Senior Manager - Financial Crimes Risk & Controls Transformation, U.S. Issuing Financial Crimes Center of Excellence

Senior Manager, 1st line of Defense, Financial Crimes Risk & Controls Transformation, U.S. Issuing Financial Crimes Center of Excellence

The First Line of Defense U.S. Issuing Financial Crimes Center of Excellence is responsible for establishing a robust control foundation for First Line of Defense Financial Crimes Risk Management activities across the company globally, including Anti-Money Laundering, Sanctions, Payments controls, and Anti-Corruption. The team partners closely with Technology to develop and deploy next generation capabilities that address key gaps and strengthen the First Line’s ability to detect and prevent financial crimes across our lines of business. The team works in coordination with the Global Financial Crimes Compliance (GFCC) team within the Global Risk & Compliance organization.

Job Description:

The Senior Manager for Financial Crime Risk & Controls Transformation is responsible for supporting workstreams that enhance Enterprise’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to financial crime (often through processes, technology, and governance improvements). The ideal candidate for this role will be a skillful communicator who enjoys a fast-paced environment, operates cross-functionally, has a strong aptitude for process innovation and influences key stakeholders into action – all while maintaining a positive attitude and sense of humor in the face of challenges. 

This role reports to the Director, Financial Crime Risk & Controls Transformation.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Prior experience in transformation and program management with strong understanding of governance, target operating models, and control frameworks. 

• Experience in supporting multi-year strategic programs that cut across multiple cross-functional/Business Unit teams to accelerate strategic alignment and drive business, customer, and regulatory outcomes. 

• Demonstrated ability to self-start, carve opportunities out of white space, define a strategic vision, and drive results with a high degree of independence. 

• History of high performance with demonstrated adaptability to excel in a fast-paced environment and adjust to shifting priorities. 

• Excellent communication, and interpersonal skills, with an ability to interact and obtain buy-in from senior BU/tech counterparts. 

• Ability to maintain a positive attitude in the face of challenges. 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent years of experience required. 

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with data visualization, process-mapping, or AI tools is a plus.

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

Key responsibilities include:

• Program Leadership & Delivery: Lead integrated execution of the multi-year Financial Crimes transformation roadmap across Legal Entity workstreams, establish delivery priorities, accountability, and escalation paths.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Influence GFCC, 1LOD Business Unit teams, and 2LOD Global Risk and Compliance partners to align regulatory requirements, strategic priorities, interdependencies, and delivery decisions.

• Program Governance & Controls: Establish and reinforce consistent governance, decision rights, stage gates, control traceability, and risk and issue management practices across workstreams.

• Strategic Initiative Oversight: Lead cross-workstream coordination of Guardian plan commitments, standards operationalization, and legal entity alignment; resolve escalated issues and drive sustainable implementation.

• Performance & Executive Insights: Own integrated program health reporting, forward-looking delivery forecasts, early warning indicators, and executive decision materials; drive interventions where delivery is at risk.

• Portfolio Planning & Readiness: Partner with Product & Capabilities, Data Governance, Technology, and Portfolio teams to assess capacity, funding dependencies, delivery sequencing, trade-offs, and launch readiness.

• Change & Maturity Advancement: Champion adoption of common program practices, continuous improvement, and appropriately controlled automation to improve predictability, transparency, and scalable delivery.

This role is critical for AXP to remain compliant with evolving regulations and emerging threats and internal GFCC policy and building best-in-class financial crime controls and frameworks.

Salary Range: $103750 - $174750 annually + bonus + benefits