Principal Advanced Image Processing Scientist

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, and The Netherlands.

About the Role:  

Planet Core Imagery team is responsible for developing and operating high performance scalable pipelines for a range of constellations from medium to very high resolution optical imagery. Our goal is to transform raw imagery into well calibrated, scientifically accurate analysis ready data and do that at global scale.

In this role, you will drive innovation across the image processing chain from raw pixel to final product, develop, integrate and validate new image reconstruction algorithms.

You will work alongside the engineering teams responsible for the CalVal activities, georectification and the overall orchestration of the data pipelines. You will also collaborate with our Space Missions teams who designs and builds the satellites and the payloads.

The ideal candidate is independent but team player, creative, and has significant experience building image processing algorithms for a range of different sensors; understands image acquisition principles and their artifacts and is able to identify image quality issues and tackle them anywhere from the sensor in space to the pixel on the ground.

Impact You’ll Own:

• Industry experience and ability to apply and transfer industry knowledge: You will bring deep knowledge of the imaging system performance (e.g. SNR, MTF, geolocation) from an end-to-end perspective and a clear understanding of how to optimize to achieve best quality and make tradeoffs between quality and speed of execution. Ideally, you have experience with very high resolution optical sensors and possibly other sensors.
• Proven ability to grasp complex technical challenges quickly and leverage your expertise to accelerate development and drive technical initiatives.
• Ready to roll up your sleeves: we are looking for someone who can apply first principles to real world problems, create a prototype and work with other engineers to tune it to a high performance, high reliability operational component.
• Being Remote: Planet’s Software Engineering team is “Remote First”. This means you will work from home (or from one of our offices in North America or Europe), collaborating with your teams remotely and periodically travel to our offices or other locations for meetings and meetups.
• Mentoring and coaching: You enjoy working with other experts in a multidisciplinary team and help them improve their knowledge and skills.

What You Bring:

• BSE in Computer Science or similar or relevant experience equivalent
• 15+ years building image processing systems for remote sensing data
• Hands-on experience with high performance high resolution optical missions
• Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry, Computer Vision experience or educational background

• Experience building scalable products based on Earth Observation data 
• Proven track record of taking complex algorithms and models from prototype to fully automated operations at scale
• Deep knowledge of calibration and registration, photogrammetry, image enhancement and restoration techniques
• Ability to leverage multiple methodologies to accomplish the product objectives and deliver value to the end-user
• Strong communication, writing and interpersonal abilities, positive attitude, diplomacy and persuasiveness, analytical ability, judgment, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrable core values of fairness, inclusivity, and compassion, and honesty
• Experience creating a strong engineering culture through thoughtful recruiting, mentoring and career development, creating interdependencies to drive collaboration, and improving engineering flow (process/communications/etc)

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Experience and knowledge of current and emerging software development trends
• Experience leading the architecture and design (architecture, design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and current systems
• Knowledge of how to scale code with cloud computing resources, e.g. AWS or GCP
• Relevant skills and experience to Planet’s platform
• Familiarity with multiple sensor types including HSI, VNIR, synthetic aperture radars and passive microwave sensors.
• Familiarity, experience and ability to work well in a remote team environment

Benefits While Working at Planet:

• Comprehensive Health Plan
• Wellness program and onsite massages in specific offices
• Flexible Time Off
• Recognition Programs
• Commuter Benefits
• Learning and Tuition Reimbursement
• Parental Leave
• Offsites and Happy Hours
• Volunteering Benefits

Some Press About Us: 

Our CEO, Will Marshall featured on TED and featured in a Planet Blog

“Planet: Bringing Space Back Down to Earth”

Tiny, privately owned satellites are changing how we view the Earth features in NBC News

“Planet And Rocket Lab Create Mission Patch To Honor Women In Aerospace” —Planet Blog

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 with diversity, equity and inclusion.  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. 

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 interview process, please call Planet's front office at 669-214-9404 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.

Compensation (only applicable for Colorado applicants):

The base pay range targeted for this position in Colorado is: $167,984 - $226,778. This role is eligible for equity.

The actual offer, including the compensation package, is determined based on multiple factors, including experience, location, and other business considerations.

Planet is registered as an employer in many, but not all, states. If you are not able to work from a state where Planet is registered, you will not be eligible for employment.