THEODOR ISTRATESCU
Senior / Lead Technical Business Analyst | Proxy Product Owner
Bucharest, Romania
Professional Summary
Senior / Lead Technical Business Analyst with 8+ years of experience delivering complex, integration-heavy digital solutions across Banking, FinTech, Media, and Regulatory platforms. Strong background in API-centric architectures, cloud-based systems (AWS), and large enterprise environments. Proven ability to act as Proxy Product Owner and Lead BA, owning end-to-end delivery, mentoring teams, and supporting hiring processes. Extensive experience working in contracting and consulting models, including parallel, non-competing engagements.
Core Skills
Business & Delivery
- Business & Technical Analysis
- Proxy Product Ownership
- Lead BA / Team Mentoring
- Stakeholder Management (Enterprise & C-level)
- Agile / Scrum / SAFe
- UAT & Release Coordination
Technical
- API Design & Integration (REST, SOAP)
- AWS-based Architectures
- SQL / PL-SQL
- BPMN, UML, PlantUML
- Postman, Swagger
- Bash Scripting
Domains
- Banking & Payments
- FinTech & Investments
- Media & Rights Management
- EDI & Document Management
Entrepreneurial & Product Leadership Experience
Founder / Managing Director - Technical Business Analyst & Product Owner
Theta One Digiplex (RO)
Aug 2022 - Present
- Founded and manage a boutique software consultancy delivering custom digital solutions for small and medium-sized businesses.
- Act as Technical Business Analyst and Product Owner across all projects.
- Lead requirements discovery, backlog management, and delivery coordination.
- Translate business needs into functional and technical specifications.
- Oversee solution quality, timelines, and client communication.
Representative Projects
- Custom web platforms and internal business tools
- E-commerce solutions and third-party integrations
- Document management and automation workflows
Contracting & Consulting Engagements
Since August 2022, operating under a contracting and consulting model, delivering parallel, non-competing engagements via vendors including Qualitance / ALTEN, Investigo - Definia, NTT Data, and E-Resourcing UK.
Technical Business Analyst (Contract)
Universal Music Group (UK) - via E-Resourcing UK
Jul 2025 - Present
- Support the decommissioning of a legacy Rights Management system and migration to a modern technology stack.
- Translate business, legal, and operational requirements into technical specifications.
- Define integration requirements and data flows between systems.
- Collaborate with product, engineering, and data teams to ensure a smooth transition.
Project
- Rights Management Platform Decommissioning & Migration
Business Systems Analyst / Lead BA / Proxy Product Owner (Contract)
Raiffeisen Bank Romania - via Qualitance / ALTEN
Jul 2023 - Oct 2025
- Acted as Proxy Product Owner, representing business stakeholders within delivery teams.
- Functioned as Lead Business Analyst, guiding and reviewing the work of other BAs.
- Owned backlog refinement, requirements clarification, and delivery alignment.
- Conducted end-to-end business and technical analysis for complex banking flows.
- Held technical interviews for hiring Technical Business Analysts.
- Ensured compliance with banking regulations and internal governance.
Project
- Modernized Lending Process for Existing Customers (ANAF, Credit Bureau, Namirial Digital Signature)
- Travel Insurance Flow - Integration with UNIQA
- Unit Linked Insurance Product - Integration with UNIQA
- UNIQA Protect - Adult & Junior - Integration with UNIQA
- Tablet Advisory Tool enabling advisory-led, paperless in-branch experiences
IT Business Analyst / Proxy Product Owner (Contract)
UNFCCC (Germany) - via NTT Data
Oct 2023 - Jun 2024
- Acted as Proxy Product Owner for an international, regulatory-driven digital platform.
- Led requirements definition and stakeholder alignment across multiple countries.
- Modeled business processes and system interactions using BPMN.
- Translated regulatory requirements into technical backlog items and workflows.
Project
- CO2 Emissions Accountability Portal supporting Paris Agreement - Article 6
IT Business Analyst & Scrum Master (Contract)
LSEG (USA) - via Investigo / Definia
Apr 2023 - Dec 2023
- Facilitated Agile ceremonies and ensured delivery cadence.
- Defined user stories and functional and technical specifications.
- Clarified integration requirements and non-functional constraints with development teams.
- Acted as the interface between business stakeholders and engineering teams.
Project
- Market Analysis & Collaboration Platform enabling analysts to collaborate on real-time market data
Solutions Designer / Technical Business Analyst (Contract)
Finstro (Australia) - via Qualitance
Aug 2022 - Mar 2023
- Designed technical solutions in collaboration with the Solution Architect.
- Translated business requirements into detailed functional and technical specifications.
- Defined API contracts and system interactions for mobile and web platforms.
Project
- Digital Lending Platform Enhancements (Web & Mobile, SOAP-based integrations)
Senior Technical Business Analyst (Consulting)
Qualitance (RO) -> ALTEN (post-acquisition)
Aug 2022 - Oct 2025
- Delivered senior-level business and technical analysis across multiple client engagements.
- Supported API-centric and integration-heavy enterprise platforms.
- Produced functional and technical documentation (flows, diagrams, specifications).
- Mentored Business Analysts and supported technical hiring.
- Collaborated closely with enterprise and solution architects on scalable designs.
Earlier Experience
Senior IT Business Analyst
ING Hubs Romania
Mar 2020 - Aug 2022
- Delivered business analysis for data governance and data integration initiatives.
- Defined functional and technical requirements for enterprise data platforms.
- Supported UAT for analytics, reporting, and data quality solutions.
Projects
- Enterprise Data Lake & Data Warehouse integrations
- Data governance and reporting enablement initiatives
IT Business Analyst
Alior Bank (formerly Telekom Banking)
Nov 2018 - Mar 2020
- Worked on digital onboarding and lending platforms (mobile & web).
- Gathered and documented functional and technical requirements for banking systems.
- Supported PSD2 and AML regulatory implementations.
Projects
- 100% Digital Customer Onboarding (Mobile & Web)
- Online Lending Process for New Customers
- PSD2 & AML compliance implementations
Product Owner / Business Analyst
DCA Ventures
Oct 2016 - Oct 2018
- Owned product backlogs for EDI and marketing automation platforms.
- Conducted business analysis and requirements definition for internal and client-facing platforms.
- Translated business needs into functional specifications for development teams.
Projects
- EDIConnect Portal & EDIConnect AS2
- CampaignSender - Email Marketing Platform
Education
BSc - Public Administration
Dimitrie Cantemir University, Bucharest - 2022