Audit Director - Operational Risk Management

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.

About the Internal Audit Group at American Express

Our Internal Audit Group is a worldwide function with 300+ team members and offices across nine countries within American Express. Our mission is to protect and enhance organizational value by providing independent, objective, risk-based assurance, advisory services and to influence the way the company manages risk.

We are committed to growing our audit staff significantly as we continue to expand and enhance the Internal Audit Group. Our assurance and risk professionals have diverse backgrounds including internal controls, consumer compliance, technology, operational risk, financial accounting, data analytics, and banking operations. Our audit teams align to key risk areas and business units to ensure IAG can provide comprehensive and risk-based audit coverage. In addition, IAG has a Professional Practices group responsible for managing audit operations, quality, and standards; regulatory relations; reporting; training and professional development; and key internal capabilities and technologies.

About the Role:

The Audit Director, Operational Risk Management (ORM) will support the execution of audit work to evaluate the effectiveness of controls in compliance with ORM regulatory and risk-based guidance, and bank policies and procedures as part of the annual Operational Risk Management audit plan and align audit results with Internal Audit stakeholders. In addition, the audit director will be responsible for:

• Supporting the Internal Audit coverage strategy to effectively assess the Company’s adherence to the Risk Governance Framework.
• Leading and delivering an annual audit plan for this audit portfolio using an integrated auditing approach that considers people, process, systems and external events risks, among others. This involves understanding the ORM strategy, Amex’s product portfolio, and ensuring that the IAG coverage is appropriately designed to evaluate the most salient risks associated with ORM.
• Leading global audits for the ORM audit portfolio focusing on key operational risk areas including RCSA, Internal Control Framework, Risk Taxonomy, Top Risks, Issues Management, Operational Risk Events (ORE), as well as other enablement functions that support these areas.
• Setting direction and provide oversight during the planning, execution, and reporting phases of all audit engagements in the assigned audit portfolio, including special reviews; and ensure ongoing monitoring activities are effective in capturing existing, upcoming, and emerging risks.
• Driving business and risk insights through the oversight and growth of a portfolio of audit analytics. Ideate, help develop and roll out Data-Driven Audit Procedures for the assigned audit portfolio.
• Establishing effective stakeholder relationships and have a strong understanding of AXP’s business model, its products, services, and organizational units. Identify and calibrate the primary sources of risk and design effective audit test plan to assess the control environment.
• Managing a team of audit professionals to execute audit engagements, ongoing monitoring activities and validation of audit and regulatory findings in conformance with professional and department standards and within budgets and deadlines. Ensure team meets all required skills and competencies to audit according to regulatory expectations. 
• Effectively coach, teach, mentor, and develop less experienced colleagues and co-sourced resources in geographically diverse locations across all aspects of their role, the audit and analytic lifecycle, audit methodology, best practices, and banking concepts and products (including associated risks and controls).
• Leading meetings with internal stakeholders and contribute to/attend meetings with external stakeholders, including the Company’s regulators.

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in Internal Audit
• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business, Risk Mgmt., or related field
• Proven experience validating high risk / important issues and correctives actions, focusing on Risk Management Framework and related expectations per OCC Heightened Standards and Operational Risk for large financial institutions (i.e., G-SIB, Category II / III bank)
• Solid understanding of critical operational risk management lifecycle activities
• Ability to clearly articulate risk insights to stakeholders and has experience interacting with regulators and senior management
• Familiarity with OCC Handbooks and Bulletins and OCC Heightened Standards
• Experience with leading teams with a focus on risk awareness
• Coach, teach, mentor, and develop less experienced colleagues and co-sourced resources in geographically diverse locations across all aspects of their role, the audit lifecycle, audit methodology and best practices
• Strong written and verbal communication skills that deliver high quality, actionable and value-added feedback to management on potential control issues and potential solutions to close gaps
• Effectively works independently, within a team and across teams in a fast-paced environment to drive results, using related project management skills, employing creative thinking, a focus on quality, and the ability to work on competing priorities
• Proven ability to lead and manage multiple projects and provide quality review across deliverables
• Ability to quickly resolve complex risk issues
• Ability to adapt to evolving risk landscapes
• Proven ability to analyze data, identify trends, and evaluate risk scenarios effectively

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Internal Audit
• 5+ years of experience in the Financial Services industry
• 5+ years of experience in Operational Risk Management in Business Control function, Independent Risk Management or Internal Audit
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Risk Management Assurance (CRMA), Certified Enterprise Risk Professional (CERP), etc.
• Advanced degrees (e.g., MBA, MSc) 

Salary Range: $130,000.00 to $205,000.00 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.

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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.