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.

Here, your voice and ideas matter, your work makes an impact, and together, you will help us define the future of American Express.

The Role

The American Express Global Financial Crimes Compliance (GFCC) function provides second-line policy, framework, oversight and control solutions to meet the Company’s legal, regulatory and risk management mandates in connection with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter Terrorism Financing (CTF), Sanctions and Anti-Bribery and Corruption. The GFCC portfolio comprises all aspects of the Company’s first and second-line financial crime risk management (FCRM) activities, including all lines of businesses in the United States and both proprietary non-proprietary global markets.

Reporting to the Global Head of AML, the GFCC Global Head of Client Risk and Customer Due Diligence will lead efforts to assess, index, monitor, and mitigate client introduced risk, using data analytics to create dynamic Client Risk Ratings (CRR) to drive Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, ensure regulatory compliance across all lines of business and jurisdictions where American Express operates, and provide relevant, reliable information to lines of business leadership and GFCC colleagues. This individual will oversee a cross-functional team focused on ensuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and regulatory compliance of the CRR and CDD program.

The role’s responsibilities include program development (including remediation and enhancement), project management (including close work with GFCC Project Management Office (PMP), Transaction Monitoring (T M) and Risk Assessment teams, external consultants and contractor support), oversight of system/model/tool maintenance and operating effectiveness as they relate to CRR and CDD requirements, monitoring fulfillment of data requirements, and oversight of metrics and reporting. This is a critical leadership role within GFCC, requiring (1) expert financial crime risk management requirements and methods and (2) expert domain expertise in CRR, KYC, project management, platform delivery and maintenance, organizational design to meet business needs, and operational execution within a complex global financial institution.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Global KYC organization, comprising the GFCC CRR, CDD, KYC teams; and oversight of colleagues in the first line of defense and technology
• Oversee program development (including remediation and enhancement) and project-management governance to ensure alignment with regulatory expectations, internal policies, and evolving risks
• Drive strategic enhancements to overall CRR/KYC program execution
• Engage directly with regulators in connection with KYC portfolio areas
• Synchronize efforts with key stakeholders including the Financial Crimes Compliance Surveillance Unit, U.S. Investigations Unit, Threat Assessment Group, Financial Crimes Data Science and Analytics Center of Excellence, Technology, Operations, Model Risk Management, Business Line Compliance, and first-line stakeholders.
• Establish and maintain comprehensive documentation, metrics, controls and Risk and Control Self-Assessments around all CRR and CDD processes
• Administer the GFCC KYC Standards, as published by GFCC under AEMP 04, Financial Crime Risk Management Policy
• Support GFCC’s response to regulatory exams, audits, and internal reviews both as to CRR/KYC processes and broader GFCC and second-line program elements
• Maintain awareness of industry developments and regulatory expectations in AML transaction monitoring and financial crimes detection
• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in large financial services compliance functions with expertise in CIP, KYC, and CDD.
• Proven expertise in program development and synchronization.
• Established understanding of global regulatory expectations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-regional/global and cross-functional teams.
• Strong communication and influencing skills; ability to interact with senior executives and regulators.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.

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

Salary Range: $176,750.00 to $282,000.00 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