Image Quality Data Engineer

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:  

The Imaging Operations Team is looking for an Image Quality Data Engineer to help us operate, optimize, and further develop the largest camera constellation ever deployed in space! We are responsible for data quality, system-level analysis, and operations for our Earth observation payload. We operate frame cameras and line scanners, multispectral and hyperspectral sensors as well as very high resolution and medium resolution systems. Our team works at the intersection of hardware, software and product engineering teams within the Mission Operations Division inside the Space Systems Organization. The ideal candidate is an entry-level professional with a passion for imagine science, Earth science, and remote sensing. The role will appeal to candidates who enjoy the interchange between scientific imaging, science, systems engineering, and operations.

This is a full-time, in-office position based in our Berlin office 5 days per week.

Impact You’ll Own:

• Organizes the various image quality, product quality and payload performance metrics and datasets that already exist by combining different data sources 
• Surfaces gaps and redundancies in the existing data and works with the teams to propose and implement mitigation strategies. This involves assessing statistical independence and general correlations between different measurements
• Develops, validates and automates large scale image and product quality and payload performance metrics
• Support the imaging operations of our medium resolution monitoring fleet
• Collaborates with image quality support, collection planning, space operations, data pipeline and product teams

What You Bring:

• 0-1 years of experience in solving problems by exploiting large cloud-based datasets
• Practical experience working with large datasets and databases using tools such as kibana and elasticsearch, grafana, Looker Studio, OpenSearch, postgreSQL
• Practical experience leveraging scientific Python in a Unix/Linux environment
• Great interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate effectively
• Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Visual Computing, Computer Science or other relevant scientific/engineering field

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Skilled with Statistics, Linear Algebra and Physics
• Experience with image processing methods and quality assessment of image data
• Relevant experience in computational photography and scientific imaging
• Familiarity with source code management tools like Git

Application Deadline:

November 12, 2025 by 23:59 Pacific Standard Time (11:59 PM PST)

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 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:

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

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 accommodations@planet.com or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.

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Privacy Policy (European Applicants): By clicking "Apply Now" at the top of this job posting, I acknowledge that I have read the Candidate Privacy Notice GDPR Planet Labs Europe, and hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of my personal information as described therein.