How to apply for Senior Infrastructure Solutions Engineer

About Planet

Planet operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites and delivers a cloud-based platform for Earth-imaging data. It is both a space company and a data company, controlling hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering. Employees work remotely worldwide or from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands.

About the role

A Senior Infrastructure Solutions Engineer makes Planet's infrastructure easier to use. The Infra Solutions team is small and multi-disciplinary, with engineers who operate and build systems and handle hard conversations and code reviews. This role likely involves improving how internal teams interact with infrastructure, but the job description is truncated, so ask for the full responsibilities.

A typical day

A typical day likely involves improving infrastructure tooling, reviewing code, and talking with other engineers about how to make systems easier to use. The job description is cut off, so ask the hiring team what a normal week looks like and how the Infra Solutions team divides its time between building and operating.

Who Planet is looking for

• Comfortable both operating and building infrastructure systems, not just one or the other.
• Works well in a small, multi-disciplinary team and can handle direct technical discussions and code reviews.
• Has experience making infrastructure more usable for other engineers, likely through tooling, automation, or platform improvements.
• Can work remotely from Germany and collaborate across time zones with colleagues in the US and Europe.

Tips for this application

• Review Planet's satellite constellation and cloud-based platform before applying so you can connect infrastructure work to the company's data products.
• The job description is cut off mid-sentence, so contact Planet's recruiting team or check their careers page for the full role details before writing your application.
• Highlight specific examples where you made infrastructure easier to use for other engineers, since that is the core stated purpose of the team.
• Mention any experience working in remote-first or globally distributed teams, because Planet has employees working remotely worldwide.
• If you have worked with geospatial, satellite, or large-scale data platforms, include that, but do not stretch unrelated experience to fit.

What to cover in your cover letter

Explain how you have made infrastructure more usable for other engineers. Give one concrete example of operating and building a system. Show you understand Planet's dual nature as a space and data company. State your experience working in a small, multi-disciplinary team.

Research before applying

• Planet's satellite constellation: how many satellites, what they image, and how often.
• The cloud-based platform that delivers Planet's data to commercial, environmental, and humanitarian users.
• Planet's remote-first structure and the locations of its offices in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, The Netherlands, San Francisco, and Washington DC.
• The full job description and any public information about the Infra Solutions team, since the provided description is incomplete.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you have made an infrastructure system easier for other engineers to use.
• A time you had a hard technical conversation during a code review or design discussion.
• Your approach to operating and building infrastructure in a small team with broad responsibilities.
• How you would support Planet's cloud-based platform that delivers satellite data to customers.
• Your experience working remotely with colleagues across multiple countries and time zones.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying without reading the full job description, which is truncated here. Check Planet's careers page for the complete responsibilities and requirements.
• Writing a generic cover letter that does not mention Planet's satellite data or cloud platform.
• Claiming experience with satellite or geospatial systems if you do not have it, instead of focusing on infrastructure usability and small-team work.