Financial Crimes Manager - job 1 of 3

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. 

Global Merchant & Network Services (GMNS) brings together American Express' merchant-and network related businesses to enable a sharp focus on using the power of our network to provide unique value to all our mutual customers. The organization manages the relationships with the millions of merchants around the world that accepts American Express and runs the company’s payment network and manages bank partnerships globally.

GMNS is seeking a highly motivated and knowledgeable First Line of Defense (1LOD) Financial Crimes Manager focused on ensuring risk and control management is embedded in the day-to-day operations of our organization. This first-line role will involve extensive collaboration with partners across business units, functional areas, and geographies. The role will lead the identification, assessment, and mitigation of financial crime risks—such as money laundering, fraud, bribery, and sanctions violations—within the business. This role serves as the first point of contact within the business for financial crimes risk matters and works in close coordination with compliance partners in the second line of defense to ensure adherence to all applicable laws and internal policies. Key responsibilities include the following:

Program Governance:

•       Support the development and maintenance of an overall 1^st line of defense GMNS Financial Crime Risk Framework inclusive of risk appetite, monitoring metrics, minimum end-to-end control requirements and governance expectations.
•       Support the effective governance of 1^st line Financial Crime risk for GMNS Business Units
•       Support the monitoring of developments in Global Financial Crime Standards and the translation of these into business unit processes, procedures and controls.
•       Support the provision of complete, accurate, and timely information to GFCC where escalations are required.
•  Controls & Issue Management
•       Support the GMNS Business Units in the design and implementation of testable controls to mitigate risks for the relevant Business Units.
•       Support business units with the resolution of issues impacting Financial Crime Risk and advise on appropriate remediation solutions in line with financial crime, risk standards and risk appetite.

Advisory:

•       Provide Financial Crime Risk consultation on new product initiatives, regulatory change, third party management and Risk Control Self-Assessment (RCSA).
•       Provide GFCC program with business details required to support execution of enterprise GFCC risk assessments
•       Act as a key escalation point for key Financial Crime risk decisions for GMNS Senior Management.

Key Responsibilities:

•        Develop and maintain financial crimes risk assessments and controls aligned with enterprise policy and regulatory expectations.
•        Partner with business leadership to embed financial crime risk management into day-to-day operations, new product development, and client onboarding.
•        Lead or support investigations of suspicious activity, coordinating with AML and fraud investigation teams.
•        Monitor and report on financial crimes risk indicators, emerging threats, and control effectiveness to business and risk leadership.
•        Escalate and remediate control issues or potential violations in partnership with compliance, legal, and audit functions.
•        Support internal and regulatory exams, audits, and inquiries related to financial crimes.
•        Coordinate financial crimes training and awareness programs for front-line staff.
•        Maintain detailed documentation and records to demonstrate compliance with regulatory and internal standards.

Qualifications:

Required:

•        3+ years of experience in AML, financial crimes compliance, fraud risk, or business risk roles within a financial institution.
•        Strong understanding of BSA/AML, OFAC, and anti-bribery and corruption regulations.
•        Proven ability to assess risk, implement controls, and collaborate across functions.

Preferred:

•        Bachelor’s degree in finance, criminal justice, business administration, or a related field.
•        CAMS, CFE, or similar professional certification.
•        Experience working in a first line of defense or business control function.
•        Familiarity with customer risk rating, transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity reporting processes.

Skills & Competencies:

•        Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
•        Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
•        Sound judgment and decision-making under pressure.
•        Ability to influence and educate business partners on risk concepts.
•        Skilled in project management and working in a matrixed organization.

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Salary Range: $90,000.00 to $165,000.00 annually + bonus + benefits

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 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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