Director of Pre-Sales, Global Defence & Intelligence
About this role
Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history, delivering an empirical dataset via a cloud-based platform to commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. The organization seeks a Director of Pre-Sales to lead Pre-Sales Solution Architects worldwide in delivering technical sales, account strategy, relationship building, and solution architecture tailored to national security, defense, and intelligence institutions. The mission focuses on providing trusted technical advice to enable global defense customers to leverage Earth Observation data and geospatial intelligence for military operations and strategic outcomes.
The person in this role will build and coach a specialized global team, partner with sales teams and partner ecosystems, and design solutions supporting military workflows like intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Success requires an accomplished people manager and geospatial expert with commercial acumen who understands government defense customers, complex procurement frameworks, and military command structures.
What you will do
- Recruit, coach, and develop a global team of specialized D&I Pre-Sales Solution Architects to create conditions for high performance.
- Support global D&I sales teams and partner ecosystems by providing technical sales capability to win new defense programs and expand existing accounts.
- Apply expertise in remote sensing, imagery analytics, and complex data architecture to design solutions supporting Military Operations, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance workflows.
- Lead customer engagements, workshops, pilots, and technical demonstrations tailored to defense commanders, intelligence analysts, and procurement officers.
- Collaborate with Global Professional Services, Program Management, and Customer Success to conduct technical assessments and ensure execution from validation to operational delivery.
- Feed insights, security requirements, and intelligence use cases directly back to Product and Marketing to shape the product roadmap.
- Serve as a core member of the Global Pre-Sales & Services leadership team to shape department strategy and drive execution.
What you need
- Bring 8+ years of relevant work experience alongside 6+ years of supervisory or leadership experience managing and scaling technical sales or solution architecture teams.
- Possess 8+ years of professional experience in a Defence & Intelligence environment.
- Hold an active Security Clearance or eligibility to hold suitable clearance for engaging all levels of military command.
- Demonstrate a solid grasp of military planning, intelligence workflows, and the integration of commercial Earth Observation data into defense decision-making.
- Have experience navigating complex government sales cycles, RFP or RFI processes, and defense contracting frameworks.
- Show fluency in geospatial system architectures, cloud environments or secure deployments, API integrations, and complex data pipelines.
- Maintain the ability to engage senior defense executives, military leaders, and procurement authorities by translating technical complexity into strategic value.
Nice to have
- Military or Veteran Experience, including former active Armed Forces Reserve or veteran intelligence professional background.
- Experience working with Sales Qualification frameworks and methodologies such as Challenger Sales or MEDDPICC.
- Understanding of AI-Driven Geospatial Innovation, including automated feature extraction, change detection, and foundation models.
- Experience co-selling and architecting solutions alongside major defense prime contractors, system integrators, and international allies.
Benefits
- 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 and Volunteering
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the remote policy for this role?
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.
What is the compensation range for the position?
The expected starting gross salary range for this role in the United Kingdom is £103,390 to £129,220 GBP. This position may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, equity, and commission.
What kind of experience is required for the leadership duties?
Candidates need 8+ years of relevant work experience and 6+ years of supervisory or leadership experience managing and scaling technical sales and solution architecture teams. Additionally, applicants must have 8+ years of professional experience in a Defence & Intelligence environment.
Are security clearances necessary?
Yes, applicants require an active Security Clearance or eligibility to hold suitable clearance for engaging all levels of Military Command.