Paris - Long Term Internship - Corporate Banking - Digital - Transaction Banking 2.0

MAIN OBJECTIVES & PURPOSE

BNP Paribas is a global financial institution present in over 75 countries worldwide, with 185,000+ employees and €39bn revenues (2014). The group offers a large variety of financial and other services. The BNPP group is set out around 2 major poles: Retail Banking & Services (which covers activities such as retail banking in domestic and international markets, insurance, leasing, wealth management, real estate) and Corporate and Institutional Banking - CIB (which covers activities such as corporate banking, global markets and securities services).

With ca. 20,000 employees in 45 countries globally, CIB serves ca. 15,000 clients and offers financing, advisory and capital markets services to corporates of a certain size as well as to other financial institutions.

Transaction Banking (flow banking) is one of the key areas of CIB, and largely considered as the “entry point” into the Group for Large Corporates. This area of CIB includes 4 main business lines: cash management, trade finance, supply chain management (inventory financing) and corporate deposit line. These business lines aim to assist clients in optimising their working capital needs. Transaction Banking teams mainly interface with companies’ treasurers and/or treasury departments.

Like most areas of financial services, flow banking is experiencing a set of challenges (pressure from increased regulation, rapidly evolving clients and client needs, increased competition from Fintechs active in the corporate banking universe etc.) which call for improvement in the teams’ awareness of and adaptability to this changing environment. This includes developing new mindsets and new skills (including – and not limited to – creative problem-solving ability, data analytics capability etc.) with a focus on client empathy and client experience to design and deliver client-value focused initiatives, ability to develop social connectedness and inclusiveness in the workplace, ability to build and utilize informal networks, etc.    

Transaction Banking 2.0 is in charge of “preparing for the flow banking of tomorrow”. In this context, TB 2.0 works with both Transaction Banking EMEA management and teams (TB’s 4 business lines are spread in 15+ geographies in the EMEA region, ca. 250 persons). TB 2.0 offers an outsider’s view on current business practices, current processes, as well as on technological developments which can impact Transaction Banking services (big/smart data, digitalization, blockchain technology etc.), to allow for reconsideration of current work models and for their evolution.

TB 2.0 is a connector (between teams, with IT, with other business lines and functions within BNPP and with the outside world insofar as it relates to flow banking, to new offers of financial services or a new way of working), a driver of initiatives, a catalyst of change.

MISSION:
the mission consists in taking an active part in the development and implementation of TB 2.0 initiatives. TB 2.0 initiatives include (among others) the development of agile projects relating to flow banking (using new technology eg. Blockchain); technology and/or business-driven events (across business lines and geographies), aiming at developing awareness of new technologies, new services, and/or increased focus on client needs and pain points. TB 2.0 further focuses on spreading and scaling “new ways of working” within flow banking teams, through improved communication and collaboration among teams, development of cross-business and cross-geography interactions and creation of informal networks between teams. 

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

(1) fintech watch/research/pilots: primary responsibility for (i) scouting fintech active in flow banking environment, sound opportunity for pilots or tests etc.) and (ii) researching topics of relevance or interest for TB 2.0: incl. academic litterature on change management, creative leadership, communication etc., contacting experts, generating ideas

(2)   Support of internal new/agile projects: TB 2.0 stimulates mixed teams of business and IT specialists to develop new services/products, using creative methodologies (eg. Design Thinking or other innovation methodologies). These projects require active support, project management, coordination, reporting/monitoring and creative problem solving ability. The analyst will have the opportunity to assist project teams from an analytical perspective (investigation of business issues and ability to solve them through analysis of internal/external data). This part of the mission offers an excellent transversal view across business/IT/functions/top management within CIB as these projects in general relate to new and untested forms of working within the organisation

(3)   TB 2.0 workshops, presentations, communication: (i) support TB 2.0 co-heads in designing, organising and executing workshops, events (both internal and involving clients) in the context of their mission (ii) prepare presentations with clear messages etc. (iii) prepare communications for TB 2.0 projects and events (incl short videos, creative supports etc.)

REPORTING & EVALUATION CRITERIA

The candidate will work in close coordination with and report to the co-heads of Transaction Banking 2.0 (both Paris-based).

The candidate will be evaluated on several factors, including organisational skills, analytical skills, proactiveness, autonomy, curiosity for themes related to evolution in business/change management/evolution in work practices and mindset (incl. the ability to listen and ask questions), and creativity/resourcefulness.  

COMPETENCIES, EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS

Education: university, Business School or Masters’ degree (specialization in finance, engineering, mathematics, statistics, computer sciences, information management or other scientific specialty) - or education focused on entrepreneurship/innovation/new technologies – Education is viewed as a proxy for the candidate’s curiosity, appetite for knowledge, drive and achievement

Experience: a first experience in financial services, business intelligence, data analysis, consulting and/or in a large organization and/or a strong client facing focus (B-to-B) will be considered a plus

Skills: good knowledge of Microsoft suite (esp. Excel). High degree of comfort with numbers. Ability to think abstractly and creatively. Knowledge of basic video making tools/software a plus.

Other useful “skills” would include appetite for the position, mindfulness of others, drive for tangible results, ability to communicate effectively, ability to work in (informal) teams, flexibility, adaptability, curiosity

Language: English speaker (fluent) and French (min. conversational)

OTHER

Contract: 6 month internship (“stage”)

Full time/part-time : full time

Availability: immediate