Vice President, Guardian Strategy & Execution - job 1 of 16

At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviors, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. As part of Team Amex, you'll experience this powerful backing with comprehensive support for your holistic well-being and many opportunities to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and grow your career.

Here, your voice and ideas matter, your work makes an impact, and together, you will help us define the future of American Express.

We are hiring within Project Guardian Program Management Office team responsible for leading the coordination and implementation of a multi- year transformation roadmap to uplift the enterprises risk management practices. 

As VP, Guardian Strategy & Execution, you will play a critical role in overseeing the planning and execution for Project Guardian, a top-priority enterprise transformation initiative. We are seeking a strategic thinker and results-oriented leader with a background in leading complex, regulatory, transformation initiatives. The is a fast paced, high impact, and high visibility opportunity with engagement with leaders across the enterprise.

The VP, Guardian Strategy & Execution will lead:

• Program Strategy and Execution: Collaborate closely with key stakeholders to define the overarching implementation strategy, objectives, scope, timelines, and success metrics. Provide a holistic, enterprise-wide perspective on program progress, critical decision points, and emerging strategic insights.
• Strategic Intake and Integration: Lead the systematic intake and prioritization of regulatory gaps, including MRA, MRIA, and audit findings to ensure a comprehensive and unified approach to Guardian that addresses identified issues while aligning with strategic objectives.
• Audit and Quality Control: Leverage deep understanding of audit to ensure that closure activities for regulatory gaps and audit findings meet quality standards and are appropriately documented.
• Executive and Cross-Functional Engagement: Partner with senior executives and workstream owners to drive strategic alignment and clarity across the program. Serve as the lead liaison to CEG, USRR, RELM, and IAG-related efforts.
• Issue Resolution and Escalation: Proactively identify risks, dependencies, and roadblocks, developing actionable solutions and ensuring timely resolution. Escalate critical issues to executive leadership as needed to maintain momentum.
• Continuous Improvement: Develop principles and frameworks to integrate findings and regulatory feedback into the Guardian plan, ensuring continuous learning and improvement.
• Reporting and Executive Oversight: Provide regular, data-driven updates and insights to executive leadership, governance committees, the board, and regulators. Ensure reporting is strategic, outcome-focused, and aligned with enterprise priorities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of leadership experience in risk management, regulatory compliance, or enterprise transformation. Preference for leaders with audit expertise.
• Demonstrated experience in managing large-scale, cross-functional initiatives with executive-level visibility and impact.
• Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, audit processes, and the evolving risk landscape.
• Proven track record of leading regulatory remediation, MRA/MRIA resolution, and audit finding integration in a highly regulated, complex environment.
• Strong strategic mindset with the ability to translate complex requirements into actionable, enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, assess, and resolve issues quickly and effectively, escalating as appropriate to executive leadership.

Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the U.S is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions

Salary Range: $185,000.00 to $260,000.00 annually + bonus + equity (if applicable) + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we’ll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

• Competitive base salaries 
• Bonus incentives 
• 6% Company Match on retirement savings plan 
• Free financial coaching and financial well-being support 
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits 
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need 
• 20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy 
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location) 
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program 
• Career development and training opportunities

For a full list of Team Amex benefits, visit our Colleague Benefits Site.

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law. American Express will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including, but not limited to, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. For positions covered by federal and/or state banking regulations, American Express will comply with such regulations as it relates to the consideration of applicants with criminal convictions.

We back our colleagues with the support they need to thrive, professionally and personally. That's why we have Amex Flex, our enterprise working model that provides greater flexibility to colleagues while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite, in a hybrid model (combination of in-office and virtual days) or fully virtually.

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Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.