Job Description

The Global Risk & Compliance (GRC) organization serves as American Express’ independent risk management function. GRC maintains the enterprise risk framework, provides oversight and challenge, and monitors key risks. By embedding risk discipline into strategy and operations, GRC enables responsible growth, innovation, and long-term value creation while protecting customers and shareholders.

The Global Compliance & Ethics team plays a critical role in protecting American Express, our brand, and our colleagues by providing practical, solution-focused guidance on regulatory and ethics-related matters. Within the Compliance organization, the Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS) International Compliance team provides second-line oversight of the merchant acquiring and network businesses across International markets, supporting a robust and sustainable compliance risk management framework. Line of Business Compliance Officers in the team provide compliance advisory and effective challenge to the GMS business on strategic multi-country initiatives, regulatory change, compliance risks, and core components of the American Express Compliance Program.

This position will be a key member of the GMS Compliance team for EMEA, providing independent compliance oversight and second-line effective challenge to support the business in building, enhancing, and maintaining an effective framework for compliance with applicable internal policies, laws, and regulations. Reporting to the Director, GMS Compliance (EMEA), the role will support the development, execution, and ongoing maintenance of a comprehensive Compliance Program for the GMS business across EMEA, with a focus on Issue Risk Management, enhanced Due Diligence Questionnaire (DDQ) reviews and escalations, merchant and Indirect Intermediary onboarding processes, and financial crime-related compliance activities impacting the GMS business.

The successful candidate will collaborate with stakeholders across the General Counsel’s Organization, Legal Entity Compliance Officers (LECOs), Global Financial Crimes Compliance (GFCC), Privacy, Operational Excellence, and GMS business teams. They will provide practical compliance guidance, support regulatory change implementation, and enable strategic business initiatives while helping ensure adherence to enterprise policies and applicable regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Support an effective Compliance Program for the GMS business across EMEA, including execution of core compliance activities, regulatory priorities, and applicable enterprise requirements.
• Provide independent compliance oversight and effective challenge to the GMS business to support adherence to applicable laws, regulations, enterprise policies, and compliance standards.
• Collaborate with LECOs to ensure local market requirements are appropriately considered, particularly when new or changed regulations are implemented.
• Provide practical compliance guidance to Control Management and GMS teams on regulatory implementation, remediation activities, DDQ requirements, and strategic business initiatives.
• Review and evaluate business-owned policies, procedures, and control frameworks to help ensure alignment with regulatory expectations and compliance requirements.
• Support Compliance Risk Management activities, including Compliance Risk Assessments, Risk and Control Self-Assessments (RCSAs), Issue Risk Management activities, and monitoring of key compliance risks across the GMS business.
• Coordinate with the global compliance program for GMS, enterprise-wide policies and programs, and local market regulatory requirements.
• Lead and support Issue Risk Management oversight activities, including evaluation of root cause analyses, effective challenge of proposed corrective actions, monitoring remediation plans, and driving timely, sustainable resolution of compliance issues.
• Assist in preparation for regulatory examinations, internal audit reviews, monitoring, and testing activities, strategic programs, and other regulatory initiatives across the EMEA GMS business.
• Perform and coordinate enhanced Due Diligence Questionnaire (DDQ) reviews and escalations, supporting timely resolution of high-priority requests and reduction of operational backlogs.
• Partner with GFCC, business stakeholders, and other control partners to support financial crime-related regulatory change, transformation programs, and compliance initiatives impacting the GMS business, while maintaining broader second-line compliance oversight for EMEA.