How to apply for Director of Pre-Sales, Global Defence & Intelligence

About Planet

Planet operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history and delivers that data through a cloud platform. It is both a space company and a data company, controlling hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering. Employees work remotely worldwide or from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.

About the role

This role leads Pre-Sales Solution Architects worldwide for the Global Defence & Intelligence segment. You own technical sales excellence, account strategy, relationship building, and solution architecting for defence and intelligence customers. You report into a global pre-sales organisation and work remotely from the UK.

A typical day

A typical day may include calls with solution architects across regions, meetings with sales leaders on account strategy, and direct customer conversations on technical requirements. You might review a proposal for a defence customer, coach an architect on a solution design, and coordinate with product or engineering teams. Exact routines depend on the global team structure, so ask about meeting cadence and travel expectations in the interview.

Who Planet is looking for

• Experience leading distributed pre-sales or solution architecture teams, ideally across multiple regions and time zones.
• Direct background in defence and intelligence markets, including knowledge of procurement cycles, security constraints, and customer missions.
• Technical depth in satellite imagery, geospatial data, or cloud-based data platforms, enough to guide solution architects on architecture and integration.
• Track record of building account strategy with sales teams and translating customer requirements into technical proposals.
• UK-based and able to work remotely while coordinating with global teams and customers.

Tips for this application

• Reference Planet's satellite constellation and cloud platform by name in your application. Show you understand the product is both hardware and data.
• Highlight specific defence and intelligence accounts or programmes you have supported. Name the customer types, not just the sector.
• Quantify team leadership: how many solution architects, in which regions, and what sales outcomes you supported.
• Explain how you have worked with sales teams on account strategy, not just technical demos or proof-of-concepts.
• Note your UK location and any experience working remotely with US or European teams, since the role is remote UK and the company is globally distributed.

What to cover in your cover letter

Describe a time you led a pre-sales team through a complex defence or intelligence deal and what your role was. Explain how you have built account strategy alongside sales, not in isolation. Show technical familiarity with satellite imagery or geospatial data platforms. State clearly why you want to work at Planet specifically, referencing its constellation and cloud platform.

Research before applying

• Planet's satellite constellation: how many satellites, what imaging capabilities, and how data is delivered through the platform.
• Planet's existing defence and intelligence customers or contracts, if publicly available, to understand the segment's priorities.
• Planet's remote-first structure and offices listed in the job description, to understand how global teams coordinate.
• Recent Planet press releases or blog posts about defence, intelligence, or government work.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would structure a global pre-sales organisation for defence and intelligence customers across different regions and security environments.
• A specific defence or intelligence deal you supported: the customer problem, your technical solution, and the outcome.
• How you work with sales leaders on account strategy and where pre-sales stops and sales starts.
• Your technical understanding of satellite imagery, data processing, and cloud delivery, and how you would keep solution architects current.
• How you handle customers with strict security, procurement, or classification requirements.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying without any defence or intelligence experience. This role requires direct knowledge of that customer segment.
• Focusing only on technical solution architecture and ignoring team leadership and account strategy, which are core to this director role.
• Treating Planet as only a data company or only a space company. The role sits across both hardware and software.