Head of Talent Development and Learning

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.

Job title:  Head of Talent Development and Learning

Level: Principal

Reports to: Head of Organisational Development and Learning

Main purpose of role & level in the business:

As Head of Talent Development and Learning, you will be a senior member of the People Team, accountable for ensuring Kainos has the leadership, talent and learning capabilities required to deliver its strategy. You will establish and lead an enterprise-wide approach to talent development and learning, translating business and workforce priorities into clear capability priorities and scalable development solutions.

Working in partnership with senior leaders, business areas and the Talent Development and Learning team, you will shape and deliver our learning strategy and roadmap, strengthen leadership and management capability, build sustainable talent pipelines and evolve a modern, inclusive and commercially focused learning ecosystem. You will ensure that learning and talent initiatives are relevant, accessible, commercially viable and scalable across our growing global business.

Key responsibilities include: 

• Shaping and executing Kainos’ enterprise Talent Development and Learning strategy and roadmap, translating business and workforce priorities into the leadership, professional, technology and emerging capabilities required for future success.

• Analysing learning needs, skills data and feedback to shape our 70:20:10 learning approach, digital and short course curriculum, and offerings.

• Designing, delivering and evaluating scalable talent, management and leadership development programmes that strengthen leadership, management and professional capability and support Kainos’ future business needs.

• Partnering with senior leaders to enhance leadership effectiveness, team performance and coaching capability

• Using data and insight to assess and report on the effectiveness of learning and talent programmes, demonstrating their impact, return on investment and contribution to people and business performance

• Leading the evolution of our learning ecosystem and governance, including learning technologies, digital content, external partners, standards and investment priorities, ensuring solutions are inclusive, scalable, accessible and commercially viable. 

• Supporting the identification and development of future leaders and critical talent, strengthening talent pipelines for to meet current and future business needs.

• Leading strategic learning and talent development initiatives, including the responsible adoption of AI and other innovative technologies, and adapting global approaches appropriately for different business areas.

• Supporting the evolution of relevant learning and skills frameworks so that development priorities, career pathways and proficiency expectations are clear and connected to organisational need. 

• Bringing external thought leadership and market insight on talent, leadership, learning, future skills and development practice into Kainos, continuously improving our approach. 

• Leading, developing and engaging the Talent Development and Learning team, creating clear priorities and enabling high performance, innovation and continuous improvement. 

• Managing relevant budgets, suppliers, tools and partner relationships, prioritising investment against business impact and organisational need. 

Minimum (essential) requirements: 

• Significant experience in talent, management, leadership and learning development, with experience of shaping enterprise-wide approaches in a complex organisation. 

• Demonstrable experience translating business strategy, workforce requirements and identified future capability needs into clear talent, learning and development priorities. 

• Experience of leading and developing high-performing teams and creating an environment that encourages innovation, accountability and continuous improvement. 

• Experience of working with senior leaders and influencing stakeholders across a complex organisation, with the credibility to advise, challenge and build alignment. 

• Proven ability to design and implement scalable talent, leadership and learning solutions that build leadership, professional and technical capability and support measurable business outcomes. 

• Experience of using data and insight to evaluate impact, demonstrate return on investment from talent and learning solutions. 

• Strong commercial and business acumen, with experience of managing budgets, technology, suppliers and external partners and prioritising investment against business value. 

• Strong communication, facilitation, coaching and relationship-building skills, with the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to different audiences. 

• Strong understanding of contemporary learning practice, including blended and digital learning, learning technologies and emerging AI-enabled approaches. 
• Degree-level qualification, relevant professional qualification, or equivalent experience. 

Who you are:

Our vision is to enable outstanding people to create digital solutions that have a positive impact on people’s lives. Our values aren't abstract; they are the behaviours we expect from each other every day, and underpin everything that we do. We expect everyone to display our values by being determined in how obstacles are overcome; honest when dealing with others; respectful of how you treat others; creative to find solutions to complex problems and cooperative by sharing information, knowledge and experience. 

These values, applied collectively, help to produce an outstanding Kainos person, team and culture. 

About us 

Kainos is a high-growth IT services company providing digital technology solutions and agile software development to enterprise customers. Across our 40-year history, we have worked on transformational projects across government, NHS and a myriad of private sector clients.  

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.