Director, Corporate and Financial Communications

Corporate Affairs and Communications (CA&C) is a global strategic function that uses a variety of programs and platforms to shape and communicate American Express’ brand message and key business initiatives to shareholders, colleagues and the community-at-large. Our team oversees global public and media relations, reputation management, social media, colleague communications, and corporate sustainability.

Overview:

We are looking for a strong and multi-faceted communications professional to serve as Director, Corporate and Financial Communications. This role sits in Corporate Communications team within the global CA&C organization, and reports to the Vice President, Corporate and Financial Communications. 

The Director, Corporate and Financial Communications will support the planning and execution of the company’s corporate communications strategy, with particular responsibility for financial communications, media relations, corporate reputation, and executive positioning, including CEO and CFO external communications.

The individual will play an important role in translating business strategy, financial results, and complex enterprise issues into clear, consistent, and compelling narratives for business and financial media and other key stakeholders. They will work closely with Investor Relations, Finance, General Counsel’s Organization and business units to create and execute integrated communications programs around financial milestones, key corporate developments and other strategic enterprise-wide priorities. 

The position requires excellent writing, communications and project management skills, a strong understanding of the media landscape, strategic enterprise thinking, and an ability to forge strong working relationships across teams.

• Minimum 6-8 years communications/PR experience with demonstrated ability to handle all types of media and corporate communications.
• Significant experience in corporate, financial, and/or strategic communications, ideally within a large public company, financial institution, or communications agency supporting clients in the sector
• Deep understanding of financial statements, earnings reporting, and financial markets  
• Experience with both proactive media relations and issues/reputation management
• Excellent writing and verbal communications skills, and experience working directly with senior-level executives
• Well-rounded project management skills, with demonstrated ability to drive cross-functional initiatives and efficiently manage multiple business priorities 
• Sound judgment and ability to operate effectively in high-profile situations, under tight deadlines and with confidential information
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build trusted relationships across functions and levels

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

• Develop communications strategies that strengthen understanding of the company, its corporate strategy, investment thesis and competitive position.
• Draft communications materials for financial and corporate news, such as press releases, newsroom articles, company statements, key messages, media talking points, Q&As, and social media content, among others. 
• Support preparations surrounding quarterly earnings and other financial disclosures (e.g. annual report and proxy statement), investor conferences, and major financial milestones, including drafting materials, driving media strategies, and prepping senior leaders in close coordination with Investor Relations, Finance, General Counsel’s Organization, and other relevant groups.
• Cultivate and strengthen relationships with business and financial press, generate coverage opportunities, and manage day-to-day media relations. 
• Generate executive media and positioning opportunities, and support preparations for executives’ media and external engagements, developing briefing books, talking points, Q&As, prepared remarks and amplification plans, as applicable. 
• Create social media content for executive channels and develop strategic content calendars in line with platform best practices and business priorities. 
• Drive coordination across CA&C on enterprise-wide media and thought leadership efforts, including overseeing the Media Center of Excellence, enabling insights sharing and developing shared resources for the team. 
• Track the financial markets, external media and competitive environments, and emerging issues, and recommend proactive or defensive communications strategies. 
• Develop measurement and reporting on media coverage and communications programs to assess effectiveness and identify opportunities to strengthen the company’s reputation. 
• Effectively collaborate with business partners, public relations agencies, event organizers, and other vendors to support relevant workstreams.

Salary Range: $123000 - $215250 annually + bonus + equity (if applicable) + benefits