Senior Business Development Manager, US Department of War

Planet Labs PBC; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 133,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

HSA contributed by Planet

Generous PTO & holidays

Parental leave 16 weeks

Tuition reimbursement

Equity

Job summary

Planet Labs PBC is seeking a Business Development Manager to advance Planet’s solutions within US Combatant Commands and defense customers. You’ll lead opportunity identification, qualification, and end-to-end BD cycles, shaping program requirements and budgets while advocating for Planet capabilities to mission users.

Ideal candidates bring 10+ years in defense-focused BD, strong senior stakeholder communication, and a track record in RFIs/RFPs, strategic planning, and cross-team collaboration.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10+ years in business development or related roles within defense or government sectors.
• Experience engaging senior civilian/military leadership and translating needs into opportunities.
• Proven ability to shape capture strategies, manage RFIs/RFPs, and coordinate cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Identify and qualify new business opportunities with US Combatant Commands and relevant DoD elements.
• Lead end-to-end BD lifecycle: capture, proposals, and customer engagement.
• Develop strategy and engagement plans to align Planet solutions with mission needs.
• Coordinate RFIs and RFP responses with Proposal Managers and Product Leaders.
• Build long-term pipelines across Defense and Intelligence communities.

Skills

Extensive BD experience

Defense sector knowledge

Executive communication

Strategic relationship building

Proposal development

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Job description

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:

Planet is seeking a Business Development Manager focused on advancing the delivery of Planet's solutions to solve high priority operational challenges at the US Combatant Commands in association with Military Service Elements and all procurement entities. This individual will need to lead execution of the entire business development lifecycle starting with the identification and understanding of critical operational needs, along with shaping of program requirements, budget, and procurement processes to ensure solutions are delivered to meet those warfighter needs.

Specific responsibilities include identifying and qualifying new business opportunities, pursuing long term strategic captures and supporting acquisition activities such as RFI's, White Papers, Unsolicited Proposals, and RFPs while advocating for Planet capabilities to mission users within Defense organizations. Additionally, the BD Manager will contribute to the identication, prioritization and shaping of new business pursuits and the development and execution of capture strategies.

The ideal candidate knows how to navigate the complex relationships of a dynamic technology company with multiple priorities and will inspire our team and our partners. Planet's solutions are innovative and novel, and we are looking for someone to educate stakeholders on the broader context of opportunities and keeping an eye on building the case for new product development.

This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our Washington, DC office 3 days per week.

Impact You'll Own:

• Leverage existing and develop new, trusted relationships with current and prospective Planet customers and industry partners within the Combatant Commands, the Joint Staff, and Military Services.
• Specifically, the role will need to create a strategy and engagement plan to align Planet solutions to increase support for DoW operations
• Actively participate in relevant community forums, events, industry days, and other means to continually increase Planet's understanding of the Customer's missions, long term visions and priorities, along with budgets and acquisition cycles to position Planet to earn new business and partnership opportunities
• Build the long term pipeline at Defense and Intelligence organizations through driving operational demand and identification of innovative ways to bring Planet solutions to the warfighter.
• Provide leadership and expertise in support of strategic planning, competitive intelligence and market assessments
• Partner collaboratively with USG Sales Director and Account Executives
• Maintain close alignment with Government Affairs on policy shaping activities
• Maintain close relationships with Business Development Managers across global regions, to ensure consistent approaches where appropriate and coordinate engagements with multi-country Defense Alliances and Coalitions
• Coordinate responses to RFIs and RFPs through bid decision to submission to ensure alignment to strategy
• Collaborate with Proposal Managers and Product Leadership on product positioning and pricing

What You Bring:

• 10+ years of relevant experience
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field
• Experience working directly within the US DoW Combatant Commands, Service Elements, and/or the Intelligence Community as a civilian or military officer
• Knowledge of, and experience working with, DoW Program Executive Offices and Portfolio Acquisition Executives, and associated requirement and budgetary entities
• Ability and experience in communicating effectively with senior level civilian leadership and/or military flag officers
• Experience forging mutually beneficial relationships with Defense and Intelligence organizations
• Excellent communication (speaking and writing), presentation, interpersonal, and organizational skills
• Achievements and relevant experience in the private and/or public sector in some combination of aerospace and remote sensing, data analytics, sales, business development, and military and intelligence roles
• Excellent project, time, and budget management skills
• Experience working collaboratively and independently in a dynamic environment with the ability to navigate unique challenges presented by its dynamic conditions

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Experience working across multiple parts of the US National Security Community - DoW and IC, to include:
  • Serving in a role leading Operational support and execution functions, leveraging GEOINT, Data, Space, Intelligence, Airborne capabilities
  • Working within a Combatant Command (J2, J3, J5, J8) or in an associated Service Element
• Active security clearance

Application Deadline:

November 24, 2026 at 11:59p PT

Benefits While Working at Planet:

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with a company contribution
• Generous Paid Time Off in addition to holidays and company-wide days off
• 16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Wellness Program and Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Home Office Reimbursement
• Monthly Phone and Internet Reimbursement
• Tuition Reimbursement and access to LinkedIn Learning
• Equity
• Commuter Benefits (if local to an office)
• Volunteering Paid Time Off

Compensation:

The US base salary range for this full-time position at the commencement of employment is listed below. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short-term and long-term incentives (bonus and equity). The final salary range is determined by job related experience, skills and location. The range displays our typical hiring range for new hire salaries in US locations only. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

This role is eligible for commission.

US National Salary Range

$132,960—$166,160 USD

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 [e-mail] or contact your recruiter with your request. Your message will be confidential and we will be happy to assist you.

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 [e-mail] 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.