IT Strategist

Job Title: IT Strategist

Department: ISPL Cardif IT

About Business line/Function: 

BNP Paribas Cardif is a world leader in bancassurance partnerships, providing its customers with products and services that let them realise their goals while protecting themselves from unforeseen events. BNP Paribas Cardif is committed to having a positive impact on society and to making insurance more accessible. A subsidiary of BNP Paribas, the insurer has a unique business model anchored in partnerships. It creates solutions for more than 500 partner distributors in a variety of sectors – including banks and financial institutions, automotive sector companies, retailers and telecommunications companies – as well as for financial advisors and brokers who market the products to their customers. With a presence in 30 countries and strong positions in Europe, Asia and Latin America, BNP Paribas Cardif is a global specialist in personal insurance, the world leader in creditor insurance and a major contributor to financing for the real economy. With 9,000 employees worldwide, BNP Paribas Cardif had gross written premiums of €40.5 billion in 2025.

BNP Paribas Cardif IT is a global organization with about 3000 IT staff across Europe, Latin America and Asia. Its mission is to drive and support our business strategy across all regions by leading digital transformation and delivering secure, resilient, and scalable industrial technology solutions. It is committed to enabling innovation, strengthening cyber resilience, and fostering collaboration and diversity across markets and teams to create exceptional value for our customers and partners, and ensure sustainable growth for BNP Paribas Cardif at the global scale.

Position Purpose: The IT Strategist is the strategic architect and operational orchestrator for the IT leadership team. This role is responsible for defining the department's strategic direction and ensuring its successful execution through rigorous governance, transformation management, and high-level communication. You will act as the bridge between strategic intent (CTO/CIO vision) and operational reality (Production/Delivery), ensuring that the organization’s transformation—specifically the India sourcing initiative—is seamless, data-driven, and delivers maximum value to our business beneficiaries.

Responsibilities

Direct Responsibilities

A. Strategic Definition & Roadmap Orchestration

• Strategy Formulation: Actively contribute to the definition and promotion of the IT industrialization and production strategy, ensuring alignment with the BNP Paribas Group’s global technological policy.
• Transformation Roadmap: Design and manage the multi-year transformation roadmap, translating long-term vision into actionable milestones for the India transition and other strategic shifts.
• Decision Support: Provide the COO/Head of IT with high-level synthesis, risk opinions, and "decision-ready" intelligence to facilitate complex strategic choices.

B. Executive Communication & Visual Storytelling

• Strategic Narrative Design: Lead the creation of sophisticated, executive-level presentations (PowerPoint) for Steering Committees, Board reviews, and Group-level reporting.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Develop and execute communication plans that translate technical and operational complexities into clear, compelling business value for Onshore Beneficiaries and Group leadership.
• Transparency & Reporting: Establish a culture of transparency by designing high-level reporting frameworks that provide a consolidated view of strategy, budget, and transformation progress.

C. Governance, Performance & Business Alignment

• Governance Frameworks: Implement and lead governance bodies to facilitate decision-making processes, trajectory monitoring, and stakeholder alignment.
• KPI & Performance Architecture: Define and oversee the deployment of relevant performance indicators (KPIs/SLOs) to monitor the quality, stability, and ROI of the new operational setup.
• Business Relationship Liaison: Act as the ultimate escalation point for "business irritants," ensuring that the interests of Onshore Beneficiaries are represented in the design and implementation of new IT solutions.

D. Operational & Financial Oversight

• Transformation Monitoring: Oversee the "Build, Run, Improve" cycle of the transformation, ensuring that the transition to India delivers expected efficiency and cost-control targets.
• Budget & Cost Governance: Monitor the departmental strategic budget, ensuring that investments in transformation and production are based on a clear business rationale (ROI/Efficiency).
• Risk & Continuity Oversight: Ensure that the transformation strategy integrates IT Risk, Cybersecurity, and Business Continuity (BCP) requirements from the design phase.

Technical & Behavioral Competencies

• Strategy & Transformation: Proven ability to define, promote, and implement large-scale organizational change and IT industrialization strategies.
• Business / IT Relationship Management: Expertise in managing complex stakeholder ecosystems and aligning IT capabilities with business needs.
• Financial & Budget Steering: Ability to manage strategic budgets, monitor cost evolution, and ensure the financial viability of the transformation roadmap.
• Risk & Governance: Deep understanding of IT Risk, Cybersecurity governance, and the ability to provide informed "Risk Opinions" on strategic decisions.

Specific Qualifications:

Skills Referential (Required knowledge, skills and abilities)

Technical Skills:

· Advanced Visual Storytelling: Mastery of PowerPoint to create high-impact, executive-level visual narratives.

· Analytical Ability: Superior ability to synthesize vast amounts of data into actionable strategic insights.

· Project/Program Management: Advanced knowledge of Agile, Waterfall, and ITIL methodologies to oversee complex, multi-threaded programs.

· Change Management: Ability to understand, explain, and support large-scale organizational change.

Behavioral Skills: 

· Impact & Influence: Exceptional ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive commitment toward a shared strategic vision.

· Decision Making: Ability to make high-pressure decisions based on incomplete or complex information.

· Resilience: High capacity to maintain focus and leadership stability in a fast-paced, transformative, and often ambiguous environment.

· Creativity & Problem Solving: A proactive approach to identifying bottlenecks in the transformation and designing innovative solutions.

· Communication Excellence: Mastery of both oral and written communication in English, tailored for executive audiences.

Education Level: Master’s Degree

Experience: 10–15+ years

Location: Chennai

About BNP Paribas Group:

BNP Paribas is the European Union’s leading bank and key player in international banking. It operates in 65 countries and has nearly 185,000 employees, including more than 145,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services for the Group’s commercial & personal banking and several specialized businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment, and protection solutions; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients. Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realize their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy, and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated commercial & personal banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group's performance and stability.

About BNP Paribas India Solutions:

Established in 2005, BNP Paribas India Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of BNP Paribas SA, European Union’s leading bank with an international reach. With delivery centers located in Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai, we are a 24x7 global delivery center. India Solutions services three business lines: Corporate and Institutional Banking, Investment Solutions and Retail Banking for BNP Paribas across the Group. Driving innovation and growth, we are harnessing the potential of over 10000 employees, to provide support and develop best-in-class solutions.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At BNP Paribas, we passionately embrace diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all employees are valued, respected and can bring their authentic selves to work. We prohibit Discrimination and Harassment of any kind and our policies promote equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants, irrespective of, but not limited to their gender, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, colour, national origin, age, religion, social status, mental or physical disabilities, veteran status etc. As a global Bank, we truly believe that inclusion and diversity of our teams is key to our success in serving our clients and the communities we operate in. As a global Bank, we truly believe that inclusion and diversity of our teams is key to our success in serving our clients and the communities we operate in.