Job DescriptionThe GCS Control Management Risk ID, Assessment, Testing and Reporting team is responsible for identifying, assessing, mitigating, and monitoring Risk to support our business partners in enabling innovation while maintaining a strong and effective control environment. We are seeking a Director - Change Risk Management & Governance (Control Management) to help shape and strengthen how risk is identified, governed, and managed across strategic business transformation initiatives. In this first-line risk management leadership role, you will partner closely with business, technology, and risk stakeholders across the enterprise to help ensure strategic change initiatives are implemented with strong governance, a customer focus, effective controls, and alignment to enterprise risk standards.
This is a highly visible leadership role offering the opportunity to shape and enhance change risk management frameworks, influence enterprise-wide governance practices, and help drive a proactive risk culture across a complex and evolving business environment. Success in this role requires strong operational risk expertise, executive presence, and the ability to lead cross-functional collaboration in support of business innovation. The ideal candidate brings strong operational risk expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead through collaboration, influence, and change.
Responsibilities- Lead and develop a geographically distributed team responsible for overseeing change risk management and governance activities across Global Commercial Services (GCS)
- Partner closely with business, technology, and enterprise risk stakeholders to support the successful execution of strategic initiatives within a strong and effective control environment
- Drive the evolution and implementation of new change risk management frameworks, governance practices, and operating standards aligned with enterprise policies and regulatory expectations
- Provide strategic guidance and credible challenge to business partners on operational risk impacts associated with new products, business processes, technologies, and transformation initiatives
- Identify opportunities to strengthen controls, streamline governance processes, and enhance risk management practices to enable efficient and well-managed business growth
- Lead cross-functional coordination across first-line and second-line teams to ensure effective risk identification, assessment, escalation, and resolution throughout the change lifecycle
- Monitor emerging risks, regulatory developments, and industry trends to proactively enhance governance practices and risk mitigation strategies
- Develop and maintain meaningful risk reporting, dashboards, and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) to support leadership decision-making and ongoing risk oversight
- Champion a culture of proactive risk management, accountability, and continuous improvement across the organization aligned with American Express strategic risk direction
- Support the development and enhancement of business unit procedures, standards, and controls by providing subject matter expertise and operational risk insight
Qualifications- 6+ years of experience in operational risk management, control management, governance, internal audit, compliance, or related risk disciplines within the financial services industry
- Demonstrated expertise in operational risk frameworks, including risk identification, assessment, control evaluation, issue management, and governance oversight
- Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams across multiple geographies and diverse functional backgrounds
- Strong experience partnering with senior business, technology, and risk leaders to influence decision-making and drive effective risk management outcomes
- Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance risk management discipline and business enablement
- Experience supporting large-scale business transformation, change management, or strategic initiatives within a regulated environment
- Strong understanding of governance practices, regulatory expectations, and enterprise risk management principles applicable to financial services organizations
- Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to provide credible challenge and build alignment across senior audiences
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while driving execution, accountability, and continuous improvement
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, including experience leveraging risk metrics, reporting, and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) to support oversight and decision-making
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Risk Management, Information Systems, Economics, Law, or a related field
Preferred Qualifications:- Advanced degree and/or professional certifications such as MBA, JD, CIA, CRISC, CRM, PMP, ORM, or other relevant risk and governance certifications
- Experience within large, complex financial services or highly regulated organizations with exposure to enterprise-scale risk management and governance programs
- Strong understanding of operational risk, non-financial risk, control management, and regulatory governance frameworks
- Experience in at least one of the following:
- Designing, enhancing, or implementing risk assessment methodologies, governance frameworks, and control management practices
- Identifying operational risk exposures across business processes, products, systems, and transformation initiatives
- Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and drive alignment across business, technology, and risk management teams
- Developing executive-level reporting, dashboards, and Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) to support effective risk oversight and decision-making
- Providing identification of operational risks throughout business processes and systems
Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.
The below 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.
