Software Engineering Manager, Area Monitoring & LPIS
Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.
Planet designs, builds, and 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, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one.
Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles.
As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains.
We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and 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 and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands.
About the Role:
The Solution Enablement pillar is seeking an experienced Software Engineering Manager to lead a team of eight engineers dedicated to Planet’s Area Monitoring Service (AMS) and Land Parcel Identification Systems (LPIS) portfolios. Both areas are rooted in Planet's Area Monitoring Service (AMS) for the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — a flagship Planet solution where satellite imagery and geospatial data help national paying agencies verify agricultural compliance at scale.
In this role, you will provide strategic leadership to ensure the successful execution of both focus areas, while fostering professional development within your team. You will partner with Technical Leads and cross-functional teams to drive operational excellence, manage dependencies, and ensure strategic alignment across government engagements. Ideal candidates are strategic leaders who can enable a team to build scalable, reusable components while navigating complex, multi-stakeholder delivery environments.
This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our Ljubljana office 3 days per week.
Impact You’ll Own:
- Lead a team of eight software engineers spanning two focus areas, providing unified leadership while enabling each area to deliver on its distinct commitments.
- Own the overall planning, execution, and success of multi-stakeholder delivery engagements across government contracts and pilots.
- Partner with Technical Leads to ensure sound technical direction, effective sprint execution, and well-maintained Objectives and Key Results (OKR) roadmaps by reviewing for bandwidth and priority alignment rather than driving technical decisions directly.
- Represent the team in cross-functional interactions by vetting product requirements with Product Managers, aligning priorities across the organisation, managing dependencies with other engineering leads and the Global Professional Services and Sales (GPSS) team, and supporting sales discussions where domain expertise adds value.
- Develop team members through regular performance feedback, mentoring, and coaching, fostering an environment where engineers grow in both technical depth and professional impact.
- Coordinate resource allocation and manages shifting priorities across contracts and focus areas, enabling the team to surge toward high-priority work without requiring organisational restructuring.
- Drive operational excellence across the team's services and deliverables by establishing clear accountability, monitoring delivery health, and improving how the team works.
What You Bring:
- 4+ years of industry experience in software engineering, and 2+ years of experience managing software engineering teams.
- Success leading teams of 6+ engineers, ideally across multiple workstreams or product areas.
- Experience managing delivery in a customer-facing or professional-services context, including navigating competing stakeholder priorities and contractual commitments.
- Experience partnering with Technical Leads, empowering them to own technical direction while maintaining strategic oversight and priority alignment.
- Ability to communicate technical and strategic topics in English, written and oral, including representing engineering in cross-functional and customer-facing settings.
- Experience working in cross-functional teams that put customer requirements first.
- Track record of developing engineers at various career stages - from junior to senior - through coaching, feedback, and growth-oriented management.
- Ability to be adaptable and open to changes and challenges in a dynamic, evolving organisation.
What Makes You Stand Out:
- Experience with geospatial technologies, remote sensing, or earth observation.
- Familiarity with the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), agricultural monitoring, or land parcel management systems.
- Experience leading teams through organisational change, including evolving team structures and management models.
- Experience with Agile methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) and facilitating delivery processes across multiple workstreams.
- Experience with Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) tools and practices (e.g., GitLab CI/CD, Docker).
- Background in managing forward-deployed or solutions-oriented engineering teams that work directly with government or institutional customers.
Application Deadline:
September 10, 2026 by 11:59p / 23:59 CET (Central European Time)
Benefits While Working at Planet:
These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.
- Paid time off including vacation, holidays and company-wide days off
- Employee Wellness Program
- Home Office Reimbursement
- Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
- Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
- Equity
- Volunteering Paid Time Off
San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Why we care so much about Belonging.
We’re dedicated to helping the whole Planet, and to do that we must strive to represent all of it within each of our offices and on all of our teams. That’s why Planet is guided by an ultimate north star of Belonging—dreaming big as we approach our ongoing work. If this job intrigues you, but you’re 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 don’t just fill positions, we aspire to fulfill people’s 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 you’re excited to come along for the ride.
EEO statement:
Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs and we invite people from all backgrounds to apply. 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.
Accommodations:
Planet is an inclusive community and we know that everyone has their own needs. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the hiring process, please reach out to [email protected] or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and 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 and Applicants, and hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of my personal information as described therein.
Privacy Policy (European Applicants): By clicking "Apply Now" at the top of this job posting, I acknowledge that I have read the Candidate Privacy Notice GDPR Planet Labs Europe, and hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of my personal information as described therein.
AI in Our Interviewing Process: Planet is committed to providing an exceptional interview experience for all candidates. We currently use Metaview to better focus on candidates and less on trying to capture notes. As such, with the candidate's consent, select interviews may be recorded and include a "Planet AI Notetaker" for transcription and summarization purposes. 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. Opting out will not affect one's candidacy.
Candidate AI Policy: Planet embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, and we encourage its responsible use. We understand that candidates may use various resources, including AI tools, to prepare for interviews and assessments. However, during any live interview stage or when actively completing assessments for this position, the use of AI tools—e.g. Large Language Models (LLMs), deep fake technology, etc.—is strictly prohibited unless explicitly prompted by an interviewer or assessment instructions. If you are unsure about acceptable use, please contact your recruiter for clarification. If an AI tool or similar technology is desired as an accommodation, please contact [email protected] with your request for assistance. Your message will be confidential, and we will be happy to assist you. Violation of this policy may result in disqualification of your application.
Eng Management pay context
Based on 703 disclosed Eng Management salaries on RoleSuite, the role pays a median of $216K/year, with most offers between $178K and $254K (10th–90th percentile: $154K–$314K).
See the full Eng Management salary breakdown →