Discover Life at Kainos

We've got a big story to tell. It's an epic tale that has been in the making since 1986. And it continues to unfold at pace. So where do we start? Where we always do, with our people.

The Kainos story

So how did a small company established on a university campus in Northern Ireland during the 80s grow into one of the UK’s largest home-grown technology success stories?

Our story starts with Frank. Frank Graham. Our first MD. A man on a mission with a very clear vision. Frank asked all the right questions from the start. What kind of tech company do we want to be? What kind of work do we want to do? And how do we find the kind of people who will thrive on challenging projects and be ambitious for more?

Since 1986, we’ve been answering all those questions and posed many more.

We’re a company that seeks out the most difficult challenges. We do work that others shy away from. We look for talented people who are good at solving problems AND want to change the world through technology.

The next chapter? We’ll continue to ask questions. Because we thrive on finding the answers.

We're obsessed with our culture...

Life at Kainos is pretty unique. Not just because of what we do but equally the way we do it. So, yes, we help cities around the world work smarter and save money, we drive complex digital transformations for government, help big brands thrive on Workday, and we work to ensure the incredible impact we have is also sustainable.

But we do all of this by handpicking great people who share our values and vision. We give them the best support available and empower them with the confidence to bring their whole selves to work. And we set them free in a culture where true inclusivity encourages curiosity, incites ambition and invites everyone to engage on a level playing field.

In short, this is where you just don't go to work. This is where you come to life.

Our values. They're written in stone and shape every part of our work, whether it's done at home on the kitchen table or in one of our many offices around the world.

Here there is an open inclusive culture where people are empowered, connected and supported to succeed and they're backed up by our active approach to embracing diversity, promoting personal fulfilment and driving development.

But while our values provide a strong foundation, they're not meant to constrain you. Instead, we encourage you to embrace them, make them your own, and let your individuality shine.

Are diversity, equality and inclusion important to us? No. They are absolutely vital.

Championing and celebrating our differences and similarities is nice. But the real story goes much deeper: a diverse and inclusive culture makes us more efficient and effective. How?

Because when we can better see the issues, we can confidently address the challenges, and we can all work together smarter and better. Here, everyone's ideas create a much bigger, much clearer picture.

See where we're going with this?

We're all on the same page

The things that make us different are what makes us one. That's why we don't just work, we network. Our current employee networks are all created and led by our people, fully championed at the highest level. The benefit for us all? An organisation that is shaped by diverse and dynamic voices. Find out where you could fit in. Or imagine starting a network of your own, we're behind you all the way.

Whether LGBT+ or an ally, Xpression actively gives us all the opportunity to celebrate and support this community. We do Pride. We champion our LGBT+ heroes. And we look for opportunities to educate and improve.

All of our people are important. But we know all too well the difficulties that women experience while building a career in IT. So, when our empowered women set up Inspire, we supported them from the start.

We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are. So, it follows that no two people think exactly alike. This is something that we not only innately understand, it's something we embrace. By ensuring our neurodiverse colleagues are supported while raising awareness and enhancing understanding, we're helping our neurodivergent colleagues to thrive.

Having a diverse workforce is not a tick-box exercise. It's who we are. Voice amplifies the views of our ethnically diverse colleagues and creates a platform for sharing experiences and challenges. Voice also feeds into our recruitment and retention strategies, allowing us to shape an even more diverse, future-focused workplace.

Embrace is where we support our colleagues with disabilities and enduring health journeys. It's more than just making connections, in this space, we're on a mission to ignite hidden potential, foster support networks, highlight paths for growth and discover areas of business improvement to better champion our colleagues.

We don't just talk the talk when it comes to engaging with our people, we walk the walk. Using Workday's Peakon Employee Voice we listen to our people, understand what matters most, and take action.

Listening and understanding are key to helping our people thrive and excel. It allows us to continuously improve and tailor our initiatives, ensuring they have a meaningful impact on health and wellbeing, fostering diversity and inclusion and identifying future leaders.

Changing the world together

Our purpose and passion are changing the world. And we're making sure we're doing that with the most positive impact possible. We thrive on making a meaningful difference in the world around us. Beyond the work we do for our customers, the impacts we make in communities and around the world, and how we actively give back wherever and however we can, we're ambitious about leaving a legacy we can be proud of. That all starts with the impact we can make today.

We've aligned our sustainability commitments to five of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

Creating a bold roadmap of coordinated actions that have real impact on our people, in our communities, and on our world.

Everyone here gets to choose what charities we support. And, as a global organisation with global impact, we're committed to giving back to the communities that have given us so much.

Like collecting and reselling our old IT equipment to raise money for charity, funding code clubs, camps and to train teachers to digitally upskill disadvantaged young people.

We're not just committed to developing our people. We reach out to engage with everyone we can. In 2022 alone, 175 of our global mentors spent 507 days engaging with 1,835 young people in 284 schools.

CodeCamp, work experience, digital insights and mentoring schemes are just some of the routes we've opened up into exciting careers in tech.

Our people, our promise

Our people packages are carefully designed to enrich your life in the most holistic way possible. Our rewards and benefits vary from job to job and around the world. But wherever you are, you'll enjoy those you come to expect, like health and dental, to some that really bring to life our values, such as support for purchasing an electric car or embracing a cycle-to-work scheme.

We also provide opportunities to get involved in volunteering and social activities. So even when most of us are taking advantage of flexible or remote working, you'll always feel connected and supported.

We understand that life is dynamic, and we want to support you in achieving a healthy work-life balance. Many of our roles come with built in flexibility, giving you the freedom to choose your starting time within core hours. Our hybrid options allow you to customise your work arrangements to best suit your lifestyle.

We offer tailored healthcare perks across all our regions to ensure your overall well-being is taken care of. We believe that a healthy work-life balance is vital which is why we offer generous vacation packages, parental leave and invest in volunteering opportunities.

We pride ourselves on providing limitless opportunities for growth. With our commitment to nurturing your development, our career lattice, our regular promotion cycles and annual salary reviews, your career will be propelled forward faster than you ever thought possible.

Our rewards and recognition programme provides a platform for everyone to celebrate and reward their colleagues' outstanding contributions. We believe in fostering a culture of appreciation and celebration.

We believe in sharing success together, so we offer various share schemes. Whether it's through free shares, share save, or cash equivalent schemes, we ensure that everyone has the opportunity to reap the rewards of our collective effort.

We are passionate about your growth and development. With our dynamic MAP (Master, Accomplish, Progress programme, you can embark on a personalised learning journey. Offering a wide range of internal courses, with new additions regularly.

"Being non-binary is important to me and something I’m incredibly proud of – and I’ve never felt so at home in a company as I do at Kainos. I’m on the Kainos LGBTQ+ Xpression Committee, and we were able to change the Workday system to become more gender fluid. It’s a great example of diversity in action and why I love being here."

CJ. Blessing, Workday Financials Consultant,

Homeworker, USA

"I started my Kainos journey as a temp. Fast forward to a master’s degree, a change in role and then a relocation to Canada, it’s safe to say I’ve been busy. But I’m absolutely not stopping there. Passport always at the ready, I couldn’t have done any of it without the support of my colleagues and a business that really believes in its people."

Aine McElhinney, Workday Financials Consultant, Toronto

"The culture here is exhilarating: the work we do, the lives we impact and the satisfaction of seeing it roll out across the world. We can push the boundaries because our ‘succeed or learn’ philosophy means we aim high in all we do, but if it doesn’t work out, we just learn from it and go again. It’s part of our DNA."

Kamil Pakur, Solution Architect, Gdansk

"As a keen photographer, I’m all about embracing the bigger picture. And Kainos gave me a platform to do just that. Not only encouraging me to share my own mental health story to help others, but to start a photography club for myself and my fellow snappers."

Jarlath Gallagher, Workday Extend Architect, Derry-Londonderry

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Our people write our story

The Kainos story

So how did a small company established on a university campus in Northern Ireland during the 80s grow into one of the UK’s largest home-grown technology success stories?

We're obsessed with our culture...

What makes our place, your place?

Our values. They're written in stone and shape every part of our work, whether it's done at home on the kitchen table or in one of our many offices around the world.

CreativeThere is always a better way. And we don't stop until we find it, it's how we transform innovation into dramatic change.

We are all...

Cooperative

Here, there is an I in team: I for the individuals who bring their best selves to work, liberally sharing knowledge, information and experience, listening and keeping an open mind.

Honest

Determined

Individually, all together, there is no obstacle we can't overcome. It's how we get the job done. In fact, we've built our reputation on it.

Respectful

Every story matters

Are diversity, equality and inclusion important to us? No. They are absolutely vital.

We're all on the same page

Xpression

Inspire

Neurodiversity

Voice

Embrace

Putting you first to create your story together

We don't just talk the talk when it comes to engaging with our people, we walk the walk. Using Workday's Peakon Employee Voice we listen to our people, understand what matters most, and take action.

Changing the world together

Sustainability

Giving back

Learning for life

Our people, our promise

Our people, their stories