Director, Digital Product Management – Debit Program PMO

American Express•Palo Alto, CA

6d•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. 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. Our organization: Global Merchant & Network Services – Product The Global Merchant & Network Services Product team is at the heart of American Express and is a core function within the Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS) business unit. Each year, we power billions of transactions through our global payments network, serving our Issuing & Acquiring partners in more than 170 markets worldwide. We grow revenue by driving strategic, multi-year initiatives to deliver differentiated value to our merchants, partners, and customers. The Network Product & Enablement team with GMNS Product is responsible for the Network, the maintenance of existing functionality, the development of new products and services, and operations. Our solutions deliver value to American Express’ Card Members, acquirers and partners across the globe, whether proprietary or third-party by facilitating secure and seamless transactions between American Express’ issuers, acquirers and merchants. Our goal is to enable Card Members to pay however and wherever they choose. We deliver on these by setting the vision and strategy for the Network, anchoring our priorities into those of the enterprise, and developing and managing an associated set of products. We keep the customer perspective top-of-mind, factor in competition and regulatory trends, and apply an end-to-end product management approach (i.e., including strategy, roadmaps, scaling plans, business cases, success metrics, KPIs). We lead the end-to-end process, manage the end-to-end partner lifecycle and are also responsible for industry intelligence and engagement through various governing bodies. About the Role Reporting to the VP, Debit Acquiring Product, the Director, Debit Program PMO will provide enterprise-level PMO leadership to drive the development and adoption of new Debit network and acquiring functionality. This role is accountable for delivery excellence, governance, and execution discipline across one of the most complex, multi-year, cross-enterprise transformation programs within GMNS. This leader will set the PMO strategy and operating model, oversee a team of PMO leaders, and act as a critical partner to senior stakeholders across Product, Technology, Network, Operations, Risk, Compliance, and external partners. The role requires a balance of strategic leadership and hands-on problem solving, with a strong ability to navigate ambiguity, manage interdependencies, and drive outcomes at scale.

Requirements

Proven experience leading PMO or program delivery within highly complex, matrixed, enterprise environments.
Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale, multi-year transformation programs with multiple cross-enterprise dependencies.
Strong people leadership experience, including managing and developing senior PMO professionals.
Exceptional ability to operate at both strategic and detailed levels, maintaining executive perspective while diving deep when needed.
Advanced stakeholder management and influencing skills, with a track record of driving outcomes without direct control.
Proven ability to manage through ambiguity, building structure, clarity, and momentum in evolving environments.
Outstanding communication skills, including the ability to create compelling, executive-level materials that drive alignment and decision-making.
Strong critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to identify patterns, interdependencies, and delivery risks.
Advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills.

Nice To Haves

Strong preference for U.S. Debit and/or acquiring experience

Responsibilities

Own and lead end-to-end PMO strategy and execution supporting a highly complex, multi-year transformation impacting the enterprise.
Establish and continuously evolve the PMO operating model, governance frameworks, and delivery standards to support scalable, predictable execution.
Maintain a holistic, enterprise-level view of delivery, ensuring alignment across product roadmaps, technology execution, regulatory commitments, and partner dependencies.
Proactively identify, surface, and drive resolution of delivery risks, interdependencies, and misalignments, escalating when appropriate to enable timely decision-making.
Lead preparation of executive-ready materials for senior leadership, steering committees, and governance forums, ensuring clarity, insight, and action-oriented storytelling.
Build, lead, and develop a team of PMO leaders, fostering a high-performance culture focused on accountability, transparency, and delivery excellence.
Act as a trusted partner fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and disciplined execution across cross-functional teams.

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