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Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. As a Ground Station Engineer, you will be a member of the Ground Stations Operations Team focused on the delivery and operational excellence of a geographically diverse ground station network composed of physical antennas, network and compute resources, cloud infrastructure, and industrial controllers that autonomously track and communicate with Planet's satellite constellations.
You will oversee the installation of complex systems critical to Planet's ongoing operations, collaborating with Logistics and Service Delivery Managers to facilitate hardware deployment to emerging ground station locations. You will direct and manage all on-site implementation and construction tasks, partner with internal Finance units for asset tracking and accounting of deployed infrastructure, and provide detailed progress updates on the technical installation lifecycle.
The role requires regular exercise of discretion and independent judgment, with the ability to make decisions without oversight as needed. You will work closely with Spacecraft Operators and Mission Control engineers to autonomously control spacecraft and bring data back to Earth. Essential physical requirements include the ability to climb and lift/push/pull equipment up to 50 pounds, a valid driver's license with clean driving record, and ability to operate vehicles in foreign countries. This is a full-time hybrid role requiring 3 days per week in the Berlin office, with willingness to travel up to 75% of the time.
Required qualifications include a Bachelor's degree in RF Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or similar technical field, plus 4+ years of experience in antenna system installation or maintenance. You should be familiar with RF test equipment such as spectrum and network analyzers, and able to work with little or no supervision. Desirable experience includes advanced understanding of RF communication and satellite communication protocols, 2+ years with RF electronics and communication systems, antenna system calibration and diagnostics, 2+ years with telemetry/tracking/control systems, project management and logistics experience, radar/comms background, and Linux/UNIX server experience.
