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Merchant Operational Excellence, European Repatriated Countries

Are you detail and process-oriented and enjoy problem solving? Do you bring curiosity and creativity to your daily role? Are you self-motivated with a bias for action? Then you could be just the candidate we are looking for.

International Operational Excellence (OE) is a newly expanded organization, responsible for supporting our international issuing and acquiring businesses across 27+ countries and ensuring they have a robust first line of defense. International OE plays an active role in enabling the businesses to meet their growth objectives whilst demonstrating an effective control framework.

Our organisation helps our international businesses manage risk, respond to new regulation, and develop new products whilst creating and nurturing effective partnerships across multiple key stakeholders across the company.

Job Responsibilities:

Reporting into the Director Merchant Operational Excellence (AEPE), this position is responsible for Operational Excellence in the European repatriated countries* and will be responsible for actively supporting the merchant acquiring business in Europe to deliver on its business objectives, and to ensure the business is executing effectively against local and central control and compliance expectations. (*there are 20+ repatriated countries in Europe where merchant recruitment is performed by third party partners.)

In addition, this role will be responsible for the local outsourcing activities and legal entity governance, supporting the AEPE legal entity committees and board in ensuring effective and appropriate governance of associated Operational Risk.

This will mean being a trusted advisor, supporting the business to assess, mitigate and accept risk. The role will be responsible for ensuring a strong control focus is integrated into day-to-day operations and that AEPE branches’ operational risk processes are appropriately managed. Focus will also be to ensure issues and risks are managed promptly and effectively, with root causes identified and addressed, and to support business initiatives to enable strong business growth in the region.

Responsibilities - Operational Excellence Program execution:

• Issue Management - Drive early detection of risks and issues, supporting the business to fix them rapidly, in line with risk appetite.

• Issue Prevention: Support business activities to prevent customer-impacting issues via effective process and control design and execution

• Governance framework: Ensure that the Governance Framework adopted locally is effective and streamlined, aligned with AXP Governance Standards, effectively supports business processes, and change management and meets external regulatory requirements.

• Enabling business growth and supporting change management - Manage the end-to-end risk assessment process for all new products, platforms, and capabilities locally, supporting and enabling business growth. The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring that the local Change Management program is compliant with the Enterprise AEMP 54 management policy and International OE governing standards. This position will be responsible for conducting training and awareness sessions to ensure that teams are consistently educated on the policy requirements.

• Third Party Risk – Support sound execution of the TLMP program for GMS locally and oversee AEPE Outsourcing activities. Provide guidance to the business to manage vendor risks by ensuring appropriate risk assessments and the closure of issues in line with the TLMP framework. Effectively engage and leverage the International OE central team for relevant subject matter expertise and program management, to ensure streamlined efforts and efficiencies are gained in management of vendor risk.

• Audit Engagement - Support the business in managing audits. Educate the respective audit team about proper audit engagement and reviews. The incumbent will provide and recommend pre-audit submissions of self-identified findings, monitor all audit MAPs to ensure they are closed in a timely manner, participate in all audit meetings, and provide operational risk input into audit findings.

• Process Risk Self-Assessment - Support process owners in creating and documenting their process in addition to the risks and controls in their process using the PRSA methodology. Facilitate the annual Risk Assessment Questionnaire refresh process. Ensure robust coverage of issuing processes through the PRSA program and execute all PRSA framework requirements.

• Regulatory Change Management (RCM)- partner with Compliance and Global Counsel’s Office to understand requirements for the business, take responsibility for risk assessing the RCM item, assigning a business project manager owner, partnering with the business to ensure implementation of requirements, and facilitating escalation and engagement of key stakeholders.

• Effectively engage and liaise with the Central International OE teams to support and streamline key business process and Business Self Testing programs.

• Training and Awareness: Drive Operational Excellence, control and compliance principles and standards locally, delivering tailored training as required.

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.

Amex Flex - #LI-Hybrid

At American Express, we know that with the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. Whether we’re supporting our customers’ financial confidence to move ahead, taking commerce to new heights, or encouraging people to explore the world, our colleagues are constantly redefining what’s possible — and we’re proud to back each other every step of the way.

When you join #TeamAmex, you become part of a diverse community of over 60,000 colleagues, all with a common goal to deliver an exceptional customer experience every day. 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.

• Experience in Operational Excellence, Compliance, Operational Risk or a related discipline, ideally in more than one of these disciplines. Ability to demonstrate experience of operating at both first and second line will be a strong advantage.

• Experience in business process improvement, control design and development of control and process testing.

• Demonstrated ability to partner with a broad network of colleagues to drive effective issue identification and resolution.

• Proven ability to develop and enhance local control and compliance frameworks.

• Demonstrated interpersonal skills to work across a wide range of teams and build effective working relationships.

• Strong communicator, with experience of engaging with senior management.

• Desire to learn and continuously searching to understand industry best practices and find creative solutions

• Ability to thrive in a fast paced and fluid business environment.

• In-depth knowledge of merchant acquiring or B2B financial services products and processes an advantage

• Fluent English, both spoken and written.

• Ability to travel.

Why American Express?

There’s a difference between having a job and making a difference.

Amex have been making a difference in people’s lives for over 160 years, backing them in moments big and small, granting access, tools, and resources to take on their biggest challenges and reap the greatest rewards.

We’ve also made a difference in the lives of our people, providing a culture of learning and collaboration, and helping them with what they need to succeed and thrive. We have their backs as they grow their skills, conquer new challenges, or even take time to spend with their family or community. And when they’re ready to take on a new career path, we’re right there with them, giving them the guidance and momentum into the best future they envision.

Because we believe that the best way to back our customers is to back our people.

The powerful backing of American Express.

Don’t make a difference without it.

Don’t live life without it.

To complete your application please click on the links below. However, if you require any assistance with the completion of this process – or need any reasonable adjustments to be made – then please contact the Recruitment Team on recruitment.support.uk@aexp.com.