Head of Technical Pre-Sales – Cyber & AI Security

Posted 9 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
4 Locations
In-Office or Remote
Expert/Leader
Information Technology
The Role
Lead presales, GTM and demand-generation for Cyber & AI Security. Own proposals and pipeline, coordinate architects and engineers, manage partner (Microsoft) engagement, convert delivery into case studies, and feed market signals into Product and Services.
Summary Generated by Built In
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
Our Head of Sales – Cyber & AI Security is a technically credible seller who creates clarity, signal and momentum for our Cyber & AI Security offerings across Digital Services. You will build 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 the Head of Product and Head of Services to align Services, Products and Sales – 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 comfortable owning 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 responsibilities1. Market positioning, campaigns and thought leadership
  • Build and run internal and external go‑to‑market (GTM) campaigns for Cyber & AI Security, in partnership with central Marketing and Sector BD leads.
  • Shape clear, differentiated value propositions for our Cyber & AI Security services, accelerators and products.
  • Lead a regular cadence of thought leadership activities (e.g. conference talks, webinars, articles, community events) to build credibility and demand.
  • Ensure our internal 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 improve sales 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.
  • Coordinate presales 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 a Cyber & AI Security pipeline dashboard, giving clear visibility of opportunities, stages, owners and next actions.
  • Work with sector BD leads and account owners to identify and progress upsell and cross‑sell paths within existing Digital Services accounts.
  • Run regular 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 highlight recurring patterns and emerging themes, feeding them into the Product roadmap and Services workforce planning.
4. Microsoft and strategic partner engagement
  • Operate the Microsoft 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 to identify 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 support partner‑led and partner‑influenced opportunities.
5. Customer engagement and feedback loop
  • Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders, acting as a consistent point of contact across presales and early delivery.
  • Stay close to in‑flight engagements to identify upsell and cross‑sell opportunities, feeding them into the pipeline in partnership with account teams.
  • Turn delivery outcomes into stories, case studies and reference material, demonstrating the impact of our work across cyber security and AI security.
  • Bring customer feedback, win/loss analysis and market trends into strategic planning with the Head of Product and Head of Services.
About youEssential experience and skills
You will:
  • Have substantial experience in technical presales, sales leadership or business development for security‑related consulting, platforms or services, working closely with architects and engineers. 
  • Be able to engage 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 strong commercial 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 of owning and converting complex bids: structuring responses, coordinating multi‑disciplinary teams, and improving win‑rates through reusable content and clear value propositions. 
  • Show excellent communication and influencing skills, adapting your style for executives, technical stakeholders and delivery teams, and handling challenging conversations constructively.
  • Be comfortable working across multiple sectors and accounts, building networks and collaborating with central Sales, Sector BD and Marketing colleagues.
  • Demonstrate experience of collaborating 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 with Microsoft or other major cloud / security vendors in co‑sell or co‑marketing motions. 
  • Have contributed to or led security‑focused thought leadership, such as conference talks, blogs, webinars or community events.
  • Have experience in Agile delivery environments, and understand how pre-sales decisions affect delivery teams, utilisation and capability development.
Leadership and behavioural competencies
This role is aligned to the Kainos 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 to enable 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 and co‑operative. These values underpin how we work with each other and with our customers. 
Kainos is a high‑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.


Skills Required

  • Substantial experience in technical presales, sales leadership or business development for security-related consulting, platforms or services
  • Ability to engage credibly on cyber and cloud security topics (securing web applications and cloud platforms e.g. AWS or Azure)
  • Familiarity with typical attack vectors and security standards (e.g. OWASP Top 10, OWASP ASVS, NCSC, NIST, CIS, PCI, GDPR, SOC2)
  • Strong commercial awareness of how digital and security services generate revenue and interact with delivery and risk models
  • Track record of owning and converting complex bids, coordinating multi-disciplinary teams and improving win-rates
  • Excellent communication and influencing skills with executives, technical stakeholders and delivery teams
  • Comfortable working across multiple sectors and accounts, collaborating with Sales, Sector BD and Marketing
  • Experience collaborating with and mentoring technical staff, balancing presales demands with delivery commitments
  • Experience working with Microsoft or other major cloud/security vendors in co-sell or co-marketing motions
  • Experience contributing to or leading security-focused thought leadership (conference talks, blogs, webinars)
  • Experience in Agile delivery environments and understanding of presales' impact on delivery and utilisation

Kainos Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Kainos and has not been reviewed or approved by Kainos.

  • Healthcare Strength Private healthcare, access to trained counsellors/EAP, and broader wellbeing initiatives are prominently offered across regions. Company materials frame support across emotional, physical, social, career and financial wellbeing, with UK references to Bupa coverage.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth Hybrid/flexible hours, generous vacation packages, and parental leave are emphasized in careers materials. Some regions also highlight volunteering time and flexibility that support work–life balance.
  • Equity Value & Accessibility Annual share awards and employee share plans (e.g., free shares, Sharesave) are widely promoted, with cash equivalents where plans aren’t available. These programs broaden ownership participation beyond base pay.

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The Company
HQ: Belfast
2,999 Employees
Year Founded: 1986

What We Do

At Kainos we use technology to solve real problems for our customers, overcome big challenges for businesses, and make people’s lives easier. We build strong relationships with our customers and go beyond to change the way they work today and the impact they have tomorrow. Our two specialist business areas, Digital Services and the Workday Practice, work globally for clients across healthcare, commercial and the public sector to make the world a little bit better, day by day.

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