VP, Operational Excellence

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With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.

At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.

Join Team Amex and let's lead the way together.

Enterprise Digital & Data Solutions Operational Excellence is a First Line of Defense team with a mission to enable enterprise value and world-class digital experiences while maintaining a strong control environment. The team assists the business in the identification, measurement, monitoring and management of operational risks and regulatory compliance across digital software products, data solutions and business processes.

Reporting to the Head of Operational Excellence, this role will lead a multi-discipline and geography dispersed team of dedicated risk professionals. The VP, Operational Excellence will be responsible, but not limited to oversight of new product, and large-scale change governance, coordination of regulatory exams, responses, second line of defense reviews and audits.

The ideal candidate has a passion for operational risk with excellent relationship and communication skills with proven track record to influence and drive pragmatic outcomes across all levels and lines of defense.

The VP, EDDS Operational Excellence will be responsible:

• Lead and develop a diverse team of dedicated professionals; with experience across operational risk matters that span data management, privacy, technology, information security, etc.
• Lead large-scale operational risk programs such as New Product Governance, Third-Party Risk Management, Regulatory Response, and engagement of audits and second line of defense reviews.
• Operate as a trusted advisor for digital product software, data solutions and business process teams with strong focus on elevating management awareness and organizational risk culture.
• Partnership with Compliance and General Counsel (GCO) to ensure products and processes comply with applicable laws, regulations and policies supported by meticulous testing.
• Independently assess operational risks, challenging legacy practices, collaborating with business partners to improve processes, controls and monitoring.
• Identify trends, themes and tendencies that indicate emerging operational risk by analyzing data and trends across metrics, loss event data and external events.
• Drive pragmatic business decisions across sophisticated colleague, customer and shareholder issues.
• Represent EDDS in relevant governance forums, management committees and internal/external reviews.
• Drive a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experienced, credible leader with 10+ years of financial services-related experience; must have experience within Operational Risk/Operational Excellence, Compliance and/or EDDS.
• Outstanding critical thinking, insight and judgment, with shown ability to navigate through ambiguity to build structure, ask the right questions and synthesize complex inputs into clear recommendations and advise on direction in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills, and business acumen to advise executive leadership.
• Analytical, with proficiency in qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Project management skills and strong change management experience driving projects forward.
• Outstanding communication skills – both written and verbal – with comfort presenting to audiences of all levels.
• Great relationship builder, with experience collaborating across lines of business and geographies.
• Ability to lead and influence layers above and below, directly and indirectly, with confirmed ability to operate successfully across the matrix, at all band levels.
• Strong self-starter with intellectual curiosity, initiative, drive, and attention to detail.
• Excellent work ethic with demonstrated skills in flexibility and adaptability to change, ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Impeccable professionalism and integrity required for handling of confidential information.
• Demonstrable delivery in developing strong talent and building diverse teams.

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 to $260,000 annually + bonus + 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 our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:

• 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 work arrangements and schedules with hybrid and virtual options with Amex Flex
• 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.

At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.

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.

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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