Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Technical Program Manager, Infrastructure

at Planet

🏢 About Planet

Planet is unique as the world's leading provider of daily, global Earth-imaging satellite data, enabling organizations to monitor environmental changes, humanitarian crises, and economic activity in near real-time. Working here means contributing to impactful stewardship of our planet through cutting-edge space technology and data analytics, with a mission-driven culture focused on making Earth observation accessible and actionable.

About This Role

This Senior Technical Program Manager role involves managing high-scale infrastructure releases and migrations for Planet's satellite data platform, requiring coordination across software teams to scope requirements, mitigate risks, and drive results. It's impactful because you'll ensure the reliability and scalability of systems that deliver critical Earth-imaging data to governments, NGOs, and businesses worldwide.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve coordinating with infrastructure engineers on migration timelines, facilitating requirements discussions between satellite operations and software teams, analyzing performance data to identify risks, and updating stakeholders across the organization on program progress. You'd balance technical deep dives on system dependencies with strategic planning for future infrastructure improvements.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Planet Is Looking For

  • Has 6+ years in platform engineering or cloud infrastructure program management, with proven experience leading large-scale migrations in distributed systems
  • Demonstrates expertise in translating technical requirements between engineers and business stakeholders, particularly in satellite data or geospatial technology contexts
  • Shows a track record of data-driven decision-making and proactive risk mitigation in high-availability infrastructure environments
  • Possesses experience managing the full product lifecycle from concept to end-of-life for cloud-based infrastructure services

📝 Tips for Applying to Planet

1

Highlight specific experience with satellite data infrastructure, geospatial platforms, or high-scale Earth observation systems in your resume

2

Quantify your impact on previous infrastructure migrations (e.g., 'reduced downtime by X% during cloud migration of Y system')

3

Research Planet's specific infrastructure stack (mentioned in their technical blog) and reference how your skills align

4

Demonstrate understanding of Planet's dual commercial/government customer base in your application materials

5

Include examples of managing cross-functional projects with remote teams, given Planet's distributed workforce

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your experience managing infrastructure migrations at scale, specifically for Earth observation or satellite data systems', "How you've facilitated requirements between technical teams and business stakeholders in mission-critical environments", 'Examples of data-driven decision-making that improved infrastructure reliability or deployment processes', 'Your approach to managing the full lifecycle of cloud-based infrastructure services from development to deprecation']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Planet's specific infrastructure challenges mentioned in their technical blog posts and engineering talks
  • → The company's product suite (PlanetScope, SkySat, Pelican) and how infrastructure supports these imaging capabilities
  • → Planet's recent partnerships with government agencies (like NASA) and commercial customers to understand stakeholder landscape
  • → The company's remote work culture and distributed team structure, as mentioned in employee testimonials

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Describe your experience managing a complex infrastructure migration for a high-availability system similar to Planet's satellite data pipeline
2 How would you approach coordinating a major platform release across Planet's distributed engineering teams while minimizing customer impact?
3 Discuss a time you identified and mitigated a critical risk in an infrastructure project through data analysis
4 How do you balance technical requirements from engineers with business priorities from stakeholders in Earth observation projects?
5 What metrics would you track to measure the success of Planet's infrastructure programs, and how would you communicate them?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Applying with generic program management experience without highlighting specific infrastructure or platform engineering background
  • Failing to demonstrate understanding of Planet's mission or how infrastructure supports Earth observation data delivery
  • Not providing concrete examples of managing cross-functional projects in remote/distributed team environments

📅 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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