Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Product Manager

at Planet

🏢 About Planet

Planet operates the world's largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites, providing daily global coverage that enables unprecedented monitoring of our planet. Unlike traditional satellite companies, Planet combines cutting-edge technology with a mission-driven approach to empower environmental stewardship and sustainable decision-making. Working here means contributing to solutions for climate change, deforestation monitoring, and global security challenges through timely, actionable data.

About This Role

As Senior Product Manager at Planet, you'll lead the development of solution products that bundle satellite data, analytics, and services for government, commercial, and disaster response customers. This role is particularly impactful because you'll be creating reusable 'building blocks' within the Planet Platform that scale across multiple customers rather than building one-off solutions, directly advancing the company's mission of democratizing Earth observation data.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve morning syncs with engineering pods in different time zones to review sprint progress, followed by customer discovery calls with German government agencies to validate use cases. Afternoons could be spent decomposing complex geospatial requirements into technical specifications, then collaborating with Product Marketing to develop business narratives that demonstrate ROI for upcoming commercial opportunities.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Planet Is Looking For

  • Has 6+ years of product management experience specifically in Earth Observation, geospatial analytics, or satellite data products, not just general tech PM experience
  • Demonstrates experience launching bundled 'solution products' (data + analytics + services) rather than standalone features, with examples of scaling across multiple customers
  • Possesses deep understanding of vertical markets like government procurement (CivGov), commercial supply chains, and disaster response (D&I) workflows
  • Can show specific examples of translating complex domain requirements into clear technical specifications for engineering teams while maintaining business value

📝 Tips for Applying to Planet

1

Quantify your experience with Earth Observation or geospatial products - mention specific satellite data platforms, analytics tools, or government programs you've worked with

2

Highlight any experience with German or EU government procurement processes, as this role is based in Germany and involves CivGov work

3

Prepare specific examples of 'building block' products you've developed that scaled across multiple customers, not just one-off solutions

4

Demonstrate your understanding of Planet's specific customer segments (CivGov, Commercial, D&I) by referencing their use cases in your application materials

5

Show how you've balanced technical debt management with feature delivery in previous agile environments, as this is explicitly mentioned in the job description

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your specific experience with Earth Observation data products and how it aligns with Planet's mission of 'impactful stewardship'", "Examples of developing scalable 'building blocks' or platform components that served multiple customers rather than custom solutions", 'Experience working with government agencies or in regulated industries (particularly relevant for the Germany location and CivGov focus)', "How you've successfully translated between technical teams (Engineering/Data Science) and non-technical stakeholders in previous roles"]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Planet's specific satellite constellations (Dove, SkySat, Pelican) and their capabilities, as well as the Planet Platform architecture
  • → Recent Planet case studies in their three target sectors: CivGov (like NASA partnerships), Commercial (agriculture/mining), and D&I (disaster response)
  • → Planet's competitors in the Earth Observation space (Maxar, Airbus, ICEYE) and what differentiates Planet's approach
  • → German and EU Earth Observation initiatives (Copernicus program, national space strategies) that Planet might be involved with

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk me through how you would approach developing a 'building block' for the Planet Platform that serves both government and commercial customers
2 Describe a time you had to balance technical debt management with urgent feature requests in an agile environment
3 How would you validate high-value use cases in the D&I (Disaster & Intelligence) sector specifically?
4 What experience do you have with German or EU government procurement processes for geospatial products?
5 How would you package Planet's technical capabilities into business narratives that demonstrate ROI to non-technical buyers in agriculture or supply chain sectors?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on general product management experience without specific Earth Observation or geospatial examples
  • Presenting yourself as primarily a feature PM rather than a solution PM who bundles data, analytics, and services
  • Showing lack of understanding about the regulatory and procurement environment for satellite data in Germany/EU

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Planet!

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