How to apply for Director of Sales, Europe

About Planet

Planet operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history and delivers a cloud-based platform for Earth-imaging data. It is both a space company and a data company, serving commercial, environmental, humanitarian, and government sectors. Employees work remotely worldwide or from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands.

About the role

The Director of Sales, Europe leads the regional sales organization and drives Planet's go-to-market strategy across national security, defense, and government sectors. This is a people-management and business-leadership role focused on accelerating revenue growth in Europe. The position is remote in the UK and full-time.

A typical day

A typical day likely involves coaching regional sales reps, reviewing pipeline for government and defense deals, and meeting with internal teams on go-to-market plans. You would also spend time on customer calls with European public-sector buyers and reporting on regional revenue to global leadership. Ask the hiring team how the week is split between internal management and customer-facing work.

Who Planet is looking for

• Has experience leading regional sales teams and managing people, not just individual selling.
• Has a track record selling into national security, defense, and government accounts in Europe.
• Can design and execute go-to-market strategy for data or technology products in complex public-sector environments.
• Is comfortable working remotely across European markets and coordinating with global teams.

Tips for this application

• Reference Planet's specific satellite constellation and cloud platform in your materials, not just 'geospatial data' in general.
• Name the exact European government or defense accounts or sectors you have sold into, with revenue or contract examples.
• Show how you have built or led a regional sales organization, including team size and structure.
• Connect your sales approach to Planet's stated customer sectors: commercial, environmental, humanitarian, and government.
• Note your UK work authorization or location, since the role is remote in the UK.

What to cover in your cover letter

Lead with your experience managing a regional sales team in Europe. Give one concrete example of growing revenue in national security, defense, or government. Explain how you would adapt Planet's go-to-market strategy for European public-sector buyers. Mention why Planet's dual identity as a space and data company fits your sales background.

Research before applying

• Planet's satellite constellation, data products, and cloud platform, including what customers actually buy.
• Planet's existing customers and case studies in Europe, especially in government and defense.
• European government and defense procurement processes and budget cycles relevant to Earth-imaging data.
• Planet's office locations and remote-work structure, and how a Europe-based sales leader fits into the global organization.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would structure a European sales organization across multiple countries and government procurement cultures.
• A specific deal or account you won in defense, national security, or government, and how you navigated the buying process.
• How you would position Planet's satellite data and cloud platform against competitors in the European market.
• How you manage a remote sales team and measure performance across different European territories.
• How you would partner with product, engineering, and marketing teams given Planet controls its own hardware, data processing, and software.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying without any public-sector or defense sales experience, since the role explicitly covers national security, defense, and government.
• Treating this as an individual contributor role instead of a people-management and regional leadership position.
• Using generic geospatial or SaaS language without referencing Planet's specific satellite data and platform.