RF Engineer - Part Time

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:

Planet is working on the next generation small satellite bus that will host a high resolution optical imaging payload (Pelican) and a hyperspectral payload (Carbon Mapper). Planet has continuously iterated and developed small spacecraft communication systems including board level hardware, antennas, and ground station equipment that produce record data rates. Our system consists of transceivers in several bands, optical laser communications systems and a worldwide network of ground stations.

We are seeking a recent graduate or currently enrolled engineering student for a part time RF and Communications Engineer position to assist in the development of our next-generation onboard links, ground radios and antenna systems that push the frontiers of satellite communications. You will contribute to RF hardware and comms systems development, integration, test and characterization. You will work closely with the RF/Comms team members and interact with cross functional teams - electrical, software and mechanical engineers to address challenging design issues.

The ideal candidate will be excited by working in an agile, fast-paced environment, even in times of uncertainty and ambiguity.

This is a part-time, remote position based in the United States.. If located near an office, you are expected to work from that office 3 days per week.

Impact You'll Own:

• Assist in the development of Gnu Radio based ground modem solution
• Assist in the design and verification of space segment software defined radios and modems
• RF/MW hardware transceivers: RF/Analog/Digital circuit design, simulation, instrumentation, test and characterization
• Support of RF/MW/Optical Comms system bringup, integration and test.

What You Bring:

• Senior year level in Electrical Engineering, Physics or Computer Science
• Solid fundamentals in RF/MW, electromagnetics, and signal processing
• Ability to adapt and learn a multitude of skills in order to contribute to the design of a complex system including but not limited to modem physical layer (PHY), active RF circuits, transceivers, PLL synthesizers, mixers, switches, RF amplifiers, oscillators, detectors, filters, and other building blocks for space and ground station applications
• Excellent documentation, presentation and communication skills

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Physics or Computer Science, studying for a graduate degree in STEM
• Experience with Altium or similar EDA tools, high-density PCB design, high speed clock trees.
• Experience with software Defined Radio (SDR) platforms and respective signal processing libraries (ex.: GNURadio).
• Experience in Linux, Python, and data analysis tools

Final date to receive applications:

April 14, 2026 at 11:59p PT

EAR/ITAR Requirements:

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate's ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.

• 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 Linked In Learning
• Equity
• Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation:

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the…