Central and Local Government Business Development Director

Kainos; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job description

When you join Kainos, you get to think beyond limitations to make an immediate and positive impact – like transforming digital services for millions of citizens or helping Fortune 500 companies get live and thrive on Workday.

You’ll be part of a people-first culture that is growing around the world. We’re a creative, committed, and diverse group of individuals who succeed as a team. At Kainos your ideas are heard and valued and you’ll leave a legacy that you can feel proud of. Join us and discover how our people write our story.

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, 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.

Delivering Digital Change in the Public Sector

With over 1,400 experts in digital transformation, AI and data, cloud, and low-code, 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 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:

• Ministry of Defence (MOD): As their AI and Data partner, we’re delivering the Digital and Data Analytics Programme (DDAP), enabling faster, more informed decisions across defence through smarter use of data and digital platforms.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

As a trusted partner of AWS, Microsoft, and Workday, 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 & Devolved Government
• Public Safety and National Security
• Transport
• Tax, Trade and Welfare

Each client group has a leadership team responsible for delivering and growing our business with customers in the group and supports a devolved reporting model across the business. As a Business Development Director (Principal) in our Public Sector team, you’ll take a lead role in driving growth and opportunity within the Central & Devolved Government Client Group. You’ll focus on selling complex digital services solutions and be a strategic force in expanding our presence across central departments, non-ministerial bodies, regulators and local government.

This is a role for a true digital services expert. You’ll understand the public sector landscape, bring experience in selling user-centred, secure, and Government Digital Service (GDS)-aligned solutions, and be confident navigating complex stakeholder environments.

Having expertise in one of the Client Group sectors is advantageous for this role. This includes Non-Ministerial Departments (e.g. HM Land Registry, Companies House), Regulators, Education (DfE, Higher Education) and Regional / Local government.

You will generate opportunity in your sector by developing an extensive network of industry contacts including senior civil servants within the UK Government and Public Sector space.

Through your existing network and existing Kainos stakeholder relationships within our client base, you will lead strategic Business Development, ensuring cross-selling opportunities are maximised. You will work collaboratively with other members of the Business Development team as well as colleagues from other areas of the business including delivery, commercial, marketing and operations, owning opportunity management from first conversation to contract.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Be an external Kainos ambassador - with an external customer focus, you must ensure that you embrace and promote the culture, values and behaviours that make Kainos unique.
• Being a trusted advisor for our customers – you will apply a consultative selling approach based on taking time to properly understand our customers, their challenges and opportunities, exercising empathy, active listening, responsiveness and creativity.
• Providing Business Development leadership – utilising best industry practice and processes you will develop sector/region specific prospect and account plans and lead pursuit teams to develop pipeline and deliver revenue.
• Developing Kainos as a business – you will build and maintain a strong pipeline of opportunities across your sector/region that will enable you to forecast accurately across future quarters, achieve agreed sales targets and maintain predictability of future revenue.
• 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:

• Experience in leading Business Development 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 business development strategies and account 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.
• 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.
• A genuine passion in solving complex customer problems with technology.
• 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 and Devolved Government.

In this role, you’ll:

• Act as a Kainos ambassador
  Represent our culture, values, and capabilities with customers, partners, and stakeholders - showcasing what makes Kainos unique.
• Be a trusted advisor
  Use a consultative approach to understand your clients’ world. Build genuine relationships and uncover opportunities to add long-term value.
• Lead business development strategy
  Create and execute prospecting and account plans for your client group. Guide pursuit teams and drive revenue through structured, strategic planning.
• Grow the business
  Build a strong pipeline and forecast accurately, winning multiple multi-million-pound deals while maintaining commercial rigour and alignment to Kainos’ strategy.
• Structure and negotiate deals
  Ensure that commercial and contractual elements meet revenue and profitability objectives, while aligning to delivery capabilities and client needs.
• Sell digital services — not SaaS/ERP
  Focus on custom digital delivery: designing and implementing user-centred services aligned with GDS standards and complex technical delivery.
• Build strategic partnerships
  Leverage and expand partner relationships across our ecosystem to unlock co-sell opportunities and enhance value for clients.
• Manage senior stakeholders
  Navigate complex public sector environments, present compelling proposals, and negotiate win/win outcomes with confidence and credibility.
• Collaborate across Kainos
  Work with delivery, marketing, and other business units to ensure cross-selling opportunities are maximised and aligned to our broader objectives.
• Develop others
  Mentor and coach colleagues in your client group and the wider Public Sector team, supporting career growth and fostering high-performance.

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.