At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared

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.

About American Express Ventures

American Express Ventures (“Amex Ventures”) seeks to identify and invest in category leading startups shaping the future of financial services, consumer commerce and enterprise software. As a value-added investor, Amex Ventures plays a key role in developing and executing long-term corporate strategic initiatives which contribute to American Express’ market leadership and growth. Team members work with senior management, C-level executives and business leaders across the company to execute venture investments, both domestically and internationally. The team also initiates and executes non-organic business development and strategic initiatives.

The Amex Ventures team is seeking a highly motivated individual for a high-visibility role at the intersection of venture capital and enterprise innovation, shaping how American Express identifies, tests, and scales partnerships with leading startups.

The role is based in San Francisco, California or New York, NY.

Job Scope & Responsibilities

The Director of Business Development (BD) & Go-To-Market (GTM) Enablement will play a critical leadership role in building and scaling Amex Ventures’ commercialization and ecosystem engagement efforts.

Reporting to the Managing Director and Head of BD, this leader will oversee the project management f or startup commercialization, manage the Ventures partnership reporting and data infrastructure, and lead engagement with key venture capital and ecosystem partners. The Director will drive measurable impact across the innovation funnel ; enabling startup pilots, facilitating enterprise partnerships, and delivering insights that demonstrate Amex Ventures’ contribution to enterprise growth.

This role manages one Senior Analyst and collaborates extensively with the Ventures investment team, Amex business units, and cross-functional partners across Legal, Enterprise Risk, Marketing, Corporate Communications and Compliance.

Key responsibilities:

1. Commercialization PMO & Partnership Enablement

• Lead the end-to-end PMO for commercialization , managing all programs connecting startups to Amex business units through engagement with senior business leaders.
• Own the Ventures Commercialization Playbook , ensuring scalable, compliant, and repeatable partnership execution.
• Partner with BUs on annual capacity planning to align venture sourcing, enterprise demand, and resource allocation.
• Provide thought leadership and process innovation to improve the speed, efficiency, and impact of startup engagements.
• Support Investors and BU stakeholders to scope, evaluate, and operationalize pilots, proofs of concept, and commercialization opportunities.

2. VC & Ecosystem Engagement

• Manage key relationships with VC partners and strategic investors to expand startup sourcing and collaboration opportunities. Use relationships to provide thought leadership around innovation trends and insights back into Amex
• Build new VC and ecosystem relationships to increase top-of-funnel deal flow aligned with Amex Ventures’ thematic priorities.

3. Reporting, Analytics & Insights

• Own data, reporting, and insights infrastructure across all BD workstreams, including startup engagement, VC networks, events, and commercialization.
• Identify relevant opportunities to streamline infrastructure through new technologies
• Translate data into actionable insights that demonstrate venture-to-enterprise value creation.
• Maintain and evolve all BD playbooks, internal processes, and reporting templates to ensure operational excellence.

4. Strategic Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as a trusted partner to the Head of BD, supporting incremental confidential strategic projects and executive presentations
• Collaborate closely with Investors, Legal, Marketing, Enterprise Risk, Compliance, and Corporate Communications teams to ensure alignment, compliance, and amplification of BD initiatives
• Coach and develop a high-performing analyst, fostering growth, ownership, and analytical rigor across the BD function.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A deep passion for the American Express brand, the business model, and appetite for contributing to a company with a rich legacy of innovation.
• 7-10 years’ experience in business development, partnership enablement, commercialization, or strategy roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex partnerships from inception through execution, coordinating across internal processes and cross-functional stakeholders, including Compliance, Legal, Enterprise Risk, Corporate Communications and Finance, to achieve successful implementation, operational excellence, and business results.
• Proven project management experience managing complex, cross-functional programs or commercialization initiatives.
• Strong understanding of venture capital, fintech, enterprise software, or innovation ecosystems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and drive measurable results across teams.
• Strategic thinker with strong bias for execution and operational excellence.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and organizational skills.
• Collaborative leader with demonstrated ability to mentor and develop team members. Existing people leadership experience a plus
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree a plus.

This role is ideal for a strategic, collaborative operator who thrives at the intersection of startups and enterprise innovation.

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.

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