Head of technical pre-sales – cyber & ai security

JOB DESCRIPTION

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.

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

About the role

OurHead of Sales – Cyber & AI Security is atechnically credible seller who creates clarity, signal and momentum for our Cyber & AI Security offerings across Digital Services. You willbuild visibility, generate demand and lead presales execution, while connecting what customers are asking for back into our Product and Services teams.You will work closely with theHead of Product andHead of Services to alignServices,Products andSales – turning market signal into opportunities, turning opportunities into high‑quality proposals, and turning successful delivery back into compelling stories, case studies and repeatable plays.This is a management-level, hands‑on role for someone who is comfortableowning complex security sales cycles end‑to‑end and speaking credibly with senior customer stakeholders about cyber security, AI security and cloud security, while collaborating with our architects and engineers.

Key responsibilities

1. Market positioning, campaigns and thought leadership

Build and runinternal and external go‑to‑market (GTM) campaigns for Cyber & AI Security, in partnership with central Marketing and Sector BD leads.

Shape clear, differentiatedvalue propositions for our Cyber & AI Security services, accelerators and products.

Lead a regular cadence ofthought leadership activities (e.g. conference talks, webinars, articles, community events) to build credibility and demand.

Ensure ourinternal and external web presence reflects the full breadth of Cyber & AI Security capability, including services, IP and case studies.

2. Presales and bid leadership

Own all proposals for Cyber & AI Security opportunities, leading the story, shaping the solution outline and assembling inputs from Product and Services.

Maintain and continually improvesales collateral, case studies, credentials and a reusable proposal library for Cyber & AI Security.

Lead Cyber & AI Security content for larger, cross‑capability or cross‑sector bids, ensuring that what we promise is aligned with what we can deliver and what our IP can support.

Coordinatepresales contributions, taking help from architects and engineers when required,using them to provide technical depth, patterns, estimates and sector insight, while retaining ownership of the overall response.

3. Pipeline and opportunity management

Build and maintain aCyber & AI Security pipeline dashboard, giving clear visibility of opportunities, stages, owners and next actions.

Work with sector BD leads and account owners toidentify and progress upsell and cross‑sell paths within existing Digital Services accounts.

Runregular opportunity reviews with Product and Services to clarify where sales, delivery or IP input is required; unblock actions and keep opportunities moving.

Use customer and market insight to highlightrecurring patterns and emerging themes, feeding them into the Product roadmap and Services workforce planning.

4. Microsoft and strategic partner engagement

Operate theMicrosoft security and AI partnership on behalf of the Cyber & AI Security capability – managing co‑sell registrations, co‑marketing opportunities and alignment with Microsoft priorities across security, AI and cloud.

Work with the Head of Product and Head of Services toidentify and support joint campaigns with Microsoft and other strategic partners, ensuring they convert into qualified pipeline.

Use partner programmes, incentives and marketplaces (e.g. listings and accelerators owned by the Head of Product) to supportpartner‑led and partner‑influenced opportunities.

5. Customer engagement and feedback loop

Build and maintaintrusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders, acting as a consistent point of contact across presales and early delivery.

Stay close to in‑flight engagements to identifyupsell and cross‑sell opportunities, feeding them into the pipeline in partnership with account teams.

Turn delivery outcomes intostories, case studies and reference material, demonstrating the impact of our work across cyber security and AI security.

Bringcustomer feedback, win/loss analysis and market trends into strategic planning with the Head of Product and Head of Services.

About you

Essential experience and skills

You will:

Have substantial experience intechnical presales, sales leadership or business development for security‑related consulting, platforms or services, working closely with architects and engineers.

Be able toengage credibly on cyber and cloud security topics, such as securing web applications and cloud platforms (e.g. AWS or Azure), typical attack vectors (e.g. OWASP Top 10) and common security standards (e.g. NCSC, NIST, CIS, PCI, GDPR, OWASP ASVS, SOC2). You do not need to be the deepest technical expert, but you must be able to understand and articulate these concepts to customers.

Demonstrate strongcommercial awareness, understanding how digital and security services generate income, how pipeline translates into revenue, and how commercials, risk and delivery models interact.

Have a track record ofowning and converting complex bids: structuring responses, coordinating multi‑disciplinary teams, and improving win‑rates through reusable content and clear value propositions.

Show excellentcommunication and influencing skills, adapting your style for executives, technical stakeholders and delivery teams, and handling challenging conversations constructively.

Be comfortable working acrossmultiple sectors and accounts, building networks and collaborating with central Sales, Sector BD and Marketing colleagues.

Demonstrate experience ofcollaborating with and mentoring technical staff, using their expertise effectively in presales while protecting their delivery commitments.

Desirable experience

It would be great if you also:

Have experience working withMicrosoft or other major cloud / security vendors in co‑sell or co‑marketing motions.

Have contributed to or ledsecurity‑focused thought leadership, such as conference talks, blogs, webinars or community events.

Have experience inAgile delivery environments, and understand how pre-sales decisions affect delivery teams, utilisation and capability development.

Leadership and behavioural competencies

This role is aligned to theKainos Leadership Competency Framework, drawing on the six core competencies: Personal Performance

Demonstrates strong self‑awareness, manages own workload and priorities effectively, seeks feedback and continues to learn.

Acts with integrity, role‑modelling Kainos values in internal and external interactions.

Working with Others

Builds high‑trust relationships with Sales, Product, Services and sector teams.

Mobilises others, shares learning, coaches colleagues and contributes positively to the Cyber & AI Security community.

Setting Direction, Development and Accountability

Translates strategic objectives for Cyber & AI Security into clear sales plans and campaigns.

Takes ownership of outcomes, manages time effectively across multiple opportunities and holds self and others to account.

Supporting and Delivering the Strategy

Connects GTM campaigns, pipeline and partner activity directly to the wider Kainos vision, strategy and principles.

Helps others understand how their work in presales, delivery and product contributes to that strategy.

Commerciality and Risk

Understands how Kainos generates income, manages cost and protects margins.

Shapes opportunities that are commercially sound and deliverable, escalating or challenging when proposals would create unacceptable delivery or commercial risk.

Communicating and Influence

Communicates clearly and succinctly with different audiences, from internal teams to senior customer stakeholders.

Influences without formal authority, aligning people behind campaigns, bids and strategic priorities.

Our values and culture

Our vision is toenable outstanding people to create digital solutions that have a positive impact on people’s lives. We expect everyone to live our values every day by being:determined,honest,respectful,creative andco‑operative. These values underpin how we work with each other and with our customers. Kainos is ahigh‑growth IT services company providing digital technology solutions and agile software development to enterprise customers. We have a strong track record delivering transformational projects across government, healthcare and the private sector.

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.