Senior Program Manager, Professional Services for Defense and Intelligence

Senior Program Manager, Professional Services for Defense and Intelligence

Planet Labs

Berlin, Haarlem or London

About the Role:

The Senior Program Manager, Professional Services for Defense and Intelligence is an experienced technologist who guides the strategy and execution of one or more teams across multiple projects or workstreams. They are an exemplary team leader who works with customers to make them successful users of Planet’s product offerings at a global scale.

This role provides leadership and technical oversight for the Professional Services team, independently identifying and tackling projects that solve open-ended, ambiguous problems to lead global customer engagements to successful outcomes.

This is a full-time, hybrid role which will require you to work from our Berlin, Haarlem or London office 3 days per week.

Impact You’ll Own:

• Manage a team of Professional Services Solutions architects, deployment strategists and Software Engineers;
• Apply experience in remote sensing and geospatial technologies to help Planet’s Defense and Intelligence customers be successful in their adoption of the Planet Platform globally;
• Guide the strategy and execution of one or more teams across multiple projects or workstreams on six to twelve-month time horizons;
• Lead the technical delivery of solutions to Planet’s customers and align Professional Services projects to global business and technology requirements;
• Own the technical oversight of multiple major projects, leading technical delivery on time and under budget;
• Plan for and execute on multiple impactful projects, work streams, and teams, identifying new opportunities that have organization-wide impact;
• Champion team processes like agile, test-driven development, and source control;
• Write technical specifications, reduce complexity, identify risks, and help the team course-correct around issues;
• Structure the team so the right people are in the right roles and plan for long-term headcount and recruiting needs to guarantee the success of the organization;
• Foster career growth of team members by taking into account their career goals and providing meaningful development experiences;
• Hold the team accountable for performance expectations and take different approaches to motivating high performers and turning around low performers;
• Attract and hire a diverse and talented team with a broad range of experiences and strengths, keeping in mind the long-term health of the global org.

What You Bring:

• 6+ years of relevant work experience and 4+ years supervisory/leadership experience;
• Degree in GIS, Computer Science, Remote Sensing, Geography, or a related field; an advanced degree is preferred;
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to provide solutions to address and unblock dynamic situations;
• Confidence in your technical expertise to drive project direction with teammates, customers, and partners;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to persuade others in sensitive, complex situations while preserving relationships;
• Experience influencing customer decisions at all levels of the organization, from individual contributor to executive leadership;
• Direct experience delivering high-impact or high-visibility geospatial solutions specifically tailored to Defense and Intelligence mission requirements;
• Track record of managing complex programs for national security or government agencies where technical precision and timely delivery are critical;
• Ability to work independently or collaboratively as part of a global team;
• Ability to translate company goals into relevant team plans and communicate results across Engineering, Product, and Design.

What Makes You Stand Out:

• 5+ years of experience working in a technical geospatial or remote sensing role;
• Experience delivering professional services to large enterprise defense and intelligence customers;
• Expertise with QGIS, Esri software, GDAL, or other common geospatial software;
• Familiarity with cloud-based architectures, AI, and machine learning;
• Ability to lead complex customer engagements and run workshops or training sessions with users;
• A solid pulse on team engagement and a proactive retention strategy;
• Active Security Clearance preferred; or the ability to obtain and maintain a clearance will make you stand out for this role.