Senior Director, Product Management - Defense and Intelligence

Planet; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision plans

HSA with company contribution

Paid Time Off ( holidays and company‑s

Paid Parental Leave - 16 weeks

EAP

Home Office Reimbursement

Phone and Internet Reimbursement

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Planet is seeking a Senior Director of Product Management to lead the Defense and Intelligence portfolio, defining strategy, building roadmaps, and driving execution of dual-use products like GMS and MDA. You will manage a product management team and partner with executive leadership to transform satellite imagery and APIs into scalable software for government and enterprise customers.

The role is full-time and hybrid, requiring presence 3 days per week in either San Francisco, CA or Arlington,

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant work experience in defense, intelligence, geospatial, or aerospace sectors.
• 8+ years of supervisory/leadership experience.
• Familiarity with ITAR and EAR regulatory environments.
• Experience translating market and defense requirements into scalable product roadmaps.
• Ability to communicate strategy and roadmaps to executives and government partners.

Responsibilities

• Oversee full product lifecycle for the D&I portfolio and define pricing/packaging for intelligence solutions.
• Coordinate with D&I Engineering leadership, UX researchers, account executives, PMM, and government stakeholders to align strategy with execution.
• Build dual-use tools monitoring geopolitical events, marine security, and critical infrastructure.

Skills

Product management

Defense experience

Leadership

Executive communication

Cross-functional collaboration

ITAR/EAR familiarity

Security clearance

Job description

Senior Director, Product Management - Defense and Intelligence

Arlington, VA

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 Senior Director of Product Management to lead our Defense and Intelligence (D&I) product portfolio. As the product leader for our fastest-growing business segment, you will define the strategy, build the roadmap, and drive the execution of our flagship dual-use products, including our Global Monitoring Service (GMS), Marine Domain Awareness (MDA) platforms, automated change detection feeds, and agentic workflows.

You will manage a dedicated team of product managers and partner directly with the Vice President of D&I Engineering and executive leadership to transform raw satellite imagery and API services into scalable, mission-critical software solutions. A core component of this role is ensuring these capabilities thrive as dual-use solutions, leveraging Planet’s commercial platform to meet rigorous national security requirements. Your work will directly empower government, allied mission partners, and enterprise customers to make critical, time-sensitive decisions.

This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our San Francisco, CA or Arlington, VA office 3 days per week.

Impact You'll Own:

• Oversee the full product lifecycle for the D&I portfolio, synthesize market requirements from global defense customers, and define pricing and packaging for intelligence solutions. You will translate high-level market vision and defense mission requirements into actionable product roadmaps for our dual-use GMS and MDA lines, while recruiting, mentoring, and managing a team of product managers.
• Work seamlessly on a daily basis with the D&I Engineering leadership, UX researchers, account executives, product marketing managers, and external government stakeholders to align product strategy with engineering execution sprints and system designs.
• Build dual-use tools that monitor geopolitical events, ensure marine security, and protect critical infrastructure. Your work aligns perfectly with Planet's core value of using space to help life on Earth while driving both our commercial and government ecosystems forward.

What You Bring:

• Typically 10+ years of relevant work experience and 8+ years of supervisory/leadership experience in the defense, intelligence, geospatial, or aerospace sectors.
• Demonstrated track record of scaling end-to-end dual-use or defense software applications (such as domain awareness, automated change detection, or spatial monitoring platforms) from concept to launch.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Defense and Intelligence mission frameworks, workflows, and user needs, specifically regarding broad area monitoring and Marine Domain Awareness (MDA).
• Experience collaborating directly with executive engineering leadership to translate high-level market vision and defense mission requirements into scalable engineering roadmaps.
• Familiarity with navigating product development within environments governed by International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for articulating product strategy, requirements, and roadmaps to internal executive leadership, commercial partners, and external mission partners.
• Active high-level government security clearance, or eligibility to obtain top-secret clearance upon hire.

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Direct product experience defining requirements for the integration of advanced machine learning models, analytics, or agentic workflows into a commercial or defense product stack.
• Direct professional experience serving in the intelligence community, military, or a related government agency.
• Background in defining product requirements for secure government environments, air-gapped systems, or sovereign cloud deployments (e.g., AWS GovCloud/C2S).
• Experience with multi-sensor data fusion workflows, including optical satellite imagery and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).

Application Deadline:

11:45p / 23:45 PT 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.

This position requires access to export-controlled information, and as such, employment (or hiring of a contractor) is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to access all applicable export-controlled information without additional export licensing being required by the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls.

Benefits While Working at Planet:

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

• 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