Principal Engagement Manager- DACH

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.

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE BUSINESS:

As a Principal Engagement Manager at Kainos, you will be accountable for ensuring that Kainos’ Workday services and deployments meet 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, Workday and other suppliers and third-party stakeholders.

Governance

• Ensure appropriate project governance arrangements, quality standards and Workday Deployment methodology are developed, understood and followed throughout the project lifecycle.

• Work with the Kainos assurance function to perform/support health checks, Tollgates reviews, risk assessments and any required follow-up activity.

• Comply, and ensures team members are aware of and comply with all data security, 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, Client Directors and 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.

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

• Broad technology experience, awareness of HR and Financials technology trends and extensive success managing the delivery of technology-based projects

• Fluent in German and English

• Have experience of multiple Workday deployments with at least one project with revenue in excess of £1m for Phase 1

• 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 using the Workday Implementation Methodology

• Experience leading projects and taking responsibility for contract and commercial terms across all functional and technical areas e.g. HCM, FINS, Payroll.

• 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.

• Strong commercial awareness and sound understanding of project dynamics, particularly in a multi-supplier environment.

• Highly flexible (including willingness to work away from home base).

• Is a Workday certified Engagement Manager.

DESIRABLE

• Experience of project delivery aimed at digital transformation.

• Experience of managing large-scale Workday projects involving distributed teams in a multi-supplier environment.

• 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.