Architect à France

Our mission at AXA is to empower people to live a better life. We have to move from a perceived payer of claims to a strong partner in life for our customers. Thus, our role as Group Operations must be to support and to empower all AXA teams in the best way to achieve together this meaningful aspiration.

The most powerful levers to achieve this can be summarized as Innovation and Execution, and will drive all Operations teams:

1. Innovation: To create and provide the prerequisites and opportunities for all AXA teams to develop leading innovative solutions for the needs of our current and future customers.
2. Execution: To create an environment which allows our teams all over the world to bring their ideas to reality and make our strong promise to the customers happen.

Our concrete goals are:

1. Reinforce and realize our value creation for the global AXA organization;
2. Support and foster innovation across AXA in a close alignment and teaming with Group Innovation;
3. Embed simplicity and empowerment in our day-to-day working as well as ensure that we powerfully contribute to AXA's mission and strategy.

Teams work together to enable the move from 'traditional insurer' to 'technology-led company' by:

1. Providing streamlined, efficient & innovative IT services and products.
2. Ensuring a consistent customer experience with harmonized processes and a dedicated customer facing.
3. Being a catalyst of Cloud adoption and industrialization of operations, while optimizing cost.
4. Managing the AXA IT Platform, including the implementation of the IT strategy and the definition of the business & application architecture.
5. Protecting AXA Services employees, assets and data and ensuring security is an integral part of the IT culture and processes.
6. Driving the IT governance & the execution of the AXA global IT strategy.

Within Group Operation and under Group CIO, the Group Technology Office defines and leads the technology vision and strategy of the Group so that the AXA IT platform enables innovation & growth while ensuring the quality of service, aligned to business-driven priorities. Based on that vision and strategy, it defines also the transformation and adoption plans in close collaboration with Group Data & Technology Innovation and Business Partnership, and in particular defines the Business & Enterprise/Platform/Application Architecture in order to be able to adopt new technologies and new market solutions, in accordance with the Business ambition/priorities.

In particular, Group Operations has highlighted several major initiatives (ATLAS, One Workplace, OneID, One Network, Global API-M ...) where Technology Office is expected to create convergence by defining the strategy, gathering the subject matter experts and controlling the alignment of the implementation with the strategy and by leveraging the architecture discipline.

In this department, the Infrastructure Technology Office has this mandate on the scope of the infrastructure layer and on technical products: Workplace, IAM, Cloud, Distributed, and Network, in addition to global technical platform (e.g. API, EIP), Integration, part of Security. Should those components be managed by AXA Group Operations, or by OpCos themselves.

The Workplace and IAM Architecture team works under the Infrastructure Technology Office with the same mandate, and a focus on all topics of analysis around Workplace and IAM ecosystems. The IAM Architect Expert will be owning the subjects which are related to the Identity & Access Management scope.

JOB PURPOSE

Working as part of the Group's Technology Office, the Architecture Expert (Solution Architect) is responsible for providing architecture, vision, governance, problem anticipation and solving for IT on a transversal architectural level. This transversal scope of the architecture covers business, security, data, application and technology architecture.

He manages and coordinates, for his areas of responsibility - here transversal Workplace topics - the work carried out by the other Architects cross-domains and Chief Architects / Chief Technology Officers from AXA Group Operations and AXA entities in close collaboration with GO departments for the global assets, with Group Security for the Security part, and with Business Partnership and the Markets/Entities for the entities related part.

The Architect Expert's role is to steer the Architecture evolution across AXA to ensure the proper implementation of the IT Strategy and to be able to adopt new technologies and new market solutions in line with the business priorities, the foundations of the products structure and with the aim to support AXA to become a Tech Led Company.

The individual in this position understands the Group business strategy, the Information Systems (IS) of the Group and anticipates future directions of the IT industry to relate them to future business needs and initiatives. The Architect Expert produces key architecture deliverables, leads international workgroups and studies to establish IT directions for the Group and is responsible for the architecture review of projects related to technologies in his domain of responsibility.

His/her domain of expertise includes:

1. Strong knowledge of Identity and Access Management Architecture.
2. Strong knowledge of Identity Governance and Administration.
3. Strong knowledge of Identity Modern Authentication and Access control Architectures.
4. Strong knowledge of Privilege access mechanisms and architectures.
5. Strong knowledge of Active Directory and AD migrations & convergence projects experience.
6. Proven experience in large scale IGA deployment projects, designing all related activities.
7. Proven experience in large scale Federated authentication platforms deployment projects supporting design related activities.
8. Proven experience in working in complex IT environments (large companies, complex organizations).
9. General Knowledge of legacy and modern workplace ecosystems.

Preferred additional domains of expertise, as a plus:

1. Proven experience in large security & risk driven projects & architecture evolutions (for audit remediations, security compliance, etc.).
2. Experience in regulated environments.

POSITION MAIN ACTIVITIES

The objective of architecture is to ensure that we build sustainable, robust and secured Information Systems at the right cost and that bring business value to support the corporate business and lines of business strategies.

The Architect Expert main activity is to contribute in crafting the IT Strategy of the Group and acting as a change agent to implement this IT Strategy through the Target Enterprise Architecture of the Group, and of individual countries within the Group. He may also be called upon to directly support PMs on some key projects.

The core activities of the Architect Expert include the following for his own area of responsibility:

1. Vision and Strategy
   • Support & contribute to the definition and management of the company Technology vision, strategies and plans with focus on domains related to his role.
2. Contribute to Technology/Architecture CTO Community and Technology Governance of the Group:
   • To cover global and local dimensions, which includes ensuring design and solution choices made in the entities are conform to Group Strategy in order to secure Group interests over the long-term (Architecture boards...)
   • To share technological visions, opportunities, and risks company-wide, and in particular interact with senior business and IT executives.
3. Understanding entities context & group standards & instructions
   • Entities Requirements (business, functional, security, regulations ...)
   • Products Operational context & implementations designs (any constraints to be aware of...)
4. Understand, define, build and maintain architecture & design patterns, jointly with Product engineering teams aiming to minimize technical complexity and leverage convergence opportunities:
   • Architectures landscape.
   • Architecture Model & Maturity.
   • Architecture evolution, product design blueprints, target design analysis & options, recommendations.
   • Architecture up-to-date HLDs of validated targets.
   • Transfer of knowledge & Supporting LLD delivery with Product teams (implementation teams).
   • Architecture governance preparation, animation & presentation activities supporting different products & projects.
   • In addition to support to multiple IAM topics & projects that requires design activities.
5. Market Watch:
   • Participate to forums of leading companies (cross-industries) and vendors in order to use and/or influence technology evolutions.
   • In particular, study industry trends and technologies in close collaboration with Group Data & Technology Innovation.
   • Manage evaluation, development, and deployment of relevant technologies (technology lifecycle & roadmaps).
6. Provide support to all Group IT supporting functions, in particular for Procurement and Finance for large negotiations or assets.

As part of these core activities, The Architect Expert need to consider the current context of IAM in AXA:

In the scope of the on-going deployment "One Identity" program of both the Global Identity Governance and Administration target solution & the Global IDP target solution, the IAM Architect expert is expected to take part of the on-boarding discussions of new entities on these two main program streams (called LISA & OneAccount), in addition to multiple IAM topics & projects that requires design activities and support.

Technical skills

1. Expert knowledge of Entra ID (Azure AD capabilities and IAM related features: for standard and privileged users).
2. Expert knowledge of Ping Technology stack (Ping One, Ping Access, Ping Federate).
3. Expert knowledge of Savyint IGA Technology solution.
4. Expert knowledge of Active Directory.
5. Knowledge of interactions between Azure hosting & M365 ecosystems.
6. Knowledge in integrating applications to IGAs from the related process (authorization workflows, access rights matrix design...) to the technical implementation design choices (We can encounter a wide variety of targets in the group, such as: LDAP/AD, REST based APIs, SCIMv2, Mainframe iSeries/zSeries...).
7. Knowledge of the construction of an enterprise authorization model, including RBAC, Segregation of Duties, Risk-based authorization...
8. Knowledge of privileged access principles and solutions.

Softskills:

The person will have to interact and collaborate with multiple global and local stakeholders and different levels (peers, managers, experts, C-Levels...). To succeed in his role, this can be achieved through:

1. Openness and reaching out: Strong human relationship skills, exhibit curiosity and can see opportunities in situations, not just problems.
2. Communication skills: Exhibits strong skills in listening, spoken and written communication, collaboration and the ability to work in a global team. Architect Experts are expected to have the ability to understand and discuss with both senior managers and IT, and IT and explain in clear language complicated architectural concepts and strategies.
3. Vision: Architecture Expert demonstrates architectural vision awareness and convictions and is able to express them clearly, champion them, and debate his point of view in on-line forums or in-person workshops.
4. Embracing of the new AXA values: New ways of working with courage to promote them against tradition.
5. Openness to different opinions: Creation of consensus.
6. Problem solving orientation: Strong analytical, logical and interpretive ability to interpret scenarios, express concepts or models with several dimensions: architecture, business value, procurement, program approach ...
7. Has a deep understanding of the organizational structures: In order to be in a position to better identify improvement points.
8. International profile: A proven ability to work effectively in an international environment. In addition, exhibits a strong proficiency in English.

Experience

1. University degree (engineer degree equivalent).
2. Strong experience in IT Strategy, Solution architecture with advanced technical expertise (8+ years).
3. In-depth experience on solutions architecture designs and implementation for very large projects/environments on the IAM related topics.
4. Strong change management skills with practical experience of transformation in an international environment.
5. Strives for excellence with deliverables of high quality and ability to work in sometimes tight planning.
6. Demonstrates to be a strong team member with an open and collaborative mind-set.
7. Experience in architecture evolution and planning including financials' dimension (IT Refresh, business planning, change management...).

As a world-leading insurance company, we act for human progress by protecting what matters. With 153,000 employees in 54 countries working with 105 million customers, we've created a truly dynamic and vibrant community. Inclusion and diversity link closely with our values, and together we're nurturing a culture of respect, for each other, for our customers and the communities around us. Join AXA and you'll feel like you belong, are included and can thrive. You'll be able to shape the way you work and truly grow your potential as you seek out new opportunities, push boundaries and benefit people in critical moments of their lives. This is your chance to build the tomorrow you want. Know you can.

AXA is becoming a sustainable tech-led company and at AXA Group Operations we are one of the major catalysts for this transformation.

We set the tone by triggering and empowering the evolution of our insurance business model through technology and innovation, driving its concrete implementation globally at speed, with a high quality of advisory and execution.

We are present across 17 countries with committed, highly qualified teams. We leverage technology, data, sourcing, security and investment allocation in a global way, but also achieve economies of scale and synergies when necessary.

At AXA Group Operations, we want to be recognized in three fields of action:

1. State-of-the-art Data Technology to drive customer experience.
2. State-of-the-art Procurement & Sourcing to drive efficiency and better manage risks.
3. High-Performing Global Team for stronger partnerships with AXA entities.