Defense Account Executive

Description:

Based in the UAE (Abu Dhabi preferred), the UAE Armed Forces & Defense Account Executive will manage Planet’s strategic relationship with the UAE Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and allied defense and national security stakeholders. Additionally, you will drive customer acquisition and expansion for Planet’s broad-area monitoring, high-resolution tasking, and automated search capabilities across the Emirates in line with regional business objectives.

The ideal candidate is a driven, results-oriented sales and capture professional with deep familiarity with the UAE defense ecosystem and an aptitude for translating mission requirements into commercial capability solutions. This individual will possess solid commercial acumen, an understanding of sovereign operational priorities, and the ability to operate effectively within a dynamic, matrixed environment.

This is a full-time, remote role requiring frequent local presence and direct stakeholder engagement in Abu Dhabi and across the UAE.

Impact You’ll Own
 

• Strategic Account & Relationship Ownership: Own and advance Planet’s relationships across the UAE Armed Forces, Joint Operations Command, Ministry of Defence, and relevant national security entities. Partner closely with Professional Services and Customer Success to ensure flawless capability adoption, operational utility, and high customer retention.
• Pipeline Acceleration & Deal Execution: Identify, qualify, negotiate, and close high-value, complex deals to expand the deployment of satellite imagery, automated analytics, and AI-enabled earth observation solutions across sovereign defense accounts.
• Sovereign Defense Program Capture: Target and capture current and upcoming defense programs of record, joint procurement opportunities, and strategic initiatives in partnership with key regional defense primes and system integrators (e.g., EDGE Group, local sovereign entities).
• Quota Delivery & Forecast Governance: Consistently meet or exceed assigned regional revenue quotas. Maintain rigorous pipeline hygiene in Salesforce.com and provide predictable quarterly and annual revenue forecasts to regional leadership.
• Mission Alignment & Technical Understanding: Develop and maintain a solid technical command of Planet’s Earth Observation (EO) constellation, analytics feeds, and AI capabilities to effectively map them against military ISR and border/maritime surveillance priorities.
• Cross-Functional Pursuit Collaboration: Partner seamlessly with Pre-Sales/Solutions Engineers to deliver compelling demonstrations, architect custom technical proposals, and secure the technical win with senior military and procurement stakeholders.
   

What You Bring
 

• 6+ years of relevant operational or technical experience within the defense, intelligence, or national security sectors (e.g., military staff, defense procurement, or government defense contracting).
• 6+ years of enterprise SaaS, DaaS, or geospatial data sales experience, carrying an individual quota and a consistent track record of closing complex, multi-year government deals.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, international relations, or a related discipline (or commensurate professional experience).
• Deep understanding of UAE government and defense procurement cycles, evaluation boards, and the acquisition nuances required to navigate multi-agency approvals.
• Ability to source opportunities, conduct deep mission discovery, manage multi-stakeholder relationships, and navigate structured pricing negotiations.
• Experience managing and reporting pipeline health accurately using Salesforce.com or similar CRM systems.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, adept at briefing both senior military leadership and technical/operational end-users.
• A self-starter capable of operating independently under tight deadlines and delivering results in a dynamic, high-growth environment.