Director – Regulatory Advisory & Practices

The Global Merchant & Network Services (GMNS) organization is responsible for managing relationships with millions of Merchants and Partners around the world that facilitate American Express acceptance and enabling the day-to-day operations of our company’s payment network. The people, processes, and technology that support this vital function are evolving to improve the merchant experience and economics. Within GMNS, the Global Strategy, Operations & Performance (GSOP) team’s mission is to deliver a best-in-class premium merchant member experience where merchants not only accept American Express, but openly welcome and recommend us to their customers. The Risk & Remediation organization within GSOP supports this mission by identifying, managing, and mitigating compliance and operational risks across the merchant and network ecosystem, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements, Network and Merchant policies, and enterprise risk management standards. We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Regulatory Advisory & Practices Director (1LOD Compliance) within the Risk & Remediation organization to support GMNS in managing compliance risk across products, processes, and customer interactions. This role plays a critical part in strengthening the control environment, enabling sustainable business growth, and protecting the American Express brand. The ideal candidate has strong regulatory knowledge, a process mindset, and the ability to translate risk concepts into practical actions. How will you make an impact in this role? Serve as a key point of contact between the business and second-line functions (Regulatory Compliance, GCO, Risk Management, Audit) to support effective issue identification, remediation, and closure. Ensure adherence to applicable regulatory requirements, internal policies, and Network and Merchant standards through proactive monitoring, assessment, and issue management (e.g., UDAAP, Privacy, BSA/AML). Lead risk and control assessments, compliance testing, issue tracking, and remediation activities in alignment with enterprise governance frameworks. Partner with business and operational teams to embed compliance requirements into processes, initiatives, and operational workflows. Lead and support cross-functional compliance initiatives related to regulatory change management, control enhancements, and process improvements. Maintain and update business-level compliance documentation, including procedures, control descriptions, and training materials. Manage compliance-related governance activities, including exception management, risk acceptance, issue escalation, and senior management updates. Review, challenge, and approve compliance reporting, metrics, and dashboards, ensuring accurate risk articulation and actionable insights. Support internal audits, regulatory exams, and management reviews, including preparation of documentation, responses, and action plans. Act as a subject matter expert for 1LOD compliance within Risk & Remediation, providing support and guidance to stakeholders. Promote a strong risk and compliance culture by providing ongoing advisory, training, and thought leadership to business partners. Required: 7–10+ years of compliance, legal, or risk experience within a financial institution, preferably in a business-aligned or first line of defense role. Deep knowledge of U.S. banking and securities regulations (e.g., BSA/AML, Reg Z, Reg E, Reg W, Fair Lending, UDAAP, etc.). Experience designing and implementing compliance controls, programs, and assessments. Strong understanding of the payments industry and bank regulatory environment and expectations of federal and state banking regulators. Preferred: Advanced degree (e.g., JD, MBA, MPA) or professional certifications such as CRCM, CAMS, or CCEP. Experience working with compliance technology tools and issue management systems. Familiarity with global compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, MiFID II). Key Competencies: Strong business acumen and judgment Regulatory interpretation and control design expertise Excellent interpersonal and communication skills Ability to influence and advise senior leaders Proven ability to manage competing priorities in a complex, matrixed environment services or payments. Key Skills Required: Strong understanding of 1st Line of Defense responsibilities and interaction with 2LOD and 3LOD functions. Solid knowledge of the payments and financial services industry, including regulatory requirements, operational risk, conduct risk, and compliance frameworks. Proven experience owning and executing compliance programs and controls within a business-aligned (1LOD) environment. Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to engage and challenge senior stakeholders effectively. Experience in risk assessments, control design and testing, issue management, remediation tracking, and governance reporting. Ability to interpret regulatory and policy requirements and translate them into practical, business-aligned controls. Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify emerging risks, trends, and control gaps using data-driven insights. Experience with compliance governance processes, including issue escalation, exception management, and senior management reporting. Familiarity with automation, analytics, and reporting tools (e.g., Tableau, SQL, Power Apps, MicroStrategy) preferred. Excellent communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership. Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex, fast-paced environment. High degree of ownership, sound judgment, and comfort operating independently in ambiguous situations. Collaborative mindset with a strong focus on partnership, customer outcomes, and risk-based decision making. Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Visio. Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.