Director, Executive Recruitment

American Express•New York, NY

About The Position

The Colleague Experience Group (CEG) at American Express is responsible for colleague-related benefits and programs globally, including career growth and development, leadership and learning, total rewards and well-being, recruitment, labor relations, and colleague servicing. Its vision is to provide the best colleague experience every day to fuel growth by attracting, developing, and engaging a future-ready workforce. Talent Acquisition (TA), a function of approximately 500 colleagues, supports early-career, experienced, and executive hiring, as well as the New to Blue onboarding experience. The Director, Executive Recruitment will lead executive recruitment for Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) and Global Servicing (GS), delivering internal and external executive hiring across both business units. Reporting directly to the Head of TA, the Director will oversee end-to-end executive searches for Vice President-level and above roles, including direct sourcing, retained search partnerships, assessment, and selection. The Director will build trusted relationships with senior business leaders and Colleague Strategic Partners (CSPs), translating business priorities and evolving leadership needs into effective recruitment approaches. The role will strengthen executive talent pipelines across technology, digital, AI, customer servicing, and other critical capabilities, while supporting a high-quality experience for candidates and Hiring Leaders. The Director will lead a small team and drive recruitment performance, governance, and continuous improvement in partnership with the wider TA function.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in executive recruitment, Talent Acquisition, or executive search, including significant experience recruiting Vice President-level and above talent.
Proven track record managing complex executive searches within a global organization or leading executive search firm.
Strong understanding of executive talent markets, particularly in technology, digital, AI, and other specialist leadership disciplines.
Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with senior executives and influence complex hiring decisions.
Experience leading recruitment teams, managing search portfolios, and delivering high-quality hiring outcomes.
Strong expertise in executive sourcing, market mapping, assessment, selection, and retained search partnerships.
Excellent communication, analytical judgment, and discretion when managing confidential executive searches and senior stakeholders.
Must be eligible to work with American Express in the United States; the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading executive recruitment for technology, servicing, or other specialist business functions within a global enterprise.
Established executive talent networks across technology, digital, AI, cybersecurity, and service operations.
Experience developing proactive executive talent pipelines and managing retained search partners.
Experience recruiting across international markets and operating within a complex, regulated organization.

Responsibilities

Lead internal and external executive recruitment across ETS and GS, overseeing complex VP-level searches from requirements definition and market mapping through sourcing, assessment, selection, and offer.
Build and develop a high-performing team, setting clear priorities, delivery expectations, and accountability for recruitment performance.
Monitor search progress, hiring outcomes, candidate quality, and stakeholder satisfaction, and address delivery risks and operational challenges.
Ensure recruitment governance, candidate assessment standards, confidentiality, and compliance with applicable policies and regulatory requirements.
Build trusted relationships with senior business leaders and CSPs, advising on executive talent markets, candidate availability, and recruitment decisions.
Translate business priorities and future leadership requirements into effective executive search approaches, using Workforce Talent Planning insights and critical skills priorities.
Partner with business leaders and relevant CEG teams on executive assessment, selection, compensation, and onboarding considerations.
Provide market intelligence, competitor insights, and external benchmarking to inform executive hiring and long-term talent planning.
Develop proactive sourcing approaches and executive talent pipelines across technology, digital, AI, cybersecurity, customer servicing, operations, and other critical leadership capabilities.
Build and maintain relationships with prospective executive talent, external networks, and retained search partners, using search firms effectively and cost-consciously.
Deliver a consistent, high-quality experience for executive candidates and senior Hiring Leaders.
Partner with the TA COE and wider Executive Recruitment team to improve sourcing effectiveness, recruitment processes, and cross-market delivery.
Contribute executive recruitment insights to TA modernization initiatives and support adoption of agreed recruitment tools, technology, and ways of working.