Application Guide
How to Apply for Software Engineer, Platform Operations
at Planet
🏢 About Planet
Planet operates the world's largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites, providing daily global coverage that enables governments, businesses, and researchers to monitor environmental changes, humanitarian crises, and agricultural trends. Unlike traditional aerospace companies, Planet combines space technology with cloud-native software to deliver actionable insights about our planet. Working here means contributing to technology that addresses climate change, deforestation monitoring, and disaster response through timely geospatial data.
About This Role
This Software Engineer, Platform Operations role focuses on building and maintaining the core infrastructure that powers Planet's satellite data pipeline and customer-facing services. You'll be directly involved in migrating legacy systems to modern Kubernetes-based platforms while implementing Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) solutions that ensure secure, scalable operations for processing petabytes of Earth imagery daily. Your work directly impacts the reliability of services that help organizations track deforestation, monitor crop health, and respond to natural disasters.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve collaborating with data pipeline teams to optimize Kubernetes resource allocation for satellite imagery processing, implementing Terraform modules to automate infrastructure provisioning across regions, and responding to Grafana alerts to maintain platform SLOs. You could spend the afternoon refining ArgoCD configurations for GitOps deployments, then participate in planning sessions for migrating legacy monitoring systems to modern observability stacks that support Planet's global operations.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Planet Is Looking For
- Has 4+ years hands-on experience with Kubernetes cluster management in production environments, not just basic deployment knowledge
- Demonstrates practical experience with full platform migrations from legacy systems to modern cloud-native architectures
- Shows deep understanding of both GCP/AWS cloud services AND the underlying Linux systems that support containerized workloads
- Has implemented GitOps workflows using tools like ArgoCD and Terraform to manage infrastructure at scale
📝 Tips for Applying to Planet
Highlight specific experience with Kubernetes fleet management - mention the number of clusters, nodes, or specific challenges you've solved in production environments
Include metrics in your resume showing how your work improved platform reliability (e.g., 'reduced incident response time by X%', 'achieved Y% uptime for critical services')
Demonstrate knowledge of Planet's specific technology stack by mentioning relevant experience with GCP (their primary cloud), Grafana for observability, and Terraform for IaC
Show examples of working on platform modernization projects - describe a legacy system you migrated and the business impact
Reference Planet's mission in your application materials by connecting your infrastructure work to how it enables Earth observation data delivery
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Explain how your experience with Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure directly supports processing and delivering satellite imagery at planetary scale', 'Describe a specific platform migration or modernization project you led, emphasizing security, scalability, and operational improvements', "Connect your technical skills to Planet's mission - how reliable infrastructure enables timely environmental monitoring and decision-making", 'Highlight your experience establishing SLOs and observability practices that ensure service reliability for critical applications']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Study Planet's satellite constellations (Dove, SkySat, Pelican) and understand how their data pipeline works from capture to delivery
- → Research Planet's public technical blog and GitHub repositories to understand their current infrastructure stack and challenges
- → Learn about Planet's key customers and use cases (agriculture, forestry, government) to understand the impact of reliable platform operations
- → Review Planet's recent announcements about platform initiatives or technical achievements to reference in interviews
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying with only basic container experience without demonstrating production Kubernetes expertise at scale
- Failing to show understanding of how infrastructure work supports business objectives and customer SLAs
- Presenting generic DevOps experience without specific examples of platform modernization or migration projects
- Not being able to discuss the trade-offs between different cloud providers or infrastructure approaches
📅 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:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!