Central Government and Education Business Development Director

At Kainos, we’re problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators - driven by a shared mission to create real impact. Whether we’re transforming digital services for millions, delivering cutting-edge Workday solutions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, we do it together.

We believe in a people-first culture, where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions truly make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, ambitious team that celebrates creativity and collaboration.

Ready to make your mark? Join us and be part of something bigger.

Join Kainos and Shape the Future  

At Kainos, we’re problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators - driven by a shared mission to create real impact. Whether we’re transforming digital services for millions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, we do it together.  

We believe in a people-first culture, where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions truly make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, ambitious team that celebrates creativity and collaboration.  

Join us and be part of something bigger.  

Delivering Digital Change in the Public Sector  

With over 1,400 experts in digital transformation, AI and data, cloud, and low-code and managed services, our Digital Services division is at the heart of delivering impactful change. We’ve delivered 150+ Government Digital Service (GDS)-compliant services across 35 departments, earning our reputation as the UK Government’s top digital transformation partner.  

From supporting the NHS App to transforming UK Passports for HMPO, MOT and Driving Test services for DVSA - we work with public sector organisations to tackle the most complex challenges with innovation, agility, and care. If you're passionate about meaningful digital impact, this is where your work will matter.  

Here are just a few examples of our impact:  

·       National Health Service (NHS): As a long-term delivery partner, we helped scale the NHS App into one of the UK’s most widely used digital health tools—supporting millions of users with services like COVID-19 vaccination status, prescriptions, and appointment booking.  

·       Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA): Our work transforming the MOT Scheme, Driving Test, and Theory Test services helped DVSA win the UK IT Industry Award for Best Public Sector IT Project of the Year.  

·       Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra): We rapidly built critical digital services to support the UK’s EU Exit, helping ensure regulatory compliance and continuity for the movement of animals, plants, and food.  

·       Higher Education: Leveraging our digital and technical expertise to transformation services that benefit many thousands of staff and students across multiple academic institutions, including the University of Cambridge, Queen’s University, and The Open University. 

As a trusted partner of AWS and, Microsoft, we bring the best of technology to the heart of government—helping our clients unlock efficiency, improve outcomes, and better serve the public. If you're passionate about making a real difference through digital, we’d love to hear from you.  

The team  

 
We are delighted to offer an exciting growth opportunity to be part of our Public Sector Business Development team at Kainos.  

Our Business Development team is located across the UK (Belfast, London, Birmingham) leading growth and revenue generation with Public Sector clients across UK&I, EMEA and North America. The team has an enviable reputation in the market having supported clients through some of the most complex digital transformations ever delivered in the UK Public Sector.  
With continued success and a strong trajectory of opportunity, we have established a devolved sectoral structure of Client Groups to support Public Sector clients:  
•Central Government and Education 
• Defence 

· Public Safety and National Security  
• Transport 

· Putting deals together – deals will need to meet sales, revenue and profitability objectives, and ensure that the work contracted is compatible with Kainos’ strategy and goals.   

·  Building and developing strategic partnerships – you will build and maintain successful partnerships with other businesses in our ecosystem to enable Kainos to be positioned as a go-to partner that is trusted and continually adds value.   

· Negotiating and managing senior stakeholders -you will be an expert negotiator and excel in senior stakeholder relationship management, with experience of presenting and refining proposals to achieve win/win outcomes for Kainos and our customers.   

· Working as part of a team - you will work closely with colleagues from other business units as well as industry partners to ensure that cross-selling opportunities are maximised.   

· Putting people first & developing others –you will mentor, coach, and develop colleagues within your client group and the wider Public Sector team, developing their business development skills and potential, supporting their career development.  

Essential requirements:    

· Hands-on experience in leading new Business Development opportunities with UK Public Sector client accounts in excess of £5m per annum, selling complex digital solutions.  

·  Excellent knowledge of digital service concepts and our markets, with the ability to articulate the distinct aspects of products and services and position them against competitors.  

·  Expert in business development processes, deal commercials and constructing complex commercial offers.  

·  Ability to create and lead pursuit plans that ensure success in winning multiple multi-million-pound deals and deliver against quarterly and annual targets.  

·  An appreciation and knowledge of technology delivery, agile methodologies, etc.  

·   A genuine passion in solving complex customer problems with technology, with broad technology experience and a sound awareness of technology trends and their potential impact for customers.  

·  Ability to operate in a highly competitive and pressurised environment, making sensible decisions that do not compromise Kainos.  

·  Ability to communicate, present and influence credibly and effectively at all levels of the customer organisation, including executive and C-level.  

·  Expert networking skills and the ability to build strong and appropriate relationships with senior stakeholders.  

·  Ability to plan and meet deadlines in accordance with business requirements.  

·  Excellent negotiation skills, both from a commercial and contract perspective as well as resolving escalations and diffusing issues.  

·  We are passionate about developing people – a demonstrable ability in mentoring and coaching members of your team and wider community.  

Desirable:   

·  Demonstrable experience working closely with global partners to build successful co-sell relationships and generate revenue.  

·  Direct experience of working in and across central government, education or regulators. 

·  Delivery experience, with ability to engage across client delivery teams. 

·   Experience of growing a market sector and developing new offerings.  

What’s in it for you?  

Make a real impact  
 Use your experience and network to help solve complex public sector challenges - improving outcomes for citizens, civil servants, and society at scale.  

Lead with purpose  
Act as a trusted advisor, building long-term partnerships and delivering meaningful change in areas that matter most - from education to regulation.  

Drive strategic growth  
Design and lead sector-specific strategies, grow our customer base, and position Kainos as the partner of choice across Central Government and Education.  

At Kainos, we believe in the power of diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to building a team that is as diverse as the world we live in, where everyone is valued, respected, and given an equal chance to thrive.   We actively seek out talented people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other characteristic that makes them who they are.   We also believe every candidate deserves a level playing field. 

Our friendly talent acquisition team is here to support you every step of the way, so if you require any accommodations or adjustments, we encourage you to reach out. 

We understand that everyone's journey is different, and by having a private conversation we can ensure that our recruitment process is tailored to your needs.