PreSales Engineer, Civil Government and Commercial

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, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands.

About the Role:  

As a PreSales Engineer, you'll demonstrate the value of Planet's data and services to help organizations across EMEA with a focus on German Government and Commercial B2B to overcome their earth data challenges. You'll also collaborate with internal cross-functional teams, including Customer Success, Product Management, Professional Services and Business Development, to act as the voice of the customer to enhance Planet's industry offerings.

This is a full-time, remote position based in Germany. If located near an office, you are expected to work from that office 3 days per week.

Impact You’ll Own:

• Use consultative techniques to uncover customers' pain points and business needs within their current or intended processes and ways of working, plus quantify why these needs are important.
• Build and deliver presentations and solution demonstrations highlighting technical capabilities of Planet’s platform related to addressing the customer’s business needs and pain points, plus the value that these solutions can bring to the customers business.
• Create solid relationships with customers’ technical and management staff as a trusted advisor to their business.
• Act as a trusted advisor to customers, actively shaping and recommending tailored solutions architecture that solve key business challenges that bring measurable value to the business
• Work with your sales team colleagues to determine account development plans and execute a strategy to engage customers and prospects.
• Collaborate with internal cross-functional teams including Customer Success, Product Management, Professional Services and Business Development to act as the voice of the customer and co-develop solutions .
• Assist with the response to tenders, RFI’s, RFP’s, proposals with respect to product/solution information.
• Attain quarterly and annual sales and operational objectives assigned by management.
• Interface with all Pre-Sales Engineers globally, building a community to improve the team’s technical and sales skills.
• Act as a mentor (in your specialist areas) to team members and lead training to drive their development.

What You Bring:

• 4+ years experience in supporting governments and/or associated communities in earth observation.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Ability to translate technical and business related remote sensing and geospatial requirements and knowledge into smart, value-add solutions and demo architectures that address customer needs.
• Fluency in German and professional working proficiency in English, the language of the company.
• Expertise with QGIS, ArcGIS, GDAL and other common geospatial software packages.
• Ability to translate and articulate complex customer requirements into simple easy to understand (co-created) value-add solutions.
• Ability to successfully communicate and coordinate with international customers & sales team.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and proactive working style.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize and manage time effectively.
• Ability to program with Python to process imagery, manipulate vector data, interact with APIs and build data pipelines.
• Ability to lead customer engagements.
• Ability to run workshops or training sessions with users.
• Ability to learn new technologies and industries.

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Experience writing technical proposals for (German) government tenders.
• Experience of value / solution selling techniques.

Application Deadline:

11:45p / 23:45 CET on the date stated below. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. This posting may be removed earlier than projected if a suitable pool of applications has been received. For this reason, we recommend applying as soon as you are able to.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable law or company policy.

• 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 
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation:

The expected starting gross salary range for this role is listed below. Individual placement within this range is determined objectively based on gender-neutral criteria such as your skills, qualifications, and professional experience. This position may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or equity.

In addition to the salary range listed below, this role is also eligible to receive commission.

Germany Salary Range

€50.470—€63.070 EUR

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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.  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 reach out to accommodations@planet.com 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.

AI in Our Interviewing Process: Planet is committed to providing an exceptional interview experience for all candidates. We currently use Metaview to better focus on candidates and less on trying to capture notes. As such, with the candidate's consent, select interviews may be recorded and include a "Planet AI Notetaker" for transcription and summarization purposes. Should an interview involve use of AI interview technologies, the candidate will receive notification and have the ability to opt out both in advance and/or real-time. Opting out will not affect one's candidacy.

Candidate AI Policy: Planet embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, and we encourage its responsible use. We understand that candidates may use various resources, including AI tools, to prepare for interviews and assessments. However, during any live interview stage or when actively completing assessments for this position, the use of AI tools—e.g. Large Language Models (LLMs), deep fake technology, etc.—is strictly prohibited unless explicitly prompted by an interviewer or assessment instructions. If you are unsure about acceptable use, please contact your recruiter for clarification. If an AI tool or similar technology is desired as an accommodation, please contact accommodations@planet.com with your request for assistance. Your message will be confidential, and we will be happy to assist you. Violation of this policy may result in disqualification of your application.