Director of Process Risk Reduction

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. From delivering differentiated products to providing world-class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service. 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? The U.S. Consumer Services (USCS) Team is responsible for our suite of consumer products, services, and experiences in the U.S., including our premium, cobrand, cash back, and lending portfolios, Membership Rewards, Global Travel & Lifestyle Services, the Centurion Lounge network, our Global Dining and Resy businesses, U.S. Consumer Banking, and best-in-class marketing programs across customer, prospect, and partner channels. The USCS team is focused on making membership an indisputable competitive advantage and helping each other become better leaders every day Within USCS, the Control Management Process Risk Reduction team is responsible for strengthening the control environment and proactively reducing operational risk across our products, processes, and customer experiences. The team partners closely with business and technology leaders to identify key risk drivers, enhance processes and controls, and deliver sustainable solutions that support effective risk management while enabling continued business growth. We are seeking a Director of Process Risk Reduction to lead a team focused on driving high-impact improvements across the control environment and advancing how operational risk is managed within US Consumer Card (USCC). This role will shape and execute a strategic risk reduction agenda, partnering with USCC leaders to translate enterprise risk expectations into scalable, business-aligned solutions. The Director will play a critical role in driving cross-functional alignment and ensuring control management is consistently integrated into business operations, while delivering clear, actionable insights to support decision-making in a dynamic environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and lead the USCC process risk reduction strategy, establishing priorities to materially reduce operational risk across critical products and processes
• Own identification and prioritization of high-impact risk reduction opportunities, leveraging issues, operational risk events, testing outcomes, and business insights
• Drive the adoption of data, advanced analytics, and AI-enabled capabilities to enhance risk identification, prioritize interventions, and scale process and control improvements across USCC
• Drive alignment with USCC and technology leaders on risk reduction priorities, influencing decision-making, resource allocation, and execution roadmaps
• Oversee delivery of prioritized risk reduction initiatives for USCC, ensuring sustainability of process and control improvements
• Provide executive-level insights and reporting on risk reduction progress, emerging risks, and systemic vulnerabilities
• Serve as the primary point of contact for USCC leadership on control management queries
• Lead a high-performing team, developing talent and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement

Minimum Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience in operational risk, control management, internal audit, or process transformation, with a strong understanding of the end-to-end operational risk management lifecycle (e.g., RCSA, control testing, issue management, remediation)
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives or transformation programs, with a track record of delivering measurable process, control, or risk reduction outcomes
• Strong expertise in root cause analysis and remediation design, with the ability to identify systemic risk drivers and implement sustainable solutions that prevent recurrence
• Proven ability to influence and partner with business and technology leaders, driving alignment and execution across a matrixed organization without direct authority
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize data from multiple sources (e.g., issues, events, testing results) into clear insights and actionable strategies
• Experience in process governance and control frameworks, including aligning business processes and controls to internal policies, regulatory expectations, and risk appetite
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with experience developing and delivering executive-level presentations and influencing decision-making
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including building, developing, and managing high-performing teams
• Learning agility

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Finance, Business, Risk Management, Engineering, or related field; advanced degrees or certifications (e.g., MBA, CPA, CIA, FRM) preferred
• Experience in management consulting or business transformation roles, particularly in financial services or other highly regulated industries Experience in one or more of the following:
• Leading process risk reduction or control uplift initiatives
• Driving remediation of high-severity or systemic issues across business units
• Designing and implementing preventive, automated, or scalable control solutions
• Leading governance, PMO, or enterprise risk/control programs
• Experience leveraging data, analytics, and emerging technologies (including AI/GenAI) to identify risk patterns, prioritize interventions, and enhance operational efficiency
• Strong knowledge of regulatory expectations, audit methodologies, and enterprise risk management practices within financial services

Salary Range:

$123,000.00 to $215,250.00 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. US Job Seekers - Click to view the "Know Your Rights" poster. If the link does not work, you may access the poster by copying and pasting the following URL in a new browser window: https://www.eeoc.gov/poster Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.