Account Executive

Summary

Join Planet, a leading space and data company, as an Account Executive specializing in government sales. You will be responsible for identifying and securing new business opportunities with state and local governments, expanding existing relationships, and driving revenue growth. This role requires a deep understanding of the government procurement process, strong negotiation skills, and a proven track record of success in the civil market. You will collaborate with internal teams to develop and execute strategic account plans, ensuring successful outcomes and maximizing revenue. This is a full-time, remote position based in California.

Requirements

• Demonstrated success in self-directed prospecting and identifying and closing business within existing and new accounts in the civil government space
• 6+ years of related experience selling to the civil markets of which 5+ years in the Geospatial Earth Observation (or similar) industries
• A firm grasp of the value commercial imagery can bring to the civil market and the understanding of how to navigate the complex civil buying process
• Existing network with the Government and partner ecosystem
• Excellent collaboration skills, working with multiple internal stakeholders to drive and retain business, increase Planet’ civil reach, product market fit and identify future areas for growth
• Ability to develop a detailed and achievable sales plan, forecast accurately and manage a pipeline of opportunities
• Ability to source, sell, co-sell, and close large deals and government contracts; carrying quota and closing should be familiar concepts
• Ability to run deep discovery meetings by identifying and understanding the prospect’s challenges and needs, gaining consensus with multiple stakeholders, engaging in complex solution evaluations, and navigating the government procurement process
• Self-starter, able to work independently under tight deadlines in a dynamic environment
• The ability to interact successfully across cultures
• Negotiation and persuasion skills
• Critical thinking, decision=making, sound judgement, and creative problem-solving skills
• Experience with CRM, outreach tools and forecasting solutions

Responsibilities

• Drive strategic engagement and governmental relationships to maintain, renew and grow business with existing and new state government accounts
• Generate pipeline and revenue from state governmental agencies by working with Planet’s SDR team, maintain outbound, self-directed prospecting, networking, identify new business opportunities, expand relationships and close sales
• Help inform and develop Planet’s civil go to market  strategy, providing guidance and recommendations to product, marketing and the Commercial Leadership team on increasing Planet’s footprint within this  market, and developing a cohesive and actionable plan to do so
• Manage the government contracting process
• Identify new partnership opportunities to expand Planet’s government  presence and work with existing partners as needed
• Collaborate with Sales Engineers and Professional Services  for prospect meetings and presentations to understand departmental needs, develop thoughtful solutions, generate proposals and present pricing to key government personnel
• Working collaboratively with Customer Success Managers to set client expectations, ensure successful outcomes and secure repeatable and predictable business
• Develop comprehensive and informed account plans, highlighting existing and potential opportunities and quarterly plans to maximize account engagement and revenue
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date pipeline, sales forecast and CRM

Preferred Qualifications

• Federal experience
• Background in GIS, remote sensing or related field
• Knowledge of consultative selling techniques such as MEDDPICC, Challenger Sale or similar
• Experience identifying, prospecting and establishing new use cases within existing and new accounts
• Live in Northern California, especially in the SF-Bay Area or Sacramento, CA

Benefits

• 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
• Remote-friendly work environment
• 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