Mission Sales Director, MENA

ICEYE; Abu Dhabi; Hybrid; AED 350,000 - 700,000; Full time

Job summary

ICEYE in Abu Dhabi seeks a Missions Sales Director to lead sovereign satellite and ISR mission sales to government customers in the MENA region. You will own the full sales cycle and cultivate strategic Government relationships to drive growth and long-term partnerships.

You will collaborate with ICEYE’s Missions and Data lines to align customer needs with technical capabilities, ensuring delivery and customer success across multi-year programs.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of strategic sales or business development experience in aerospace/defence/space or related government tech sectors.
• 5+ years of international sales or export experience with complex solutions.
• Experience selling to government customers and defence organisations.
• Existing network across government-related organisations in the MENA region.
• Strong understanding of earth observation, ISR, or satellite-based capabilities (SAR a plus).
• Proven ability to run complex sales cycles with lead qualification and deal closure.
• Professional working proficiency in Arabic.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive regional revenue growth for ICEYE’s Missions business in the MENA region.
• Identify, shape, qualify, and close sovereign satellite and ISR mission opportunities with government customers.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with government stakeholders and defence organisations.
• Develop and manage a qualified sales pipeline, capture plans, and accurate forecasting.
• Lead complex sales processes including bid decisions, proposals, and commercial positioning.
• Collaborate across ICEYE’s Missions and Data lines of business to align customer needs and delivery plans.
• Represent ICEYE in-market through customer meetings and events.
• Maintain CRM discipline and provide market intelligence for planning.

Skills

Strategic sales

Government sales

MENA region network

Earth observation knowledge

Complex sales cycles

Arabic proficiency

Travel readiness

Job description

• Previous military, defence, intelligence, or security-sector experience.

Role Highlights

• Missions Sales Director
• Location: Abu Dhabi
• Department: Missions Sales
• Reports to: VP of Mission Sales
• Employment type: Permanent
• Workplace model: Hybrid, with travel
• Employment is subject to applicable security screening.

Why This Role Matters

As a Missions Sales Director, you’ll lead sovereign satellite and ISR mission sales to government customers in the MENA region, driving growth, trust, and long-term partnerships that advance ICEYE’s position as the defence-focused space ISR leader.

You will own the full sales cycle for Missions satellite programmes, from identifying and shaping opportunities to closing multi-year deals. By building strategic relationships with governments and key decision-makers, you will expand ICEYE’s presence in the region, deliver sustainable revenue growth, and ensure customer success through close collaboration across ICEYE’s Missions and Data lines of business.

Who We Are

ICEYE is the world leader in sovereign intelligence from space. We deliver persistent monitoring capabilities to detect and respond to changes in any location on Earth.

ICEYE owns the world's largest and most advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellation. To our customers we provide intelligence with unmatched quality, latency and revisit times, in any weather, day or night. To governments who choose to operate their own constellation we provide this proven capability as a sovereign system.

ICEYE-built constellations serve customers in defence and intelligence, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management. We enable fast decisions that contribute to a safer future.

Founded and headquartered in Finland, ICEYE operates globally with over 1000 employees across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

Day-to-day Responsibilities

• Own and drive regional revenue growth for ICEYE’s Missions business in the MENA region.
• Identify, shape, qualify, and close sovereign satellite and ISR mission opportunities with government customers.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with government stakeholders, defence organisations, and key decision-makers in the market.
• Develop and manage a qualified sales pipeline, including capture plans, win strategies, and accurate forecasting.
• Lead complex strategic sales processes, including opportunity reviews, bid or no-bid decisions, proposal coordination, and commercial positioning.
• Collaborate across ICEYE’s Missions and Data lines of business to align customer needs, technical capabilities, and delivery plans.
• Represent ICEYE in-market through customer meetings, industry events, and strategic stakeholder engagement.
• Maintain strong CRM discipline and provide clear market intelligence to support business planning and decision-making.

What we’re looking for

• 5+ years of strategic sales or business development experience in the aerospace, defence, space, ISR, earth observation, or related government technology sector.
• 5+ years of international sales or export experience with complex solutions.
• Experience selling to government customers, defence organisations, or public sector decision-makers.
• Existing network across relevant government and government-related organisations in the MENA region.
• Strong understanding of earth observation, ISR, or satellite-based capabilities, ideally including SAR.
• Proven ability to run complex sales cycles, including lead qualification, opportunity development, capture planning, stakeholder mapping, and deal closure.
• Professional working proficiency in Arabic.
• Willingness to travel as required, primarily across the region and to Finland.

Nice To Haves

• Ability to communicate effectively in the local language
• Previous military, defence, intelligence, or security-sector experience.
• Experience producing capture plans and delivering against win strategies.
• Track record of closing value-based sales with a strong focus on customer success.
• Experience leading multi-department sales pursuits, gate reviews, bid processes, and competitive analysis.
• Experience using Salesforce or another CRM.
• Sales training in Miller Heiman, Korn Ferry, Shipley, or a similar methodology.

Application Process

• Assessment
• Recruiter interview
• Peer interview
• VP interview
• References
• CEO interview

Working at ICEYE

At ICEYE, you’ll join a diverse and highly engaged team united by the ambition to make the impossible possible.

As a global scale-up, we combine speed and ambition with the opportunity to take real ownership from day one. Your growth, wellbeing, and success are a priority, with continuous professional development, training opportunities, and a culture where collaboration is how we win.

How We Work (Our Values)

Make the impossible possible: We set ambitious goals and stay calm under pressure. We bring grit, optimism, and ownership when things get hard, and we keep moving until we find a way.

• Be curious: Go deep, ask questions, listen carefully, and think critically. Understand the "why" behind decisions.
• See the big picture: Stay close to what’s happening across the company so you can make better decisions. Consider how your work affects others.
• Drive effective teamwork: Create psychological safety, invite different perspectives, and build inclusive teams. There are no bad questions.
• Act as one team: We win together. We match tasks to the right owner and stay agile as priorities shift.
• Have fun: What we do matters and it should be enjoyable. Celebrate progress, take pride in results, and share the wins.

Benefits

Our benefits are designed to support your health and wellbeing, at work and beyond. We keep improving them based on employee feedback, and offerings vary by location. Talent Acquisition will confirm what applies for this role and location during the process.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We want ICEYE to be a place where people can be themselves and do great work. Different backgrounds and perspectives make us stronger, which is why we work to create an environment where people feel included, respected, and able to speak up. Whatever your background, we want you to bring your authentic self to the table.

We’re committed to fair, inclusive hiring and equal opportunity. Everyone is welcome to apply. If you need any adjustments or support during the recruitment process, tell us and we’ll do our best to help.