VP – Control Management, Strategic Operations, Governance - job 1 of 18

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.

How will you make an impact in this role?

Global Commercial Services (GCS) is the global leader in payment solutions for Small, Medium (SME) and Global and Large (G&L) enterprises. The GCS team enables businesses globally to pay for and finance what they need to grow their businesses through a suite of payment and lending products, solutions for travel and everyday business spending, cross border payments, global currency solutions, and business financing.

The objective of the GCS Control Management Governance team is to establish the Operational Risk and Controls strategy for GCS, set up a foundational governance structure that ensures operational risks are identified, assessed, and managed in compliance with enterprise Operational Risk Management programs and reporting.

GCS is looking for a Vice President of Governance to lead a diverse team of high-performing professionals focused on ensuring control management is embedded in the day-to-day operations of our organization.  This individual will project manage and coordinate the E2E execution of a multi-phase x-functional integration journey focused on the risk and control management framework.  It will involve extensive collaboration with multiple partners across numerous business units, functional areas, and geographies.

The VP, GCS Control Management Governance will:

• Articulate an E2E x-functional workplan enabling the delivery of a progressive multi-phase GCS vision and integration agenda
• Establish and lead a program governance structure including key workstreams, phase-based milestones, steering committees and communication frameworks
• Coordinate across various cross-functional teams to ensure delivery of all key workstreams including product management and development, risk and controls and communications to shape the future vision of GCS risk and control management protocols
• Develop execution plans for enterprise and operational risk management within the business unit, including BU specific guidelines, project plans, etc.
• Engage in risk and controls governance forums for GCS, interfacing with org-wide governance processes and committees (e.g., Operational Risk Management Committee) and share insights and lessons learned across forums (e.g., Community of Practice)
• Create BU-specific procedures and additional standards (i.e., escalation protocols), related to the execution of the Operational Risk Management programs
• Facilitate the understanding and use of the risk governance framework across BUs through regular communication (e.g., Communities of Practice)
• Aggregate reporting, approvals/exceptions and support "change-the-function" activities for the BU
• Develop and administer implementation of comprehensive training initiatives and clear career progression plans that align with Operational Risk Management
• Establish processes to ensure and monitor the integration of regulatory changes & updates into the Operational Risk framework and training materials
• Be a key leader for sharing insights, better practices, themes, etc. across the enterprise

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ Years experience in operational risk management (e.g., within Risk and/or Internal Audit function)
• A strategic thinker with a record of successfully influencing at all levels and navigating complex, multi-stakeholder environments across the organization to drive decisions and deliver results
• Understanding of critical operational risk management lifecycle activities
• Excellent project management, communication, and interpersonal skills, with an ability to interact and obtain buy-in from senior BU/tech counterparts
• Expertise in process governance, with a track record of establishing and overseeing robust decision-making processes that align with policies, regulatory frameworks, and/or operational standards
• Experience within financial services industry
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with an ability to analyze data, identify trends, and evaluate risk scenarios effectively
• A change agent with strong analytical rigor, critical thinking abilities and continuous improvement mindset
• Demonstrated history and ability to manage large teams, spread over geographies and with varying backgrounds

Preferred Qualifications

•         Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business, Risk Mgmt., or related field; advanced degrees (e.g., MBA, MSc) or certifications are advantageous
•        Experience in at least one of the following:

o   Translating operational risk strategy and appetite into execution guidelines

o   Tracking and identifying issues with Key Risk Indicator (KRI) limits and risk appetite to ensure operational risks are managed within agreed thresholds

o   Implementing the operational risk governance frameworks

o   Creating, communicating and ensuring understanding and adherence to operational risk procedures and standards

o   Supporting the operational risk exam management processes

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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