NextGenEnergyJobs

Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history.

Responsibilities

• The Director of Pre-Sales, Global Defence & Intelligence (D&I) will be responsible for leading Pre-Sales Solution Architects worldwide. This leader will deliver excellence in technical sales, account strategy, relationship building, and solution architecting tailored specifically to national security, Defence & Intelligence institutions.

• The mission of Pre-Sales is to provide trusted technical advice, enabling global defence customers to leverage Earth Observation data and geospatial intelligence to support critical military operations, decision-making, and strategic outcomes.

• The ideal candidate is an accomplished people manager, a geospatial expert with strong commercial acumen, and possesses over 10 years of experience in Defence & Intelligence. You possess a deep understanding of government defense customers, complex procurement frameworks, and military command structures.

• This is a visible, strategic, and highly influential global role, partnering closely with internal D&I Sales teams, Space Systems, Product Engineering, and trusted defense partner ecosystems to secure complex, large-scale government contracts.

• This is a full-time, remote position based in the UK or Germany. If located near an office, you are expected to work from that office 3 days per week.

Requirements

• 8+ years of relevant work experience and 6+ years of supervisory or leadership experience managing and scaling technical sales (Pre-Sales / Solution Architecture) teams.

• 8+ years of professional experience in a Defence & Intelligence environment.

• Active Security Clearance (or eligibility to hold suitable clearance for engaging all levels of Military Command).

• Solid grasp of military planning, intelligence workflows, and how commercial Earth Observation (EO) data integrates into defense decision-making.

• Experience navigating complex government sales cycles, RFP/RFI processes, and defense contracting frameworks.

• Fluency in geospatial system architectures, cloud environments/secure deployments, API integrations, and complex data pipelines.

• Ability to engage senior defense executives, military leaders, and procurement authorities, translating technical complexity into strategic value.

• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills with a track record of building resilient, high-trust teams.

• Military / Veteran Experience: Former active Armed Forces Reserve or veteran intelligence professional.

• Experience working with Sales Qualification frameworks and methodologies e.g., Challenger Sales, MEDDPICC.

• Understanding of AI-Driven Geospatial Innovation: Conversant in modern AI/ML capabilities (e.g., automated feature extraction, change detection, foundation models) and skilled at leveraging AI to demonstrate high-value intelligence outcomes to defense customers—moving beyond raw imagery to automated, actionable insights.

• Experience co-selling and architecting solutions alongside major defense prime contractors, system integrators, and international allies.

Benefits

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

• Paid time off including vacation, holidays and company-wide days off

• Employee Wellness Program

• Home Office Reimbursement

• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement

• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning

• Equity

• Volunteering Paid Time Off