Senior Manager, Financial Crime Strategy and Operations (Partners)

At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared 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.

The Global Merchant Network Services (GMNS) Financial Crime Strategy and Operations team (FCSO) is a cross line of business organization, responsible for supporting the network and acquiring businesses and ensuring they have a robust first line of defense. FCSO plays an active role in enabling the businesses to meet their growth objectives whilst ensuring there is an effective control framework. The organization helps businesses manage risk, respond to new regulation, and develop new products whilst creating and maintaining effective partnerships across multiple key stakeholders.

GMNS FCS&O are responsible for ensuring that GMNS has a robust first line of defence for ensuring full compliance with applicable laws, regulations and company policies, influencing control consciousness & regulatory preparedness across products, processes and legal entities. This role is responsible for leading critical and time-sensitive initiatives, projects and issues as well as having a clear understanding of the impact of applicable regulation to ensure the line of business adherence to it. It requires a broad set of abilities including risk management, understanding of regulation, analytical skills and project management.

Critical to success will be the ability to develop strong working relationships and to influence delivery and outcomes at multiple levels of the organization, often without direct authority. It will involve extensive collaboration with multiple partners and stakeholders across numerous business teams, functional areas and geographies.

How will you make an impact in this role?

• Partner with 1st Line of Defence teams to support the GMNS business in proactively identifying, assessing, and mitigating financial crime risks.
• Monitor, identify, and respond to emerging financial crime risks and typologies, collaborating with stakeholders to ensure appropriate controls across GMNS operating and partner models, Global Network Services and Joint Ventures.
• Collaborate with Capabilities and Transformation teams to design, enhance, and implement financial crime controls that meet evolving regulatory and supervisory expectations.
• Work closely with the business, Financial Crime teams, 2nd Line Compliance teams, and key partner functions (including Technology, Security, Fraud, and Legal Counsel) to drive strong, consistent regulatory compliance.
• Provide assurance over the development, review, and implementation of policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with current regulations and identifying risks within existing processes, platforms, and capabilities, with clear recommendations for remediation.
• Plan, track, and monitor initiatives and projects against defined timelines, milestones, and deliverables, escalating risks and issues as appropriate.
• Support audit engagements, corrective action plans, and operational risk event remediation related to relevant regulatory and compliance programs.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in financial crime and/or regulatory change management within 1st and/or 2nd Line of Defence roles across multiple jurisdictions.
• Proven experience with regulatory reporting and risk control design and implementation.
• Mature risk mindset, with the ability to identify, assess, and communicate risks and mitigations clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner.
• Strong strategic thinking and judgment, with a demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity and impose structure.
• Collaborative team player with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Excellent consultation, communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Proven success operating in a highly matrixed environment, building strong cross-functional relationships to drive effective outcomes.
• Exceptional work ethic, flexibility, and adaptability to change; a decisive self-starter with a high degree of accountability, able to prioritize and multitask across competing internal and external demands.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong understanding of Merchant Acquiring and Partner models, and the Network (preferred).

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

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.