IT Business Relationship Partner

Group 1001 is a consumer-centric, technology-driven family of insurance companies on a mission to deliver outstanding value and operational performance by combining financial strength and stability with deep insurance expertise and a can-do culture. Group1001’s culture emphasizes the importance of collaboration, communication, core business focus, risk management, and striving for outcomes. This goal extends to how we hire and onboard our most valuable assets – our employees.

Group 1001, and its affiliated companies, is strongly committed to providing a supportive work environment where employee differences are valued. Diversity is an essential ingredient in making Group 1001 a welcoming place to work and is fundamental in building a high-performance team. Diversity embodies all the differences that make us unique individuals.  All employees share the responsibility for maintaining a workplace culture of dignity, respect, understanding and appreciation of individual and group differences.

Position Description

The IT Business Solutions Partner (IT BSP) will serve as the strategic partner for multiple Shared Services departments and collaborate directly with business leaders to define, source and lead strategic initiatives that enable them to achieve key technology-dependent organizational objectives.

This role will drive IT Service Strategy for departments including - Finance, Accounting, Actuary, Investments, Legal and Compliance.

The IT BSP will develop a trusted relationship between the business and IT by shaping an alignment strategy, connecting teams to drive value of services, and orchestrating the portfolio of initiatives.  The IT BSP will develop a high Business IQ and help raise IT savvy of these business operations to collectively envision how technology can enable excellence within these service areas.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Partnering -  Act as a strategic connector between the IT department and business partner for the purpose of business technology strategy development, solution discovery, service management, risk management, and relationship management.
• Business-IT Alignment -  Ensure that the IT services, initiatives, and strategies are fully aligned with the business objectives and priorities. This involves understanding the business processes, plans, and needs to better align IT solutions with business goals.
• Demand Management -  Identify, prioritize, and advocate for business needs and opportunities for improvement within the IT department. The BSP helps in managing business demands, ensuring that IT efforts are aligned with the highest business value.
• Relationship Building - Develop and maintain strong relationships with business stakeholders and within the IT department to facilitate effective communication, collaboration, and mutual understanding of challenges and goals. Help raise business IQ within the IT organization.
• Innovation Facilitation - Identify and leverage opportunities for innovation within the business and IT. This involves staying informed about new technologies, market trends, and business practices that could benefit the organization.
• Service Management - Oversee the delivery of IT services to the business, ensuring they meet the agreed-upon standards and service levels. This involves working closely with service management teams to address any issues, improve service delivery, and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Portfolio Management – maintain a rolling portfolio of business capabilities across roadmaps and ensure IT services and resources are aligned; partner closely with PMO for executive reporting;
• Project Support - Provide support for IT projects from inception through delivery, ensuring that projects are aligned with business needs, adequately resourced, and successfully delivered.
• Lead Inception – Lead teams through the Inception Phase, including needs assessment, ideation, strategy, innovation, and solution definition. Output can include; Requirements, RFPs, Project Proposals; Business Case; Solution architecture; Resource Model; Procurement Needs; Security review; Contracts;
• Lead Initiatives - May perform as Project Manager, Product Manager, Squad Lead, Change Advisory Board, Project Governance.
• Resource Management – Secure IT resources across a hybrid matrix organization; Define and build squads that act as COE; Work with resource managers for onboarding/offboarding and performance assessment;
• Change Management - Facilitate change management processes to ensure that changes in IT services or business processes are smoothly implemented, with minimal disruption to the business. This includes communicating changes, educating users, and managing any resistance to change.
• Value Realization - Monitor and measure the value that IT brings to the business,