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 Earth every day and make global change visible, accessible, and actionable. Delivering on that mission depends on our ability to attract exceptional people across engineering, manufacturing, commercial, and corporate teams. This role leads the strategy, operating model, and team behind how Planet finds, attracts, and hires that talent.
As Senior Director, Talent Acquisition, you will own Planet's global hiring strategy and lead a Talent Team distributed across multiple regions. You will build the operating model that turns headcount plans into predictable hiring outcomes, own the external partner ecosystem, and serve as the executive voice for talent acquisition across the company. You will report to the Chief People Officer and partner closely with leaders company-wide.
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:
- Set and drive Planet's global talent acquisition strategy, and build, lead, and develop a high-performing Talent Team distributed across multiple regions.
- Own the recruiting operating model — capacity planning, forecasting, process design, and analytics — so that hiring delivers predictably against the company's growth plan.
- Partner with executive leadership and hiring managers across the company to translate headcount plans into hiring outcomes.
- Own talent acquisition operations, systems, and reporting, ensuring the function runs on clean data and clear, consistent process.
- Build and manage the external partner ecosystem that extends Planet's reach into specialized and global talent markets.
- Champion an outstanding candidate experience, a compelling employer brand, and inclusive, equitable hiring practices.
- Use data to measure hiring outcomes, continuously improve them, and report progress and forecasts to senior leadership.
What You Bring:
- 10+ years of experience leading talent acquisition at scale in a high-growth organization, including building and managing geographically distributed teams.
- 8+ years of people-leadership experience: hiring, coaching, and developing recruiters, sourcers, coordinators, and recruiting managers.
- A track record of designing and operating a recruiting model built on capacity planning, forecasting, process, and analytics — not reactive, req-by-req execution.
- Experience hiring for technical and specialized roles, ideally in engineering, hardware, or other complex disciplines.
- Ability to partner with, advise, and influence executives and senior hiring leaders.
- Experience selecting and managing external staffing partners and vendor relationships.
- Fluency with recruiting systems and data — applicant tracking, reporting, and analytics — and a habit of using metrics to guide decisions.
- Experience hiring across multiple regions, including outside the United States.
What Makes You Stand Out:
- Experience scaling a talent acquisition function in aerospace, hardware, deep tech, or other complex engineering environments.
- Experience building or maturing recruiting operations, analytics, or capacity-planning capabilities.
- Familiarity with global employment considerations across EMEA and APAC.
- Experience integrating AI or automation into recruiting workflows.
Application Deadline:
11:45pm PT on the date stated below. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. This posting may be removed earlier than projected if a suitable pool of applications has been received. For this reason, we recommend applying as soon as you are able to.
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
$231,500—$289,400 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.
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 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.