Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.

Planet designs, builds, & operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, & humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company & data company all rolled into one.

Customers & users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, & solve our worlds toughest obstacles.

As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, & software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.

We have a people-centric approach toward culture & community & we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first & prepares our company for growth. Join Planet & be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world.

Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide & joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, & The Netherlands.

About the Role:  

Charged to lead the NPI build process, manufacturing engineering & all factory operations reporting directly to the VP of Spacecraft development & MFG. Must be a battle-tested process & manufacturing engineer capable of operating on the razor's edge of constant high speed iteration to lead continuous improvement projects, support new product launches & provide sustaining support of the manufacturing process, evangelizing the needs of DFx to the development team ensuring that the products that are designed can be assembled & produced to cost, quality, & schedule standards. This is a sr leadership position responsible for the ownership & growth of the function.

Impact Youll Own:

• Build, mentor, manage a high performing team.
• Design & implement an org structure to align with Planets growth trajectory.
• Own global factory & R&D facility location strategy optimizing variables to meet long term business objectives. 
• Provide hands on support to the manufacturing & test processes, resolving day to day production issues.
• Manage the scope, schedule & budget for new continuous improvement projects. Drive projects through implementation in manufacturing. 
• Lead the Development & implementation of manufacturing processes by studying product requirements; researching, designing, modifying, & testing manufacturing methods & equipment.
• Ensure product & process quality by designing test processes & methods; establishing standards for measuring finished product & process capabilities; drive continuous improvement in manufacturing processes & procedures.
• Design, build & manage the smooth operation of production lines capable of building Planets highly versatile line of technology. This includes everything from assembly & build process to factory layout, vendor qualification, & quality management.
• Provide manufacturing decision-making information by calculating production, labor, & material costs; reviewing production schedules; estimating future requirements.
• Prepare product & process reports by collecting, analyzing, & summarizing information & trends.
• Maintain product & process tracking database across build cycles.
• Complete design & development projects by training & guiding technicians & managing day to day operations (includes quality engineers, MFG engineers & technicians).
• Design experiments to characterize hardware through testing - provide inputs & recommendations to greater team.
• Enable change management to continuously improve efficiencies & performances via repeatable processes, people growth, & elimination of work duplication.
• Supervision & responsibility over direct labor (Production staffing).

What You Bring:

Advanced degree with 10+ years technical hands on work experience in:

• Building & growing production teams for scale
• Insource/Outsource strategy
• Leadership & project management -- Ability to multitask several projects & manage technicians & junior engineers
• Manufacturing engineering, process engineering, product design, & extensive NPI 
• Clearly able to communicate & advocate 
• Complete end to end manufacturing documentation, process development & analysis with deep understanding
• Providing DFM/DFX guidelines to the cross-functional teams & ensure manufacturability across the supply chain, partners & CMs.
• Quality management
• Professional experiences in owned factory operations. 
• Design / selection of production processes/equipment/consumables/etc.
• Experience in predictive software design packages & 6-Sigma certifications. 
• Superior Project/Timeline (Consumer Electronics Integrated Project Management) adherence experiences. 
• Manufacturing throughput & capacity analysis. 
• Knowledge of PPAP, Process Capability, GR&R, PMP, basic GD&T, basic cost estimation/management, & process control plans. 
• Compliance to Labor practices & understanding of CoGS

Benefits While Working at Planet:

• Comprehensive Health Plan
• Wellness program & onsite massages in specific offices
• Flexible Time Off
• Recognition Programs
• Commuter Benefits
• Learning & Tuition Reimbursement
• Parental Leave
• Offsites & Happy Hours
• Volunteering Benefits

Some Press About Us: 

Our CEO, Will Marshall featured on TED and featured in a Planet Blog

Planet: Bringing Space Back Down to Earth

Tiny, privately owned satellites are changing how we view the Earth features in NBC News

Planet And Rocket Lab Create Mission Patch To Honor Women In Aerospace Planet Blog

Why we care so much about Belonging. 

Were dedicated to helping the whole Planet, & to do that we must strive to represent all of it within each of our offices & on all of our teams. Thats why Planet is guided by an ultimate  north star of Belonging, dreaming big as we approach our ongoing work with diversity, equity & inclusion.  If this job intrigues you, but youre thinking you might not have all the qualifications, please... do apply!  At Planet, we are looking for well-rounded people from around the world who can contribute to more ways than just what is listed in this job description.  We dont just fill positions, we aspire to fulfill peoples careers, most excited about folks who are motivated by our underlying humanitarian efforts.  We are a few orbits around the sun before we get to where we want to be, so we hope youre excited to come along for the ride. 

EEO statement:

Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs & we invite people from all backgrounds to apply. Planet is an equal opportunity employer, & 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 & breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, & local laws. 

Accommodations:

Planet is an inclusive community & we know that everyone has their own needs. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the interview process, please call Planet's front office at 669-214-9404 or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential & we will be happy to assist you.

Privacy Policy: By clicking "Apply Now" at the top of this job posting, I acknowledge that I have read the Planet Data Privacy Notice for California Staff Members & Applicants, & hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, & storage of my personal information as described therein.

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