How to apply for PreSales Engineer, Civil Government and Commercial

About Planet

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

About the role

This presales engineer role shows the value of Planet's data and services to organizations across EMEA, with a focus on German government and commercial B2B accounts. You help customers solve earth data challenges and work with internal cross-functional teams. The role is remote and full-time, based in Germany.

A typical day

You might meet with German government or commercial B2B customers to understand their earth data needs and show how Planet's data and services address them. You would also work with internal cross-functional teams to prepare demonstrations or technical responses. The role is remote, so much of the day involves virtual collaboration across EMEA.

Who Planet is looking for

• Experience in presales or solutions engineering for data, geospatial, or software products.
• Ability to explain technical data and platform capabilities to both government and commercial B2B audiences.
• German language skills and familiarity with German government and commercial markets.
• Comfort working remotely with EMEA customers and internal cross-functional teams.

Tips for this application

• Tailor your resume to presales engineering, not pure engineering or sales. Show how you have demonstrated product value to customers.
• Highlight any experience with earth observation, satellite data, geospatial data, or cloud-based data platforms.
• Call out German government and commercial B2B experience directly, since the role focuses on those accounts.
• Mention your location in Germany and your ability to work remotely across EMEA.
• Reference Planet's satellite constellation and cloud platform in your materials to show you understand the product.

What to cover in your cover letter

Explain why you want to work at a company that is both a space and data company. Describe a time you demonstrated a technical data product to a government or commercial customer. Show your knowledge of the German government and commercial B2B market. State how you would help EMEA customers solve earth data challenges.

Research before applying

• Study Planet's satellite constellation and what makes its dataset different from other providers.
• Review Planet's cloud-based platform and the types of customers it serves in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors.
• Look into Planet's presence in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands, and its EMEA customer base.
• Find examples of how organizations use Planet's data for government or commercial earth data challenges.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you explain Planet's satellite data and cloud platform to a German government buyer?
• Describe a presales situation where you had to prove the value of a technical data product.
• How do you handle technical objections from commercial B2B customers?
• What do you know about earth observation data and its use cases?
• How would you work with internal cross-functional teams to support EMEA customers?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying as a generalist without connecting your experience to presales engineering or earth data.
• Ignoring the German government and commercial B2B focus of the role.
• Treating Planet as only a space company and missing that it is also a data company.