Director - Architecture

Enterprise Technology Services organization partners with every part of the American Express business to power the company’s growth and innovation with trust and efficiency, and drive competitive differentiation with speed. We support the delivery and operations of technology, digital, and data capabilities, platforms, and services globally. Specifically, our team is responsible for the company’s technology engineering, architecture, and infrastructure, providing 24x7 support to ensure an uninterrupted, high-quality experience for customers and colleagues. We also provide product management for core enterprise platforms, and lead technology risk and information security, enterprise data governance and platforms, digital product and design, and enterprise AI platforms on behalf of the company.

Enterprise Architecture is a key enabler of the company’s technology strategy. The four pillars of Enterprise Architecture include:

• Architecture as Code: this pillar owns and operates foundational technologies that are leveraged by engineering teams across the enterprise.
• Architecture as Design: this pillar includes the solution and technical design for transformation programs and business critical projects which need architectural guidance and support.
• Governance: this pillar is responsible for defining technical standards, and developing innovative tools that automate controls to ensure compliance.
• Colleague Enablement: this pillar is focused on colleague development, recognition, training, and enterprise outreach.

The Enterprise Business Architecture (EBA) team serves as the enterprise’s connective foundation, established within Enterprise Architecture to address fragmentation across business architecture practices and create a single, authoritative view of enterprise business capabilities. We link business strategy to technology execution by shaping and operationalizing the Enterprise Business Architecture Foundation—anchored in the Enterprise Business Capability Model (EBCM), customer journeys and personas, and a modern enterprise meta-model—to enable clearer investment decisions, stronger governance, and faster digital transformation.

Operating at the intersection of strategy, design, and delivery, we align business vision, product direction, and technology outcomes into an end-to-end model that drives consistency, reuse, and enterprise-wide decision velocity. In our first year, we are focused on building this foundation while proving value quickly through high‑impact use cases such as enabling always‑on, capability‑driven delivery models, improving developer and platform experiences, and informing complex decisions including M&A, build‑versus‑buy, and regulatory transformation.

Partnering closely with business, product, engineering, and data leaders, we establish shared taxonomies, connect customer journeys to capabilities and platforms, and embed outcome‑based planning to unlock speed, trust, and measurable enterprise impact at scale.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• A strategic systems thinker with the ability to see the “enterprise whole” and connect disparate moving parts into a unified blueprint.
• A management consulting‑caliber communicator/storyteller, with exceptional executive presence and analytical rigor.
• A collaborator who excels at bringing Product, Engineering, and Business leaders into alignment.
• A builder who can create frameworks, models, and governance structures that scale.
• A change leader energized by complexity, ambiguity, and enterprise transformation.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Business Architecture Leadership & Strategic Influence: Serve as a senior thought partner to executives, translating complex business, product, and technology strategies into clear architectural narratives that guide enterprise decision.
• Shape and socialize the Enterprise Business Capability Model (EBCM) through compelling executive storytelling, ensuring alignment across Product, Engineering, Technology, Operations, and Business units.
• Lead/support the evolution of the EBCM, capability taxonomies, value streams, and cross‑enterprise operating frameworks that link strategy to execution.
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture to align Enterprise Business Capabilities with company domain, certified APIs, data models, applications and integration patterns.
• Lead business architecture for high‑impact enterprise use cases including foundational technology/API Strategy alignment, partner onboarding transformation, Ways of Working transformation, multiyear investment planning, M&A process simplification, platform rationalization, cross‑platform modernization, etc.
• Conduct capability‑to‑technology mapping and journey/process analysis to identify synergies, redundancies, and modernization opportunities.
• Guide leaders through operating model changes required for scalable, future‑ready platforms and agentic system enablement.
• Maintain authoritative architectural artifacts including capability maps, value streams, process models, and investment frameworks.

Executive Engagement & Communication: Represent Business Architecture in senior forums, investment councils, roadmap discussions, and enterprise transformation steering groups. Craft clear, persuasive narratives that communicate enterprise architecture insights, modernization opportunities, and capability‑driven decisions to C‑level and senior leadership. Serve as a visible organizational leader driving adoption, clarity, and shared understanding of how the enterprise creates value and scales transformation.

Cross‑Functional Alignment & Enterprise Transformation: Drive alignment across senior stakeholders to shape integrated architectures that reduce redundancy, enable reuse, and accelerate modernization. Partner with enterprise leaders to define domain boundaries, capability ownership, and operating models that support persistent teams and continuous delivery. Influence strategic investment planning by embedding capability architecture into prioritization, portfolio decisions, and technology roadmaps.

Organizational Leadership & Team Development: Lead and mentor a high‑performing team of business architects and analysts, setting vision, elevating craft, and strengthening enterprise‑wide capability rigor. Establish standards, best practices, and repeatable frameworks that enable consistent adoption of Business Architecture across the organization.

Innovation, Emerging Technology & GenAI Integration: Identify and promote opportunities to leverage Generative AI, automation, and advanced analytics to modernize processes and improve operational performance. Partner with Technology and Operations to embed AI‑driven optimizations into operating models and process architectures. Champion innovation in capability design, process transformation, and enterprise operating frameworks.

Measurement, Value Realization & Regulatory Alignment: Define measurement frameworks to track transformation success, operational efficiency, capability reuse, and enterprise value. Ensure all architecture and transformation work aligns with regulatory, risk, and compliance requirements. Use KPIs, OKRs, scorecards, and architectural fitness metrics to guide leadership decisions and demonstrate return on investment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in Business Architecture, Strategy, Management Consulting (McKinsey/BCG/Bain/Accenture/Deloitte), Enterprise Technology Strategy, or equivalent transformation roles.
• MBA or Master’s degree in Business, Strategy, Information Systems, or related field. Deep expertise in capability modeling, value streams, business process architecture, domain modeling, and strategy execution frameworks.
• Significant experience translating complex business requirements into coherent enterprise models used for decision‑making and investment planning.
• Strong understanding of enterprise platforms, API ecosystems, integration architectures, and operating model transformation.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and facilitate alignment across large, matrixed organizations.
• Experience shaping cross‑functional frameworks across Product, Engineering, Operations, and Business units.
• Exceptional executive storytelling capability, with a proven ability to translate complex strategies into clear, compelling narratives for senior leadership.
• Hands‑on experience developing board‑level and executive‑committee materials, including strategic storylines, transformation updates, and enterprise decision frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a global financial services / payments enterprise.
• Experience with Enterprise Architecture frameworks (TOGAF/BizBOK—conceptual familiarity is highly desirable, certification will be a strong plus).
• Familiarity with API productization, domain‑driven design, merchant and/or B2B partner integration needs, and capability‑driven governance models—a strong plus.
• Background in large‑scale modernization, persistent capacity models, platform rationalization, or M&A integration—a strong plus.

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

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. From delivering differentiated products to providing world‑class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service.

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
• Support for financial‑well‑being and retirement
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location)
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location)
• 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

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.