As a Senior Program Manager at Kainos, you will be accountable for ensuring that Kainos’ innovative digital services and platforms meet the user need and the outcomes agreed between Kainos and the client, whilst ensuring our delivery follows good governance and quality standards. You will empower and support Kainos teams to perform well, learn and grow in a manner that is consistent with Kainos company values. You will leverage successful delivery and senior client relationships to win new business with existing customers and support sales activity to do likewise with new customers. As this is a senior management role, you will also be expected to take on additional management responsibilities for Kainos as required.
The successful candidate will exhibit the following:
Delivery
Set the vision for the project and be responsible for delivering the agreed outcomes for the client and Kainos.
Establish critical success factors for the project (beyond the traditional measures: on time, on budget and to agreed scope) and ensure each work stream has a plan in place to achieve the success factors.
Be accountable for achieving or exceeding profitability targets plus accurate and timely forecasting and reporting of project variables (revenue, staffing, work in progress, debt etc.).
Develop and deliver a strategy for adding value to the client, ensuring that expectations are proactively managed, and issues are addressed promptly and appropriately.
Team
Motivate and empower teams to create a positive and creative culture for our people to perform well, learn and grow.
Put people first & develop others – You’ll manage, coach and develop a small number of senior staff, with a focus on managing employee performance
Ensure all team members have clear goals, receive regular feedback and have timely and constructive appraisals.
Have accountability for staffing and on-boarding of new team members.
Act as the escalation point for issues relating to an individual, team or project.
Build and maintain constructive and collaborative relationships with the client, other suppliers and third-party stakeholders.
Governance
Ensure appropriate project governance arrangements and technical quality standards are developed and followed throughout the project lifecycle.
Work with the Kainos assurance function to perform/support health checks, risk assessments and any required follow-up activity.
Comply, and ensures team members comply, with all confidentiality and non-disclosure policies and agreements and ensure the security of information, at all times.
Business Development & Account Management
Drive future growth by working closely with Sales, Account Leads & Account Management teams to identify profitable business opportunities, scope innovative solutions for the client and influence the sales/procurement cycle to best position Kainos to win new business.
Promote successes Kainos-wide, to our customers and to the market, through case studies, award submissions, blogs, tweets etc.
Takes responsibility for contracts and commercial terms applying to the project and ensure that Kainos is not compromised by non-compliance.
Professional Development and Growth
Lead continuous improvement initiatives within the Management and Leadership Capability.
Understand current thinking from the Technology, Experience Design and Consulting capabilities and drive alignment accordingly.
Encourage innovation in technology and process both within the project and outside the project.
Proactively assist with recruitment activities to enable stable organisational growth.
Minimum (essential) requirements
Minimum of 7 years of demonstrable success managing the delivery of technology-based projects using agile methodology.
Substantial experience in managing and leading project teams including line management responsibility.
Evidence of developing and managing sound client-supplier relationships and good knowledge of at least one industry vertical (e.g. Financial Services, Health or Government).
Broad technology experience, awareness of current technology trends and a solid understanding of contemporary software engineering practices and behaviours.
Evidence of taking responsibility for contract and commercial terms on projects.
Experience of adhering to robust project governance and technical quality standards.
Strong ability to make reasoned decisions under pressure taking a balanced view of client demands, Kainos commercial interests and the impact on the Kainos team.
Proven ability to manage, motivate and empower teams and lead by example.
Strong commercial awareness and sound understanding of project dynamics, particularly in a multi-supplier environment.
Affable, credible and can communicate effectively with clients and colleagues, including formal presentations.
Excellent interpersonal skills and strong negotiating prowess.
Excellent team player capable of delivering results in less than perfect circumstances.
Have a natural willingness to share information freely.
Mature, firm but non-confrontational style.
Highly flexible (including a willingness to work away from home base).
A positive attitude to overcoming the challenges facing our clients.
Have the vision and drive to experiment and deliver ‘firsts’.
We are passionate about developing people – a demonstrated ability in managing, coaching and developing senior members of your team and wider community.
Desirable
Experience of project delivery aimed at digital transformation.
Experience of managing large-scale agile projects involving distributed teams in a multi-supplier environment.
Experience of user research, analytics and design disciplines and their contribution to the effective delivery of digital services and platforms.
Evidence of securing significant follow-on business with an existing client.
Evidence of innovating or leading initiatives to improve management and leadership practices within an organisation.
Evidence of thought leadership in the public domain.
Holds a current and recognised Project or Programme Management certification.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s write the next incredible chapter of our story together.
Embracing our differences
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.
Top Skills
Kainos Belfast, Northern Ireland Office
4-6 Upper Crescent, Belfast, United Kingdom, BT7 1NT
