Director of Government Affairs

About this role

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:

We are seeking a Director for Government Affairs based in Washington, D.C. who can successfully engage in U.S. national security policy, budget, and legislative advocacy. The Director of Government Affairs will execute Planet’s government affairs strategy with Congress and U.S. national security agencies (including the Department of War, the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency). The role is responsible for shaping engagement with legislative and executive branch agencies to advance Planet’s policy and business priorities. The Director of Government Affairs will work with the Global Government Affairs team, Planet’s Business Development and Sales teams, and Planet leadership to develop Planet’s strategic positions and priorities.

The position will interact directly with Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and national security policy leadership at the White House and relevant federal agencies. The position will attend conferences and symposia and engage in relevant meetings with stakeholders and government officials. The right person for Planet knows how to navigate the complex relationships of the U.S. Federal Government, including Congress and relevant Federal agencies (including the Department of War, NRO, and NGA); has professional experience working with these institutions and detailed knowledge of their processes; and knows how Planet’s unique capabilities - our agile approach to space technology and our delivery of first-of-its-kind data and analytics - meet the requirements and needs of the U.S. National Security sector.

This position requires close coordination with both internal and external constituencies, and the ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with Planet’s customers, federal agencies, NGOs, technical partners and team members around the world, in a highly-dynamic, high-growth commercial company. Planet’s services are novel, and thus we are looking for someone to simultaneously educate stakeholders on the broader context of commercial aerospace opportunities while also specifically advancing short-term opportunities for Planet.

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

Impact You’ll Own:

• Demonstrate thought leadership in the U.S. National Security policy community

• Lead national security engagements with Congress to shape policy and funding opportunities in key Appropriations and Authorization legislation

• Communicate Planet’s unique value proposition to the U.S. national security audience in terms of greatest relevance to that audience, with the ability to design and synthesize new analysis and approaches

• Communicate and collaborate with Planet’s executive, government affairs, business development, and sales teams to develop approaches to capture new opportunities in the national security ecosystem

• Act as a strategic advisor and execution partner to sales and customer success teams

• Success in this role will result in (and be measured against) increased trust and credibility with key U.S. national security stakeholders, early identification of political and programmatic risk before it impacts Planet’s business, and maintaining, shaping, and growing key U.S. government programs that leverage Planet capabilities

What You Bring:

• 8+ years of relevant experience, including 6+ years of supervisory or leadership experience.

• Holds an active U.S. security clearance / is able to receive a U.S. Security Clearance (TS-SCI)

• Direct and recent experience in U.S. national security policy with Congress and relevant federal agencies

• Excellent project, time, and budget management skills, and being able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously without sacrificing attention to detail

• Outstanding communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills

• Excellent presentation skills

• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently in a high-growth, commercial company

• Ability to work closely with organizations in a wide variety of sectors

• Experience with lobbying or industry association advocacy

• Ability to meet with members of Government in Washington, D.C. up to 5 days per week

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Direct and recent experience working on space/data policy and/or national security technology policy

• Experience succeeding in the private and public sector

• Experience in drafting position papers

• Direct and recent experience in forming partnerships within the space and defense industry to advance shared priorities

Application Deadline:

November 18, 2026 at 11:59p PT

Benefits While Working at Planet:

These offerings are dependent on employment type and geographical location, based upon applicable la

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