Planet

Senior Data Engineer

Washington DC; Denver, CO · Senior · Contract

Sponsorship not specified$172k-$215kDetected 13 days ago

PythonGitSQLGCPDockerTerraformCI/CDdbtData EngineeringLLMsCadenceHardware DesignResearchLeadershipCommunicationProblem SolvingMentoring

About the role

You'll be a senior member of the Data Team within the Software Engineering organization, which is made up of data scientists, engineers and analysts working on similar tasks across Planet domains.
Your scope will focus on the architecture and evolution of data systems supporting our global monitoring products.
The ideal candidate is an independent operator who thrives in a dynamic, global environment and is deeply passionate about Planet's mission and national security solutions.

Collaborate with global product, commercial and engineering leads and peers to design and execute a long-term data strategy for products in your scope.
Drive high-level mentorship, technical design reviews, and architectural integrity across the Data Team while setting standards for code quality.
You will build and design data solutions end to end: from high-level architecture and implementation to CI/CD, orchestration automated QA, and seamless integration into production systems.
This role is ideal for an expert data engineer looking to lead the evolution of complex systems and deliver transformative technology to the defense sector.
Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs and we invite people from all backgrounds to apply.
Planet is an inclusive community and we know that everyone has their own needs.

10+ years of relevant experience in data engineering with a track record of technical leadership.
Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
Expertise in designing and implementing end-to-end data architectures for global-scale, customer-facing solutions, with a focus on data integrity and efficiency.
Expert-level proficiency in Python and SQL for complex ETL/ELT pipeline construction, including event-driven data architectures.
Proactive, self-starter mindset with the ability to lead problem-solving initiatives in a dynamic, high-stakes environment.
Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical execution and high-level business requirements.
Deep experience in maintaining enterprise-grade, peer-reviewed codebases and advanced CI/CD workflows using GitLab CI, Docker, and Kubernetes.
Experience tuning storage formats such as Parquet to ensure sub-second query performance for consumers.
What Makes You Stand Out:
Experience using modern data tooling (e.g. dbt) for pipeline inputs to customer-facing production systems.

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is listed below.
The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location.
Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
New York City + California Salary Range
San Francisco Salary Range
US National Salary Range

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off
16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Home Office Reimbursement
Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
Volunteering Paid Time Off
Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity).

These products are vital offerings designed to provide persistent, high-cadence monitoring and active intelligence, particularly for our Defence and Intelligence customers.

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.
Know Your Rights.
EEO statement:

Should an interview involve use of AI interview technologies, the candidate will receive notification and have the ability to opt out both in advance and/or real-time.

This listing is sourced directly from Planet's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.