Director - Data Science, Customer Experience Personalization

American Express•New York, NY

17h

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. 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. About the Team The Analytics, Investments and Marketing Enablement (AIM) team—part of Global Commercial Services Marketing (GCSM)—is the analytics and data science engine that powers acquisition, engagement, and retention across our Commercial business. AIM builds data products, decisioning systems, and AI-driven capabilities that enable smarter marketing and scalable growth. Within AIM, the Customer Experience Optimization (CXO) Personalization – GCS Digital Acquisitions team is responsible for building and scaling AI-native personalization capabilities for SME and Corporate customers across acquisition channels—including website and application experiences. This team operates at the intersection of AI/GenAI, advanced analytics, and digital product, with a mandate to create real-time, context-aware customer experiences at scale. The focus is on building durable systems and platforms, not just generating insights. How will you make an impact in this role? As Director, you will define and lead the end-to-end vision, strategy, and execution of CXO personalization for B2B digital acquisition. You will be responsible for building next-generation personalization capabilities powered by AI/GenAI, transforming how American Express engages SME and Corporate prospects across digital journeys. This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a combination of deep analytical rigor, strong technical and AI expertise, product thinking, and enterprise leadership. You will lead a team of managers and data scientists while partnering closely with marketing, product, engineering, enterprise data teams, and external partners to embed intelligent personalization into core digital platforms. You will drive the shift from campaign-based targeting to always-on, real-time, AI-driven decisioning systems.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field (e.g., Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics).
Exceptional analytical and conceptual problem-solving ability, with experience structuring and solving complex, ambiguous business challenges.
Demonstrated ability to apply first-principles thinking to develop innovative, scalable solutions.
Strong ability to influence senior stakeholders through clear, structured, and compelling communication.
Experience working across cross-functional organizations to drive large-scale initiatives from concept to production.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or PhD in a quantitative field (e.g., Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics).
Experience leading teams focused on personalization, recommendation systems, or real-time decisioning in digital environments.
Strong understanding of digital ecosystems, including clickstream analytics, identity resolution, martech stacks, and real-time decisioning systems.
Hands-on or strategic experience with AI/GenAI applications (e.g., LLMs, AI-driven decisioning, intelligent automation).
Track record of building end-to-end data products or AI-driven systems at scale.
Experience driving transformation from traditional analytics to AI-powered, productized capabilities.

Responsibilities

CXO Personalization Strategy & Vision
Define and lead the roadmap for Customer Experience Optimization (CXO) personalization across digital acquisition journeys.
Drive the evolution from rule-based and campaign-led approaches to AI-native, real-time personalization systems.
Identify high-impact opportunities to enhance relevance, engagement, and conversion across SME and Corporate acquisition funnels.
AI / GenAI-Powered Personalization
Lead the development of AI/ML and GenAI-driven personalization capabilities, including next-best-action, dynamic content, and adaptive journeys.
Drive adoption of LLMs and emerging AI techniques to enable scalable, intelligent customer experiences.
Partner with engineering and platform teams to deploy production-grade AI systems integrated into live digital environments.
Scalable Data Products & Decisioning Systems
Oversee the development of scalable data products, including targeting models, identity resolution, and real-time decisioning frameworks.
Ensure solutions are productionized, reusable, and embedded within the digital ecosystem (martech, decision engines, data platforms).
Build capabilities that leverage rich first-party data, behavioral signals, and contextual intelligence.
Leadership & Team Development
Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of managers and data scientists, fostering a culture of innovation, ownership, and technical excellence.
Set a high bar for analytical rigor, problem-solving, and engineering mindset within the team.
Attract and retain top talent with strong foundations in data science, AI/GenAI, and digital systems.
Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence
Partner with marketing, product, engineering, and enterprise data teams to align on strategy and deliver integrated solutions.
Influence senior stakeholders to adopt AI-driven, customer-centric personalization approaches.
Drive prioritization, investment decisions, and execution of key personalization initiatives across the organization.
Innovation & Future-Focused Capability Building
Champion innovation in AI/GenAI, advanced modeling, and digital personalization technologies.
Continuously evaluate emerging trends and translate them into practical, scalable capabilities for AMEX.
Build a roadmap that future-proofs digital acquisition through intelligent automation and decisioning.

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