Senior Solutions Architect I, Pre-Sales - AUS

Planetlabs; San Francisco, Washington (CA, District of Columbia); Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Wellness program

Home office reimbursement

Phone reimbursement

Tuition reimbursement

Equity

Job summary

Planet is seeking a Senior Solutions Architect I on the Pre-Sales team to design geospatial solutions for Australia and New Zealand Defence and Intelligence. You will translate customer needs into technical architectures and collaborate with Success, Product Management, and Business Development.

This is a full-time, hybrid role based in Australia with up to 50% travel. You will lead demonstrations, craft tenders, and present to government stakeholders while mentoring teammates.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience supporting Australian defence in a technical role.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Ability to travel up to 50% (domestic/international).
• Strong verbal and written English communication.
• Experience with GIS and Remote Sensing in defence contexts.
• Experience with IMINT, ISR, and related fields.
• Hands-on experience with geospatial software (QGIS, ArcGIS, GDAL).
• Ability to design and present complex systems bridging business and technology.
• Ability to lead customer engagements.
• Eligibility for Australian security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Architect and deliver solution demos and presentations.
• Build relationships with customers' technical staff as trusted advisor.
• Recommend architectures fitting business challenges.
• Craft responses to tenders, RFIs, RFPs, proposals.
• Collaborate with Sales to drive technical strategy.
• Work with cross-functional teams to voice customer needs.
• Meet quarterly and annual sales and operational objectives.
• Communicate forecasts and CRM data to leadership.
• Present to executive Government stakeholders.
• Mentor team members and lead training.

Skills

GIS & Remote Sensing

Python

ArcGIS

QGIS

GDAL

English Proficiency

Technical Leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SocetGXP

QGIS

ArcGIS

GDAL

Python

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

As a Senior Solutions Architect I on our Pre-Sales team, you will sit at the intersection of cutting-edge satellite imagery technology and mission-critical decision-making for the Australia and New Zealand Defence and Intelligence community. In this role, you will design and architect complex geospatial solutions that demonstrate the transformative value of Planet's high-frequency earth observation data to help defense and intelligence organizations overcome their most pressing challenges. You will collaborate closely with internal cross-functional partners in Customer Success, Product Management, and Business Development to serve as the technical voice of the customer and directly shape Planet's industry-leading defense offerings. By bridging technical capabilities and strategic customer needs, your work directly supports Planet's mission to map the world daily and make global change visible, accessible, and actionable. The ideal candidate is an innovative technical consultant who thrives in a dynamic environment, passionate about satellite remote sensing, and dedicated to delivering impactful geospatial capabilities.

This is a full-time, remote position based in Australia. If located near an office, you are expected to work from that office 3 days per week. This role requires travel up to 50%.

Impact You’ll Own

• Architect and deliver solution demonstrations and presentations and highlighting technical capabilities and value of Planet’s offerings and our ability to fulfill customer’s business needs.
• Build relationships with customers’ technical and management staff as a trusted advisor to their business.
• Act as a senior technical advisor to the customer to recommend a solutions architecture that fits their business challenges.
• Craft the technical response to tenders, RFIs/RFPs, and unsolicited proposals with respect to Planet’s products and solutions.
• Partner with your sales team colleagues to architect and drive the technical strategy across customer and prospect account plans, shaping how accounts are engaged and won.
• Collaborate with internal cross-functional teams including Customer Success, Product Management, and Business Development to act as the voice of the customer, assist with RFP and RFI preparation and submissions.
• Attain quarterly and annual sales and operational objectives assigned by management.
• Represent the needs of Planet's Defence and Intelligence customers to Sales leadership by communicating forecasts, pipeline opportunities, deal reviews, CRM data, and customer feedback.
• Ability to present to key executive Government stakeholders within the Australia and New Zealand Governments
• Act as a mentor to team members and lead training to drive their development

What You Bring

• 6+ years of experience in supporting the Australia and/or New Zealand Defence and Intelligence community in a technical capacity.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Ability to travel, including internationally, up to 50%.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Professional working proficiency in English, the language of the company.
• Experience working with GIS and Remote Sensing users within the defence industry.
• Experience in IMINT, ISR, and related fields.
• Experience with QGIS, SocetGXP, ArcGIS, GDAL, Python, other common geospatial software packages and programming languages, and emerging technologies such as AI/ML.
• Experience designing and presenting complex systems and solutions that bridge the gap between business problems and technology to meet organizational goals, budget, and scalability needs.
• Ability to communicate and coordinate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a proactive working style.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and manage time effectively.
• Ability to process imagery, manipulate geospatial data, interact with APIs, and build data pipelines.
• Ability to lead technical customer engagements.
• Ability to run workshops or training sessions with users.
• Obtaining and maintaining eligibility for an Australian security clearance is required.

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

This role is eligible for commission.

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.