Audit Director - Quality Assurance and Improvement Program - job 1 of 16

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 Director – Quality Assurance & Improvement Program (QAIP) leads the QAIP team, oversees the planning, execution and reporting of quality assurance (QA) reviews and initiatives, and helps grow and develop the QAIP team to provide strong credible challenge over audit execution and operational processes to build strong credibility and influence across the department.

Key Responsibilities:

• Help develop and execute the QAIP team’s strategy and lead QAIP annual planning process
• Manage and maintain the QAIP audit universe and reporting including internal audits, risk assessments, business monitoring procedures, issue management corrective action plans, management and board committee reporting, and IAG operations
• Supervise the execution of all types of QA reviews and issue validations by the QAIP Team
• Serve as People Leader for direct reports, focused on annual goal setting, performance management, and long-term career development. Continuously coach, teach, mentor and develop less experienced colleagues and co-sourced resources
• Oversee and manage any external reviews and regulatory requests related to QAIP activities and processes
• Develop and drive focused risk assessments and thematic reviews based on analytical reviews of QA review results, stakeholders’ inputs, internal & external review findings, and emerging risks
• Partner closely with Professional Practice Process & Product teams to drive change to IAG policies, procedures, and systems that increase quality and efficiency based on QA findings and observations
• Manage the team's resource and  capacity constraints including scheduling, training, and recruiting  
• Promote use of analytics, best practices, and identify opportunities for process improvements
• Support internal and external assessments (including regulatory examinations) of the Internal Audit function, including facilitating pre-planning and readiness reviews
• Partner with Audit Methodology and Professional Development team to design and deliver audit-related training program components to diverse groups of auditors with varying levels of experience based on QA results

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in audit
• Understanding of regulatory, accounting, and financial industry guidance and best practices relevant to the business, including technology and data implications
• BA, BS, or equivalent degree in accounting or finance related field
• Strong internal audit process knowledge, risk/controls knowledge, and data analysis skillset
• Strong written and verbal communication skills that deliver high quality, actionable and value-added feedback to management
• Ability to effectively integrate business, operational, technological, data, and financial components in audit work
• Effectively works independently, within a team and across teams in a fast-paced environment to drive business results, utilizing related project management skills, employing creative thinking, a focus on quality, and the ability to work on competing priorities
• Proven ability to lead teams and manage multiple projects and provide quality review across deliverables
• Strong knowledge and appreciation of IA standards, regulatory, and financial industry guidance and best practices relevant to Internal Audit

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in audit
• Professional certification: CPA, CIA, CISA or other relevant industry certification
• Analytics experience in internal audit, risk management, and/or financial services
• Big 4 or large Financial Services industry experience
• Experience with data analytic tools, data visualization, key risk indicators (KRIs), key performance indicators (KPIs), and scorecards / dashboards
• Experience with technology control testing including interface inputs, reports, application security and business continuity and third parties
• Direct experience in quality assurance reviews related to Internal Audit

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.