Software Engineer, Platform Operations

About the role

A Software Engineer in Platform Operations is responsible for helping design, build, and operate the core infrastructure that enables Planet's engineering teams to reliably deploy and scale their services with minimal friction. This role is a key contributor to the evolution of our modern cloud-native platform, focusing on security, scalability, and reliability. This position will work as part of a team that partners with software engineers across the organization to refine and improve the deployment and operational experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement core Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) solutions to ensure the secure and scalable operation of Planet's services.
• Actively work on major platform modernization initiatives, including the full migration from legacy tooling to new solutions.
• Manage cloud-based infrastructure services, notably our fleet of Kubernetes clusters, and associated tooling to meet internal needs and support customer-facing service level agreements.
• Enhance and maintain observability for key platform services, leveraging Grafana and other tools to establish Service Level Objectives (SLOs) and improve operational readiness.
• Implement improvements and features for core systems owned by the team, such as GKE clusters, public API gateway, and other managed infrastructure solutions.
• Collaborate with software engineering teams to refine the developer experience (DevEx) of our managed infrastructure.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in a Platform Engineering, System Administration, DevOps, or Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) role.
• Deep understanding of Kubernetes, underlying compute systems, and Linux.
• Working knowledge of public clouds, particularly Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Experience with CI/CD tools (e.g. GitLab, ArgoCD), Configuration Management (e.g. Terraform, Crossplane) and GitOps principles.
• Ability to use an operational mindset and troubleshooting prowess for complex production environments.
• Experience building services in languages such as Go and Python using tools like Git, Docker, and CI/CD workflows.
• Experience building services that leverage cloud-based infrastructure and tooling such as AWS or GCP.
• Ability to collaborate and clearly communicate designs and decisions verbally and in writing.

Qualifications

• Experience in the operational management and development of core platform systems or open-source infrastructure projects.
• Experience with maintaining highly available or operationally resilient infrastructure at very large scales or across multiple clouds.
• Practical experience with networking and network architectures as it relates to platform infrastructure.
• Experience with Observability tools and best practices.

Skills

• Strong understanding of cloud-native architecture and operations.
• Proficiency in scripting languages such as Bash, Python, or Go.
• Experience with container orchestration tools like Kubernetes.
• Knowledge of cloud security practices and compliance standards.
• Experience with monitoring and logging tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK Stack.

Benefits

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

Pay

• New York City + California Salary Range: $136,000 - $170,000 USD
• San Francisco Salary Range: $144,500 - $180,600 USD
• US National Salary Range: $127,000 - $158,700 USD

Schedule

• This is a full-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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.