Strategic Initiatives Manager

What you'll be doing

• Lead strategic transformation initiatives across Operations Back Office, supporting the modernization of the Bank's operating model.
• Drive process optimization, automation, and digitalization projects across operational domains, including payments, cards operations, daily banking, financial markets, lending operations, and other back-office processes.
• Analyze operational processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce manual activities, strengthen controls, and enhance service quality.
• Develop and execute implementation roadmaps, ensuring successful delivery against agreed objectives, timelines, and budgets.
• Coordinate cross-functional initiatives involving Operations, Digital & IT, Business, Risk, Compliance, Product Management, and external vendors.
• Support the adoption of automation technologies, workflow solutions, and AI-enabled capabilities to improve operational productivity and scalability.
• Monitor project progress, manage risks and dependencies, and provide regular reporting to senior management.
• Collaborate with UniCredit Group stakeholders to ensure alignment with Group initiatives, standards, and best practices.
• Prepare business cases and strategic analyses to support investment decisions and transformation priorities.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, operational excellence, and customer focus across the Operations Back Office function.

• More than 10 years of experience in banking operations, including substantial exposure to back-office functions and operational processes.
• Solid understanding of banking products and operational workflows, including payments, accounts, cards, lending operations, customer servicing, and related operational controls.
• Proven experience in leading transformation, automation, process re-engineering, or operational efficiency initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of organizational change management and transformation methodologies.
• Experience managing complex cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering measurable operational improvements through process optimization, automation, digitalization, or simplification initiatives.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, combined with a structured approach to decision-making and risk management.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a dynamic environment and to drive change across large operational teams.
• University degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Professional project management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, Lean Six Sigma) will be considered an advantage.
• Fluent English, written and spoken.

What you'll get in return