Director & Counsel – Amex Digital Labs

American Express•New York, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

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. Director & Counsel – Amex Digital Labs Where great legal minds influence business strategy. Our mission is to protect and strengthen American Express through legal expertise and strategic advice that helps our business partners manage risk, identify opportunities, and deliver on the company’s promise of exceptional products and services. Given the dynamic nature of the global payments industry and the valued partnership between our team and the business, we see it as imperative to attract and develop talented people by: Providing rich work experiences and opportunities for professional development Recognizing and rewarding those who drive and deliver results Respecting and valuing diversity, integrity, and personal accountability The U.S. Consumer, Digital Labs and Strategic Partnerships team of the General Counsel’s Organization is seeking a Director & Counsel attorney to provide legal and strategic counsel to the Digital Labs Agentic Strategy & Partnerships team within Amex Digital Labs, a team focused on leading the strategy and execution of America Express’ initiatives, partnerships and products in agentic commerce. This is a role that requires intensive partnership with business colleagues and other stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree & J.D.
Admitted to New York Bar or eligibility to do so
6+ years of relevant legal experience in a law firm and/or in-house corporate legal environment
Extensive experience drafting, negotiating and reviewing complex commercial agreements
Substantial experience advising on new product development
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Proven ability to communicate complex issues clearly and persuasively, in both written and oral format
Excellent collaboration, interpersonal and teamwork skills; ability to build relationships and partner with others to drive results
Capacity to be agile and pivot appropriately when presented with new information or evolving circumstances
Ability to understand and integrate details of the business operational environment in providing legal/policy advice
Ability to interact effectively at all levels of the organization and with external constituencies, and to drive consensus and exert influence in a cross-functional environment
Self-motivated, high level of personal energy and commitment
Strong leadership skills and strong customer focus

Nice To Haves

Experience with (or strong interest in) digital ecosystems, data and technologies (including generative AI)
Passion for generating creative and innovative solutions to novel issues

Responsibilities

Provide primary legal and strategic support to the Digital Labs team leading the evaluation and execution of the enterprise agentic commerce strategy
Be a thought leader on the evolving agentic and payments landscapes and help evolve the enterprise position on legal issues presented by agentic commerce, including refinement of enterprise policies and procedures
Counsel on the development of innovative products based on the enterprise agentic commerce strategy, working within a highly seasoned and collaborative team of lawyers and legal managers
Negotiate, draft, and provide ongoing support of agreements with agentic partners, working in close collaboration with legal and business colleagues
Partner closely with business colleagues to support the exploration and evaluation of potential partnership integrations and pilots, understand their concerns and challenges, and use your creativity and practical problem solving to quickly action solutions
Provide guidance on a broad range of legal, strategic, risk and policy matters, as well as relationship management and operational process questions, all within a dynamic business and regulatory environment
Engage in ongoing cross-functional collaboration to address privacy, consumer protection, compliance, bank regulatory, intellectual property, data security, data strategy and other issues to harness relevant expertise and ensure maximally effective support across all matters
Help identify and implement process improvements to streamline contracting and related business operations and to reduce operational and legal/regulatory risk
Engage in strategic projects to advance cutting-edge business opportunities and help mitigate strategic threats
Develop strategic partnerships across various business unit teams and control groups through relationship-building and effective communication

Benefits

Competitive base salaries
Bonus incentives
6%25 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