ETS VP, Exam & Audit Management

American Express•Charlotte, NC

1d•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. We are seeking a Vice President of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) Exam & Audit Management to lead a high-performing team responsible for managing all regulatory exams, internal audits and oversight reviews which intersect with ETS. The ETS Exam & Audit Management team ensures regulatory expectations, risk management requirements and industry best practices are consistently embedded in the way we design, operate and govern Technology and Information Security at American Express. This leader will partner with Senior Leaders and Subject Matter Experts (SME) to navigate complex regulatory expectations, manage relationships between global regulators and internal stakeholders and collaborate across all lines of defense to manage, mediate and report on fieldwork and open actions. The ideal candidate brings proven experience articulating control effectiveness, driving operational resilience and elevating exam and audit readiness across a global, multi-disciplined technology organization. Additionally, the ideal candidate will provide consultative guidance in drafting self-identified issues (SIIs) and corrective actions with ETS SMEs and Control Management teams and will support Management Action Plans (MAPs), Matters Requiring Attention (MRAs), and other regulatory or audit-related remediation across ETS.

Requirements

10+ years’ experience in technology risk, IT governance or IS Operations including 5+ years in a senior technology leadership role within a regulated environment.
Minimum 5 years’ of direct experience working with global regulators (e.g. OCC, FRB, FCA).
Strong technical fluency (SDLC, Information Security, Infrastructure, Cloud distributed systems, service management, vendor management) to engage credibly with technical teams and senior technology leadership.
Demonstrated ability to align risk govern strategy with business objectives and communicate with clarity at the executive level.
Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders across all lines of defense, Internal Audit, driving accountability and constructive challenge.
Expertise in designing and executing process governance frameworks that meet regulatory expectations and strengthen operational discipline.
Experience interacting with regulators and managing regulatory expectations related to technology risk.
Strong analytical, problem-solving and data driven decision-making skills.
Track record of successfully managing large, diverse and globally distributed teams.
Experience in financial services or similarly complex, regulated industries.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Information Security, Computer Science, or related field; advanced degrees (e.g., MBA, MSc) or relevant professional certifications (e.g. CISA, CRISC, CISSP) are advantageous.
Experience in one or more of the following areas: o Translating operational risk strategy and appetite into execution guidelines o Monitoring and identifying issues with Key Risk Indicator (KRI) limits and risk appetite to ensure operational risks are managed within agreed thresholds o Implementing and maturing operational risk governance frameworks within a complex regulated environment. o Developing, communicating and ensuring adoption of operational risk procedures, standards and control expectations. o Supporting or leading operational risk components of regulatory exams, supervisory reviews or internal audit engagements.

Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end regulatory engagements, internal audits, second line reviews, and external assessments for Technology, Data, and Information Security programs, processes, and procedures.
Interpret scope and clarify key regulations, expectations and emerging supervisory themes, guiding ETS leaders and SMEs through preparation, fieldwork and post-review follow-up activities.
Conduct readiness sessions by aligning controls to scope and identifying gaps or potential Self-Identified Issues (SIIs).
Collaborate with ETS teams to demonstrate control effectiveness, foster operational resiliency and embed a culture of continuous improvement.
Build and maintain a robust, transparent and accurate operating cadence for all audit and exam activities – tracking schedules, deliverables, results and commitments.
Partner across RELM, IREM, IAG and 2LOD stakeholders to ensure consistent data, aligned reporting and unified messaging across all lines of defense.
Deliver concise, high-impact management reporting, risk metrics and insights that enable informed decision making and provide risk awareness.
Influence and set the strategic direction and roadmap for the ETS Exam & Audit Management program.
Build, lead and develop a team of experienced professionals, including talent strategy, succession plans and collaborative team culture.
Operate as a key member of the extended Tech Risk and Information Security leadership team, contributing to enterprise-wide security, compliance and governance initiatives.

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