Senior Technical Program Manager, Solutions

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:

As a Senior Technical Program Manager (TPM) at Planet, you will drive Planet’s largest, most complex efforts that cross many teams and organizational boundaries. You will act as an accelerant, illuminating the path for teams and owning the predictability of execution through the product lifecycle. You will work closely with team leads across multiple time zones to develop and manage end-to-end program plans, including processes, schedules, metrics and risks, and communicate them clearly to stakeholders.

This role leads internal program management for Planet’s solutions in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), starting with a large, multi-year dedicated satellite constellation and sovereign platform deployment for a public-sector customer. You will be the accountable program owner for Product and Engineering, working alongside the customer-facing program manager to turn contract commitments into one coordinated plan across Product, Engineering, Infrastructure and Space Systems. The role grows with the DACH portfolio. Customer meetings and documents are in German, so native German is required.

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:

• Own the internal program plan for DACH deliveries: scope, schedule, incremental milestones with definitions of done, and the dependencies across teams.
• Set up and maintain program governance: who is accountable for each workstream, decision levels and reporting.
• Work daily with Product Managers, Engineering Managers, Tech Leads and other TPMs, and with the customer-facing program manager and Customer Success teams who own the customer relationship.
• Translate customer requirements into clear technical requirements, and work with Product Managers to prioritize requests against the roadmap.
• Run the program’s operating rhythm (cross-team syncs, go/no-go decisions, release coordination) so each meeting ends in decisions and owned actions.
• Challenge plans for completeness, accuracy, and fit for purpose, and surface risks and conflicts between commitments, priorities and capacity while they are still small.
• Keep stakeholders from engineering teams to leadership informed of progress, risks and changes, and escalate early when needed.
• Improve ways of working so each future deployment is faster and more repeatable.

What You Bring:

• 6+ years of program management or software development experience in the areas of SaaS, cloud platforms, data products or geospatial systems, ideally including remote sensing and satellite domain knowledge and experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Fluency in written and spoken German and professional working proficiency in English, the language of the company.
• Experience leading complex technical programs across a matrixed organization and setting priorities independently, including programs with contractual commitments to external customers.
• Experience with the product lifecycle: concept through development, launch preparation, go-to-market, deprecations, and end-of-life.
• Analytical, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills paired with the ability to communicate findings and recommendations.
• Equally comfortable explaining your analyses and recommendations to business leaders as you are discussing technical trade-offs with engineers.
• Ability to balance the tactical day-to-day with forward-looking improvements to scale operational efficiencies.

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Experience with public-sector customers in the DACH region.
• Experience with sovereign, private-cloud or on-premises platform deployments.
• Experience with remote sensing, earth observation data, or geospatial systems.
• Experience working with remote, worldwide teams.
• Actively explores AI technologies to automate workflows, improve data, or enhance team productivity.

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.

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€77.000-€96.300 EUR

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

Privacy Policy: By clicking "Apply Now" at the top of this job posting, I acknowledge that I have read the Planet Data Privacy Notice for California Staff Members and Applicants, and hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of my personal information as described therein.

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.

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 accommodations@planet.com 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.