Vice President

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 Accounting Policy and Advisory (GAPA) is a team of highly skilled controllers who focus on providing guidance and consultation to business partners on a variety of accounting and reporting matters.  The team is responsible for producing, maintaining, and controlling high quality accounting policies and related documentation for the Company, advising senior leaders on complex issues concerning accounting and SEC reporting, and interacting with outside experts to ensure that AXP’s application of the technical standards reflects up-to-date external perspectives.

The Vice President, M&A Controller position is a highly visible role within the GAPA organization, with a specific focus on supporting mergers and acquisitions and other investment transactions.  The individual’s primary business partner is Amex’s Corporate Development team whose members are responsible for analyzing, negotiating, and executing all buy / sell transactions, and related strategic initiatives.  The M&A Controller’s ultimate remit is to provide end-to-end finance and finance related support to deal teams throughout the different phases of M&A projects. In addition, the M&A Controller will participate in reviewing complex non-M&A accounting topics that emerge during contract negotiations as well as from our evolving business. Key areas of focus for this role include:

• Advising Corporate Development and other deal team members (e.g., Legal, HR, Planning and Forecasting) on technical accounting matters critical to deal structuring, financial modelling /scenario analyses, business integration, restructuring, and divestitures or carve-outs
• Leading or coordinating buy- and sell-side due diligence, and participating in drafting of contract terms and related negotiations
• Functioning as a single point of contact within Finance for deal teams by developing, maintaining, and leveraging a strong network of relationships among various departments within the broader organization (e.g., Global Financial Operations, Treasury, Tax, External and Regulatory Reporting)
• Preparing and delivering briefings to senior members of Amex management
• Researching, resolving and documenting all US GAAP and IFRS (where applicable) technical accounting issues arising from M&A transactions
• Participating in broader accounting policy setting, consulting, and monitoring activities by providing subject matter expertise in certain topical areas, including (but not limited to) business combination, consolidation, goodwill, intangible assets, and equity method of accounting
• Monitoring emerging accounting guidance and participating in the drafting of comment letters for proposed changes in accounting guidance that may impact American Express
• Crafting strong business partnerships across functions both within American Express and externally
• Establishing a leadership presence within the Controllership organization, through direct oversight of a small team, as well as formal and informal mentoring relationships

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance preferred 
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) required
• 10+ years' experience in public accounting and/or an M&A accounting focused role at a large public company
• Big 4 National Office or transaction services group experience preferred, with validated transactional experience in such M&A related accounting topics as business combinations (ASC 805), investments (ASC 320, 321 and 323), consolidation (ASC 810), debt vs. equity (ASC 480), fair value measurement (ASC 820), revenue recognition (ASC 606), leases (ASC 842), and derivatives (ASC 815) 
• Validated people management experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to effectively communicate status, issues, risks and opportunities with senior leadership team
• Proven ability to explain complex technical topics and concepts to diverse audiences who are non-experts – e.g., interaction with business partners, collaboration with other controllers, internal trainings, etc.
• Ability to apply technical accounting concepts to new and evolving areas of the business, including where no clear guidance exists
• Consistent record of developing high profile, influential and collaborative relationships across teams, functions and organizational layers
• An interest in the application of managerial concepts and techniques in areas such as innovation, inspiration, employee development, mentoring and engagement

Salary Range: $176,750.00 to $282,000.00 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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