Director of Sales - Europe

Kepler is hiring a Director of Sales to lead the growth of our real-time optical data relay, on-orbit compute and hosted payload services across commercial and government sectors in the European Union. Experience selling in Germany, France and Scandinavia is a plus. This individual will own customer relationships and strategic capture activities with commercial, defense and government organizations looking to leverage Kepler’s secure, low latency space network with advanced compute for routing and real-time streaming of mission critical data. This role blends technical solutioning with strategic account leadership and will be instrumental in shaping how national customers access, move, and compute data in space.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Kepler’s European business capture and customer engagement strategy focused on secure, resilient satellite data relay, on-orbit compute and hosted payload services for commercial, government and defense applications
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key stakeholders such as MODs, sovereign space agencies, commercial decision-makers, and procurement organizations
• Identify and develop revenue-generating opportunities tied to space-based connectivity, payload hosting services, and in-space compute, AI and integrated use cases
• Navigate and influence customer decisions for space-based ISR, C4ISR, wide area monitoring, Earth observation and space situational awareness programs
• Collaborate with Kepler sales and marketing leadership to articulate strong value propositions for Kepler’s products and services
• Partner with Product and Engineering to align Kepler’s capabilities including inter-satellite links, software-defined networking, and data relay nodes with mission-critical customer requirements
• Lead capture efforts from ideation to proposal submission
• Represent Kepler at relevant European space, defense, and technology conferences
• Support long-term strategy, product-market feedback, go-to-market planning, and cross-functional resource alignment as part of the Kepler leadership team
• Provide recurring input to executive leadership on market conditions, pipeline progress, product-market fit and customer priorities

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience in earth observation, space systems, or high-technology business development within the commercial, government or defense sectors
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, aerospace, defense studies, or a related field
• Proven record of success in revenue generation and customer relationship management in European commercial and government environments
• Strong understanding of earth observation and ISR space-based applications
• Familiarity with space-based mission applications such as real-time Earth observation, ISR, and wide area monitoring
• Experience navigating both commercial and public sector procurement cycles and defense acquisition frameworks
• Ability to communicate credibly with operational and technical leaders

Bonus Points:

• MBA and/or master’s degree in engineering, aerospace, defense studies, or a related field
• Background in military operations, defense or service
• Relevant security clearances
• Prior senior leadership roles at satellite operators, ground segment providers, or defense primes
• Exposure to edge computing in space, data center virtualization, or cloud-integrated satellite solutions
• Experience with international capture programs, especially within NATO, EU and related mission areas
• Understanding of Controlled Goods Program, ITAR/CGP, and national export control frameworks
• Strong existing network within the European space and defense ecosystem