One stop solution to your remote job hunt!

Title: Sales Lead, Education & Research

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, and The Netherlands.

About the Role:

Planet is leading the revolution in Earth Observation. The requirements for monitoring forestry, agriculture, bioersity and climate change have changed to better facilitate policy compliance and the allocation of resources in Government. Planet is leading the way by making these revolutionary data accessible to Governments around the globe. Planet’s mission is to make the world a better place and now looks to recruit a passionate driven, independent, use case-led sales representative who can demonstrably create new and dynamic opportunities to expand Planet’s business with Universities and NGOs in the EMEA region. The E&R/NGO (Education & Research and Non Governmental Organization) – Impact Sales Lead will be responsible for growing Planet’s sales pipeline and book of business from Universities and NGOs in the EMEA region (Europe Middle East Africa). You will have a proven track record of selling to Academic institutions, with an extensive network and able to navigate procurement processes and frameworks. You will identify, qualify, negotiate, and close large and medium-size deals and drive sales revenue targets. The ideal candidate has a background in Government and Academic sales, in particular relating to Earth Observation.

This role owns the responsibility for developing a pipeline of strategic sales opportunities and the ability to forecast the expected book of business accurately. Above all, Planet seeks an E&R/NGO – Impact Sales Account Executive that is passionate about our unique value proposition and contributes to Planet’s mission to see change, change the world.

Impact You’ll Own:

• Planet’s overall business success with the Universities and NGOs in EMEA
• Develop a long-term strategic sales plan for Planet’s Impact Business
• Develop a pipeline of strategic sales opportunities to achieve and exceed your sales quota/targets
• Work in close collaboration with the Government Sales team and Leadership team
• Work with Planet’s marketing team to run campaigns to attract and identify new opportunities
• Work with a Sales Development Representative (SDR) who will generate contacts and leads and hand them off to you for pursuit
• Prospect and develop business relationships, close sales, and manage customer expectations as the company grows
• Collaborate with the Sales team in fostering customer relationships
• Manage the contracting and procurement process
• Work closely with pre-sales staff to ensure a cohesive effort is put forth when demonstrating Planet products and services and achieving a technical win
• Work closely with our post sales organization and customer success team to ensure successful long-term relationships and a sustainable business
• Maintain pipeline hygiene using Salesforce.com
• Collaborate and innovate as needed to create customer-facing presentations and proposals unique to the prospect and situation

What You Bring:

• Experience successfully closing business with Civil Governments, Research organizations, Universities and NGOs or other large and complex customer organizations
• Excellent working knowledge of Universities and NGOs in any countries in EMEA including a deep understanding of the decision and procurement processes
• Existing relationships across EMEA Universities and NGOs and related ecosystem
• 8+ years’ experience in dealing with government institutions in EMEA or comparably complex organizations, including understanding the nuances of complex sales cycles and how to navigate through the sales process
• Excellent communication skills, including minimum of one Eastern European language and ability to speak English fluently
• Self-starter, able to work independently under tight deadlines
• Proven judgment and decision-making skills
• Excellent negotiation and persuasion skills
• Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills
• Experience with Salesforce.com or a similar CRM System
• Technical / functional understanding on satellite imagery and its applications in the research community
• Experience in qualifying customers needs in terms of monitoring vs tasking use cases

Benefits While Working at Planet:

• Additional company winter holidays and regular global days off
• Remote friendly work environment and flexible working hours
• Contribution to our growth by offering equity options for employees
• Giving back to the community – one day per quarter for charitable work
• Learning and Tuition Reimbursement
• Regular hack-weeks and meetup events to exchange knowledge
• Home office budget
• Employee Resource Groups providing empowering spaces for connection and mentorship

Why we care so much about Belonging.

We’re dedicated to helping the whole Planet, and to do that we must strive to represent all of it within each of our offices and on all of our teams. That’s why Planet is guided by an ultimate north star of Belonging, dreaming big as we approach our ongoing work with ersity, equity and inclusion. If this job intrigues you, but you’re thinking you might not have all the qualifications, please… do apply! At Planet, we are looking for well-rounded people from around the world who can contribute to more ways than just what is listed in this job description. We don’t just fill positions, we aspire to fulfill people’s careers, most excited about folks who are motivated by our underlying humanitarian efforts. We are a few orbits around the sun before we get to where we want to be, so we hope you’re excited to come along for the ride.

EEO statement:

Planet is committed to building a community where everyone belongs and we invite people from all backgrounds to apply. Planet is an equal opportunity employer, and committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Know Your Rights.

Accommodations:

Planet is an inclusive community and we know that everyone has their own needs. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during the hiring process, please call Planet’s front office at (415)-829-3313 or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.

Privacy Policy: By clicking “Apply Now” at the top of this job posting, I acknowledge that I have read the Planet Data Privacy Notice for California Staff Members and Applicants, and hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of my personal information as described therein.

Privacy Policy (European Applicants): By clicking “Apply Now” at the top of this job posting, I acknowledge that I have read the Candidate Privacy Notice GDPR Planet Labs Europe, and hereby consent to the collection, processing, use, and storage of my personal information as described therein.