <li>Contribute to the team's automated quality-assessment systems, helping shift routine checks from manual review into automation.</li> <li>Write clear reports and tickets that other engineering teams can act on.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What You Bring:</strong></p> <ul> <li>2+ years of relevant experience.</li> <li>Bachelor’s degree in geoinformatics, geomatics, remote sensing, or a closely related field.</li> <li>A working understanding of optical remote sensing fundamentals.</li> <li>Solid Python skills: comfortable with version control, code review, and writing more than one-off scripts.</li> <li>Exposure to QGIS or Python geospatial libraries (e.g. GDAL, rasterio, shapely).</li> <li>Basic SQL / database familiarity.</li> <li>Clear written communication: you can explain a technical finding to a non-specialist.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What Makes You Stand Out:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Linux comfort.</li> <li>Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g. GitLab CI).</li> <li>Any exposure to desktop GUI development (e.g. PySide6/Qt) or building small internal tools end-to-end.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Application Deadline:</strong></p> <p>11:45p / 23:45 CET 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.</p> <p><strong>Export Control Requirements:</strong></p> <p><em>Planet Labs Germany GmbH is authorized to receive U.S. export-controlled information at Planet under an export license issued by the Bureau of Industry and Security. This position requires access to U.S. and German/EU 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 German, EU, or U.S. authorities.</em></p> <p><strong>Benefits While Working at Planet:</strong></p> <p><em>These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.</em></p> <ul> <li>Paid time off including vacation, holidays and company-wide days off </li> <li>Employee Wellness Program </li> <li>Home Office Reimbursement</li> <li>Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement</li> <li>Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning</li> <li>Equity </li> <li>Volunteering Paid Time Off</li> </ul> <p><strong>Compensation:</strong></p> <p>The expected starting gross salary range for this role is listed below. Individual placement within this range is determined objectively based on gender-neutral criteria such as your skills, qualifications, and professional experience. This position may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or equity.</p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Germany Salary Range</div><div class="pay-range"><span>€38.000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>€47.500 EUR</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p><strong>San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance<br></strong>Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.<strong><br></strong></p> <p><strong>Why we care so much about Belonging. <br></strong>We’re dedicated to helping the whole Planet, and to do that we must strive to repre