Software Engineer, Applied GenAI Apps - AI Geospatial Assistant team
$145k - $181k USD
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’s mission is to image the entire world every day, making global change visible, accessible, and actionable. We are at a critical inflection point: moving from broad AI research to a delivery-focused "productization" model. To drive this, we are building a new product group focused on launching an AI Geospatial Assistant that transforms how our customers interact with global imagery to solve high-stakes problems in forensics and daily change detection.
Our goal is to make these complex insights accessible through an intuitive interface that requires zero user training. Operating with a zero-to-one startup mindset, this team prioritizes weekly learning velocity and customer-driven graduation criteria to move rapidly from private alpha to general availability.
While AI has enabled software engineers to more easily flex into traditional practice areas like front and back end we would like this role to be more focused on front end than not. You will work with a design lead to be an advocate for the user experience. You will solve the critical "Map-Text Disconnect" by making our global imagery an active, interactive participant in the AI conversation. Your work ensures that natural language insights are always anchored by visual evidence, transforming the solutions into a trusted, intuitive, and "wow"-inducing problem-solving tool for experts and novices alike.
This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our San Francisco office 3 days per week.
Impact You'll Own:
- Lead Full Stack AI Web App Development: Take ownership of the user interface and user experience for our new AI-powered chat application, ensuring a highly intuitive, responsive, and visually engaging experience.
- Collaborate with AI Researchers: Work closely with our AI Research Team to understand their models, workflows, outputs, and emerging capabilities translating complex analytical results into clear, actionable, and visually rich information for end-users.
- Implement "Interface Advantages": Develop a side-by-side map and chat layout that lowers the barrier to entry for novices while providing deep analytics for GIS experts.
- Build Trust through Transparency: Integrate visible branding, data badges, and clickable citations to verify that AI-generated answers are grounded in real Planet imagery.
- Develop Dynamic Visualizations: Create exportable "before and after" graphics, charts, and time-series animations that translate AI insights into actionable evidence.
- Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure) and deploying applications in a cloud environment.
- Optimize Performance: Ensure that "slippy map" transitions and high-resolution satellite imagery loading remain performant and seamless, even when handling complex data overlays under high user demand.
- Engineer Fluid AI Interactions: Architect sophisticated frontend/backend communication patterns (eg. through use of web sockets) to manage high-latency AI operations. You will ensure the UI remains "alive" and transparent by implementing real-time agent status updates, streaming text responses, and progressive data rendering.
- State Management for Multi-modal Conversations.
What You Bring:
- 4+ years of experience as a Full Stack or Frontend Engineer, with expertise in modern frameworks like React or Vue.
- Bachelor’s Degree in computer science or equivalent field.
- Enthusiasm for working in an AI forward development flow. You naturally integrate AI-assisted tools into your workflow to drive your own productivity and enjoy being part of a team that treats AI as a core collaborator in the development lifecycle.
- Proficiency of mapping libraries such as Mapbox GL JS or Leaflet.
- Experience building streaming UI/UX for LLMs and LLM chat interfaces into production-grade web applications.
- Deep empathy for UI/UX principles, focused on democratizing access to complex satellite data for non-technical users.
What Makes You Stand Out:
- Experience designing dual-mode interfaces (e.g., "Explore" vs. "Analyze") to cater to different user intents.
- Prior experience in geospatial visualization for investigative journalism, government compliance, or environmental monitoring.
- Prior experience working with AI/ML teams or integrating AI models into production applications, especially chat interfaces and agentic workflows
- Solid experience with data visualization tools like D3.js or Plotly.
- Experience with "Human-in-the-loop" (HITL) UI design.
Application Deadline:
June 4, 2026 at 11:59p PT
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 LinkedIn 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 commencement of employment is listed below. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location. The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
San Francisco Salary Range
$144,500—$180,600 USD
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 accommodations@planet.com or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.
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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 are currently exploring AI interviewing technologies 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 accommodations@planet.com 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.