Director, Pre-Sales Global D&I

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong>Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.</strong></p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p></div><p><strong>About the Role:&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>The <strong>Director of Pre-Sales, Global Defence &amp; Intelligence (D&amp;I)</strong> 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 &amp; Intelligence institutions.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>The ideal candidate is an accomplished people manager, a geospatial expert with strong commercial acumen, and possesses over 10 years of experience in Defence &amp; Intelligence. You possess a deep understanding of government defense customers, complex procurement frameworks, and military command structures.</p> <p>This is a visible, strategic, and highly influential global role, partnering closely with internal D&amp;I Sales teams, Space Systems, Product Engineering, and trusted defense partner ecosystems to secure complex, large-scale government contracts.</p> <p>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.</p> <p><strong>Impact You’ll Own:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Create the conditions for high performance; recruit, coach, and develop a global team of specialized D&amp;I Pre-Sales Solution Architects.</li> <li>Support global D&amp;I sales teams and partner ecosystems by providing world-class technical sales capability to win new defense programs and expand existing accounts.</li> <li>Apply deep expertise in remote sensing, imagery analytics, and complex data architecture to design solutions supporting Military Operations, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) workflows.</li> <li>Lead high-impact customer engagements, workshops, pilots, and technical demonstrations tailored to defense commanders, intelligence analysts, and procurement officers.</li> <li>Collaborate closely with Global Professional Services, Program Management and Customer Success to conduct rigorous technical assessments, ensuring flawless execution from validation to operational delivery.</li> <li>Feed insights, security requirements, and intelligence use cases directly back to Product and Marketing to shape the product roadmap.</li> <li>Serve as a core member of the Global Pre-Sales &amp; Services leadership team, shaping overarching department strategy and driving execution.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What You Bring:</strong></p> <ul> <li>8+ years of relevant work experience and 6+ years of supervisory or leadership experience managing and scaling technical sales (Pre-Sales / Solution Architecture) teams.</li> <li>8+ years of professional experience in a Defence &amp; Intelligence environment.</li> <li>Active Security Clearance (or eligibility to hold suitable clearance for engaging all levels of Military Command).</li> <li>Solid grasp of military planning, intelligence workflows, and how commercial Earth Observation (EO) data integrates into defense decision-making.</li> <li>Experience navigating complex government sales cycles, RFP/RFI processes, and defense contracting frameworks.</li> <li>Fluency in geospatial system architectures, cloud environments/secure deployments, API integrations, and complex data pipelines.</li> <li>Ability to engage senior defense executives, military leaders, and procurement authorities, translating technical complexity into strategic value.</li> <li>Excellent c