Satellite Data Processing Engineer

Planet · Berlin, Germany

  • Junior
  • Full-time
  • Posted 2026-09-24
  • Confirmed live on 25 September 2026

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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:

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.

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.

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

Impact You’ll Own:

• Assess satellite imagery, manually and via automated tooling, against contractual and technical quality standards.

• Help build and maintain the internal tools that power quality assessment — from QGIS-based QA tooling to backend scripts and data pipelines.

• Support investigations into customer-reported quality disputes, gathering technical evidence for the team's decisions.

• Contribute to the team's automated quality-assessment systems, helping shift routine checks from manual review into automation.

• Write clear reports and tickets that other engineering teams can act on.

What You Bring:

• 2+ years of relevant experience.

• Bachelor’s degree in geoinformatics, geomatics, remote sensing, or a closely related field.

• A working understanding of optical remote sensing fundamentals.

• Solid Python skills: comfortable with version control, code review, and writing more than one-off scripts.

• Exposure to QGIS or Python geospatial libraries (e.g. GDAL, rasterio, shapely).

• Basic SQL / database familiarity.

• Clear written communication: you can explain a technical finding to a non-specialist.

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Linux comfort.

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g. GitLab CI).

• Any exposure to desktop GUI development (e.g. PySide6/Qt) or building small internal tools end-to-end.

Application Deadline:

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.

Export Control Requirements:

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.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

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

• Paid time off including vacation, holidays and company-wide days off

• Employee Wellness Program

• Home Office Reimbursement

• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement

• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning

• Equity

• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation:

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.
Germany Salary Range
€38.000—€47.500 EUR

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we

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