Head of Sales

Compensation: $139,000-200,000k

Status: Full-time

Worksite: Remote-first, in continental US, with primary office in D.C. for local candidates

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., Impact Observatory develops and uses world-leading geospatial AI to unlock actionable insights from satellite imagery and geospatial data, improving decision-making for resource and risk analysis by governments, industry, and communities, and making a positive impact on our planet.


The Head of Sales is responsible for driving revenue growth, identifying new business opportunities, and nurturing strategic partnerships at IO. Developing strategy for both US and international revenue growth, the Head of Sales will work closely with Product on go-to-market execution and will own the business development and capture processes from ideation through contract signing, to ongoing account management and growth. They direct marketing and strategic communications for IO products and capabilities including representing IO at business events and the company presence on social media. This position is a member of the Executive Team and reports directly to the COO.

Duties and Responsibilities

Subject Matter/Industry Expertise

  • Drive revenue growth for the Company by meeting quarterly and annual sales and revenue targets.
  • Oversee each step of the sales lifecycle for customer accounts: strategy/planning, pricing, discovery, outreach, terms negotiation, contract drafting, and closing.
  • Oversee business development and capture through discovery, shaping, development, and submission of R&D proposals.
  • Develop and manage channel partnerships to maximize distribution and unlock opportunity for IO’s on demand and subscription products.
  • Develop, track, analyze, and communicate key metrics on sales performance, customer success, and marketing to the Executive Team.
  • Oversee marketing activities, coordinated with Product, to promote IO’s brand and build awareness and consideration in the marketplace, including representing IO at industry events and conferences.


Strategic Planning

  • Develop, execute and manage the overall business strategy, including sales, marketing, and partnerships strategies, to achieve IO’s revenue and business objectives, and contribute to development of company strategy and roadmaps.
  • Explore and understand the market and customer needs, and master the business models, channel sales incentives, and unit pricing needed to go to market and grow revenue.


Executive Leadership

  • Lead by example to establish and demonstrate the culture and working environment of Impact Observatory, aligned with our company values.
  • Provide mentorship and support to the sales team in day-to-day operations, building a shared goal of continuous improvement and accountability for individuals and teams.
  • Collaborate with other Executive leads as needed to implement sales and partnerships strategies, deliver market insights, and establish priorities for go-to-market planning in support of broader company strategy.


Team Management

  • Plan, direct, and oversee the core sales, business development, partnerships, customer success, and marketing functions and the day to day work of associated department staff and contractors.
  • Select and implement systems for planning, managing, and reporting on sales team progress and workstreams; including to accurately forecast revenue, particularly variable usage-based revenue, and associated incentive compensation, as the company creates a playbook for revenue.

Education & Experience

  • Bachelor’s Degree required, MBA or equivalent training and experience preferred.
  • Minimum 5 years of relevant experience leading and managing teams, ideally in the sales or business development realm.

Required Qualifications

  • Excellent leadership, communication, relationship management, personnel management, organizational, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.
  • A strong entrepreneurial, self-starter spirit with a drive to work at a consistently high level, managing multiple “priority” projects simultaneously.
  • Ability to discover and respond to changing circumstances and use new information to adjust your approach and to quickly respond to new needs.
  • Experience with recruiting, training, and managing people.
  • Knowledge of fiscal planning, budgeting and reporting.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Knowledge of the geospatial services and products industry.
  • Experience with US federal government and/or international government sales and business development.

Impact Observatory is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.