Director - Control Management

Global Merchant & Network Services (GMNS) brings together American Express' merchant-and network related businesses to enable a sharp focus on using the power of our network to provide unique value to all our mutual customers. The organization manages the relationships with the millions of merchants around the world that accepts American Express and runs the company’s payment network and manages bank partnerships globally.

The objective of the GMNS Control Management

Change Risk Assessment team is to enable the safe, timely, and well-governed delivery of business change by providing independent operational risk assessment and governance for new products and material business changes. The team ensures changes are appropriately assessed, challenged and governed in line with enterprise policies and standards.

GMNS is looking for a Director, Change Risk Assessment to lead the development and execution of the GMNS Change Risk Assessment framework. This leader will manage a small team of high-performing professionals focused on identifying, assessing, and managing risks associated with new products and services and material business changes, while continuously enhancing related assessment methodologies, governance standards, and reporting capabilities.

This role will involve extensive collaboration with partners across Product, Technology, Digital, Operations, Pricing, Enterprise Risk, Control Management, business units, functional areas, and geographies to identify emerging risks, drive appropriate mitigation strategies, and enable informed senior management decision-making.

Qualifications

• Required Qualifications: 8+ Years experience in operational risk management (e.g., within Risk and/or Internal Audit function)
• 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
• Ability to demonstrate thought leadership and drive initiatives through to implementation
• Demonstrated history and ability to manage large programs and influence horizontally across 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