Director - Compliance (Privacy)

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 Finance organization drives performance while upholding the Company’s commitment to regulatory compliance and financial integrity through strategic collaboration with internal business partners and external constituents including the investment community and supervisors. By leveraging its unique view that spans across the Blue Box, Finance supports innovation and transformation by helping identify and prioritize the best and most impactful growth opportunities for the Company.

As the Director- Compliance, this position, within the First Line of Defense (1LOD), will provide strategic thought leadership to the Finance organization on matters relating to privacy risk. This role will be instrumental in supporting Finance leaders in the identification, assessment, and mitigation of privacy risk across Finance processes, ensuring compliance with global data protection regulations and embedding privacy-by-design principles into Finance processes and systems. The ideal candidate has strong subject matter expertise across key privacy laws and regulations and excels in balancing risk with practical business needs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary compliance partner and advisor on privacy risk matters, offering expert guidance to Finance teams.
• Conduct privacy risk assessments and data protection impact assessments for new and existing processes and projects.
• Monitor and interpret global privacy laws and regulations (e.g., GDRP, CCPA, etc.) and assess their impact on Finance processes.
• Consult with Finance leadership and second line compliance to design and implement effective controls and mitigation strategies.
• Support the execution of business-level compliance risk assessments and control self-assessments.
• Support regulatory exam readiness, issue remediation, and corrective action planning.
• Coordinate with compliance, legal, risk, and audit teams to ensure consistent interpretation and application of rules and policies.
• Provide guidance on new initiatives and system changes to ensure compliance risks are appropriately addressed.
• Lead training and awareness programs to promote a culture of privacy and data protection.
• Provide input into third-party risk management processes from a privacy perspective.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, supporting a culture of compliance and accountability.

Qualifications:

Required:

• 7+ years of compliance, legal, privacy, or risk experience within a financial institution, preferably in a business-aligned or first line of defense role.
• Deep knowledge of global privacy regulations and frameworks
• Experience designing and implementing compliance controls, programs, and assessments.
• Strong understanding of the regulatory environment and expectations of federal and state banking regulators.
• Prior credit card industry and / or support of Finance organizations is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or professional certifications (e.g., CRCM) is a plus

• Excellent written, verbal, research, analytical, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to influence and advise stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong project management skills, ability to lead multiple projects and support multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to make decisions independently, work well under pressure, meet deadlines and adapt easily to frequent change

Guardian

Currently, the Company does not have a physical location in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area and, therefore, if you reside in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area the role will temporarily be deemed virtual under the Company’s applicable policy (the Amex Flex Policy). We anticipate securing a physical office location in the Charlotte, NC metropolitan area in the future. Once that occurs, you will be notified that your position will be converted to hybrid and you will be required to work in the office in accordance with the applicable Amex Flex Policy (currently under the Amex Flex Policy, hybrid colleagues are required to work from the office a minimum of 3 days per week). You understand and agree that changing your role to hybrid designation and/or requiring you work from the office in accordance with the Company’s applicable Amex Flex Policy will not deem you eligible for separation pay under the Company’s applicable severance pay plans.

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.