Software Engineer, Applied GenAI Apps - AI… at Planet · San…

Summary: Planet is a company that designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. They are seeking a Software Engineer for their Applied GenAI Apps team to lead the development of an AI-powered chat application, focusing on user experience and interaction with global imagery. Responsibilities: - 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 - 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 Required Qualifications: - 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 - Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure) and deploying applications in a cloud environment Preferred Qualifications: - 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 Required Skills: Full Stack Development, React, Cloud Platforms, UI/UX Principles Important Skills: Mapping Libraries, Data Visualization, AI Integration 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