Delivery Manager (Dynamics 365)

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:

DELIVERY MANAGER

As a Delivery Manager (Manager) at Kainos, you will be responsible 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 strong client relationships to explore opportunities to win follow-on business with existing customers.  
The successful candidate will exhibit the following:

Delivery 

• Understand 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 responsible for achieving or exceeding profitability targets plus accurate and timely forecasting and reporting of project variables (revenue, staffing, work in progress, debt etc.).  
• Exploit opportunities 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 staff, with a focus on managing employee performance
• Ensure all team members have clear goals, receive regular feedback and have timely and constructive appraisals. 
• Ensure team members have learning and development objectives to acquire and maintain the skills necessary for the project. 
• Have responsibility for staffing teams and on-boarding of new team members. 
• 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. 
• Effectively manage project risks and issues, escalating where appropriate.   
• Comply, and ensure 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 

• Support future growth by working closely with Sales, Account Leads & Account Management teams, assisting where required with the sales/procurement cycle to best position Kainos to win profitable new business. 
• Promote successes Kainos-wide, to our customers and to the market, through case studies, award submissions, blogs, tweets etc. 
• Understand the contracts and commercial terms applying to our projects and ensure that Kainos is not compromised by non-compliance. 
• Professional Development and Growth 
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within the Management 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.

AI ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

As an Engagement Manager in Kainos, you’ll fully manage the successful implementation of solutions for customers by working closely with customer business teams and internal delivery teams to drive the scope, definition and delivery of solutions that are fit for purpose and commercially viable. You’ll take accountability for the complete delivery lifecycle alongside Technical and Solution Architects. You’ll manage all aspects of your projects, which will typically be either one large, complex project or multiple smaller projects. This will include project planning, staffing, milestone tracking, commercial management and customer satisfaction.

Your key responsibilities include:

• Commercially managing the implementation of solutions from pre-sales through implementation to hand over to AMS (Application Management Services).
• Acting as the key client interface between functional and technical teams and the client.
• Pragmatically offering domain experience to provide functional insight and thought-leadership.
• Managing all aspects of project delivery including project planning, resourcing, milestone tracking, commercial management and customer satisfaction.
• Leading and supporting blended teams of colleagues, client and partner resources to share knowledge and develop an integrated delivery ethic.
• Agreeing objectives, outputs, milestones, timescale with client, together with associated contract and commercial terms.
• Identifying requirements, business processes, application configurations, testing plans and other artefacts to be documented to ensure shared understanding and facilitate knowledge transfer.
• Creating well structured & accurate deliverables and presenting to client steering level groups to secure proposed recommendations and agreement.
• Identifying and actioning appropriately opportunities to win business, including negotiating and closing at a senior client level.

Minimum (essential) requirements

DELIVERY MANAGER  

• Minimum of 2 years 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. 
• Experience of adhering to robust project governance and technical quality standards. 
• Proven ability to manage, motivate and empower teams and lead by example. 
• Strong commercial awareness and sound understanding of project dynamics. 
• Affable, credible and can communicate effectively with clients and colleagues, including formal presentations. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills. 
• 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. 
• We are passionate about developing people – a demonstrated ability in managing, coaching and developing members of your team and wider community.

AI ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in implementing successful software projects within a consulting environment/ IT services environment
• Full lifecycle project management experience, from initial opportunity through to requirement development / definition, functional solution design, implementation, data-migration, system testing, user acceptance testing, go-live and service management
• Excellent customer focus, able to assess customer needs, build relationships and manage customer expectations. You will be able to intervene effectively and resolve customer escalations appropriately
• Experience of managing and supporting geographically distributed and blended teams of colleagues, client and partner staff to share knowledge and develop an integrated delivery ethic
• Excellent commercial management, influencing and negotiation skills
• Excellent communicator, able to communicate with customers and colleagues with impact and credibility. Sound ability to formally present to senior Client audiences
• An emerging role model within Kainos
• Excellent business writing skills with experience in the production of business cases, requirement documentation, tender documents, contracts, statements of work and change requests
• Success in identifying and taking appropriate action on opportunities for additional business.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and make sensible decisions under pressure taking a balanced view of customer demands and Kainos commercials
• Ability to widen and maintain a network of external contacts
• Understanding of risk management and able to manage risk
• Support the operations function to ensure that staff are deployed in the most commercially advantageous way, balancing development needs and personal preferences

Desirable

• 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. 
• Holds a current and recognised Project or Programme Management certification.
• [Delivery Manager only] Experience of project delivery aimed at digital transformation. 
• [Delivery Manager only] Evidence of innovating or leading initiatives to improve management and leadership practices within a team or an organisation.
• [AI Engagement Manager only] Professional qualifications where applicable in your Capability
• [AI Engagement Manager only] Identify talent for rapid development within the capability
• [AI Engagement Manager only] Experience of managing, mentoring and developing teams