Job Details

Description

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. From delivering differentiated products to providing world-class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service.

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 Contract and Exceptions Management team is part of the Global Merchant & Network Services (GMNS) organization within Global Strategy, Operations, & Performance (GSOP) and is responsible for defining, governing, and monitoring adherence to American Express Merchant and Network policies globally through the administration of contract and exception management governance forums and processes. The team plays a critical role in enabling consistent, compliant experiences across the payment’s ecosystem. Through strong governance, risk management, and data-driven insights, the team partners closely with GMNS leadership, Compliance, Risk, Legal, and Operations to embed policy compliance into business decisions and operating models worldwide.

Role Overview:

The Director – Contract and Exceptions Management is accountable for enterprise leadership of Merchant and Network Policy Compliance across GMNS as documented in the American Express Business & Operational Policies (BOP), Global Merchant Services (GMS) Merchant Policies and other related policies. This role sets the strategic direction, governance model, and risk posture for the contract and exceptions processes that protect the brand, enable partner confidence, and support sustainable business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and execute the global strategy for Merchant and Network Policy Compliance aligned to enterprise risk appetite and regulatory expectations.

• Own and govern compliance frameworks covering policy interpretation, enforcement, escalation, remediation, and exception management.

• Lead enterprise governance forums and councils, driving executive alignment, accountability, and decision-making.

• Provide oversight of compliance risk management, including risk assessments, mitigation plans, and control effectiveness to support contract and exception management.

• Oversee Network Participant performance monitoring and non-compliance actions to ensure consistent policy adherence.

• Deliver executive-level reporting and insights, leveraging data and analytics to identify trends, systemic risks, and improvement opportunities.

• Partner with senior stakeholders across GMNS, Partner Management, Risk, Technology, and Operations to balance growth, customer experience, and compliance.

• Build and lead a high-performing global organization, strengthening talent pipelines, succession planning, and a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

• Anticipate emerging risks in network payments and partner operating models and proactively embed controls into policies and processes.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business, Operations, Risk Management, Information Systems, or related fields preferred.

• 10 years of experience with senior leadership accountability in policy compliance, risk management, governance, or audit, preferably within financial services or payments.

• Proven experience leading enterprise-wide programs, governance councils, and senior leadership engagements in a global environment.

Core Competencies:

• Enterprise Leadership & Strategic Thinking

• Risk Ownership & Governance Excellence

• Executive Communication & Influencing

• Data-Driven Decision Making

• Talent Development & Culture Leadership

• Customer & Brand Protection Mindset

Qualifications

Salary Range: $123,000.00 to $215,250.00 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 United States is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.

Job: Network

Primary Location: US-New York-New York

Other Locations: US-North Carolina-Charlotte, US-Arizona-Phoenix, US-Florida-Sunrise

Schedule Full-time

Req ID: 26004884