Project Manager (IT) - BNP Paribas Fortis
Description
BNP Paribas Retail Banking is transforming its technology landscape to support digital-first customer experiences, cross-border collaboration, and data-driven operations. The IT Strategy Office serves as a trusted advisor to the CIO and shapes actionable decisions about the future technology landscape. This expert-level assignment sits at the intersection of deep IT expertise and enterprise strategy. The consultant will help ensure technology investments directly drive business value.
The primary mission is to produce high-impact, actionable and synthetic recommendations for the CIO on critical technology directions under fixed timelines. Topics can include legacy modernization, application rationalization and preparation of cross-border collaboration projects. The role requires rapidly understanding technical issues, extracting the core strategic questions and translating them into clear executive implications. Success is measured by clarity, impact, pragmatism and adoption rather than the length of the analysis.
The consultant will assemble and lead ad-hoc cross-functional expert groups to resolve strategic IT dilemmas and create concrete outcomes. A strong hands-on IT foundation is essential, together with subsequent experience in a strategic or transversal role. The environment requires influence without authority, strong networks, executive-level communication and comfort with ambiguity and shifting priorities. The assignment is based in Brussels with an expected 50% on-site and 50% homeworking split from Belgium.
Top Reasons to Apply
CIO strategic impact
Major IT transformation
Emerging AI exposure
Cross-border collaboration
Executive visibility
Detailed Responsibilities and Skills
Additional Responsibilities
- Formulate executive implications
- Assemble expert groups
- Lead expert groups
- Solve strategic dilemmas
- Drive rapid alignment
- Deliver concrete outcomes
General skills
- At least 10 years of IT experience.
- Experience in a strategic/transversal IT role after a hands-on technical career.
- Experience in IT Strategy Consulting (Big 4 or strategy firm), an internal Strategy Office, or a Chief of Staff/Advisor role in a large IT organization.
- Former Architect/Analyst mindset combined with a current Strategist mindset.
- Ability to challenge architects without re-doing their work.
- Pragmatic strategist mindset: know when to stop analyzing and start recommending.
- Ability to deliver a solid recommendation rapidly, exemplified by a two-week recommendation rather than a three-month perfect analysis.
- Influence without authority and ability to get things done.
- Ability to build networks.
- Executive communication suitable for a CIO: clear, structured and to-the-point.
- Excellent memo-writing skills.
- Comfort with ambiguity and vague executive questions.
- Comfort with shifting priorities.
- Ability to work with high autonomy and low formal structure.
- Sound knowledge of English.
- Sound knowledge of at least one local language: Dutch or French.
Technical skills
- Strong hands-on IT background through Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture, IT Analysis, Tech Lead, or similar work.
- Strong understanding of modern IT paradigms.
- Cloud computing knowledge.
- API-led connectivity knowledge.
- Core Banking modernization knowledge.
- Agentic AI knowledge.
- Data architectures knowledge.
- DevSecOps knowledge.
- AI-driven cyber threats knowledge.
- Banking / Financial Services experience is preferred.
- Retail Banking experience is strongly preferred.
- Understanding of core banking systems is preferred.
- Understanding of payments is preferred.
- Understanding of banking channels is preferred.
- Understanding of regulatory constraints is preferred.
- Understanding of legacy systems is preferred.
Tools
- Excellent PowerPoint skills.