Manager - Program Management & Strategic Planning (Executive Office)

American Express•Phoenix, AZ

6d•$103,750 - $174,750•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. How will you make an impact in this role? As part of the Enterprise Technology Services organization, Global Merchant and Network Technology (GMNST) is the technology organization that delivers platforms, engineering, and modernization in service of GMNS business outcomes. We are a global team, with over 2,000 colleagues and contractors across the U.S., UK, India, Australia, and other regions, spanning Technology Delivery (engineers and architects), Cross-Platform Delivery (project management), Testing, and leadership & support. Its mission is to cultivate a World Class Payments Ecosystem that drives profitable, compliant and vibrant growth in the places that matter most to our customers. The Manager will report directly to the GMNST Chief of Staff Director and will lead and evolve daily processes and help drive execution across key deliverables of the GMNST Executive Office, led by the GMNST Senior Vice President (SVP) and Unit CIO. In this role, the Manager will be responsible for ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the leadership team’s operating rhythm and delivery of goals, and will partner with the GMNST Leadership Team, as well as business partners from GMNS, Technology Business Enablement (TBE), and others. This role is ideal for a driven, outcomes-oriented leader who thrives in a fast-paced technology organization and can operate with both strategic perspective and operational rigor. To be successful in this role, it is imperative that the candidate is innately communicative, responsive, transparent, organized, proactive, and accountable. The ideal incumbent will successfully navigate competing priorities, apply thought leadership, operate as a trusted advisor, and consistently embody American Express’s Blue Box Values in their execution.

Requirements

A demonstrated self-starter with excellent project management and process improvement skills who can lead projects with autonomy
Analytical mindset and intellectually curious
Ability to influence a community of senior leaders and colleagues, including peer groups, to reach common goals
Superior detail orientation with ability to think and own “end-to-end”.
Ability to efficiently prioritize, solve problems independently, escalate appropriately, manage tight deadlines, and handle changing priorities in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
Excellent written and oral communication skills with exceptional ability to translate ideas into clear, concise presentations and tailor complex messages to various audiences (from colleagues to executives) with simplicity and impact
Ability to build strong relationships across the organization at all levels and work effectively in a collaborative, multi-cultural, team environment.
Strong sense of integrity, discretion, and ability to maintain confidentiality.
Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines while maintaining strategic perspective of the bigger picture
Solid financial acumen
Ability to balance attention to detail and accuracy while managing continuous inbound requests
Versatile multitasker and creative problem-solver
Eager to lead, as well as follow, and receive feedback with an outlook toward team success and growth
Ability to build strong relationships and trust through proactive collaboration, transparency, and delivering on commitments
Expert with PowerPoint and Excel
Minimum of 4 years of relevant work experience
Undergraduate degree required

Nice To Haves

Experience in workforce planning, financial management, or capacity planning within a technology organization
Experience building and maintaining operating rhythms for senior leadership teams (e.g., QBRs, MBRs, org-wide communications cadence)
Experience developing dashboards or automation in Excel/Power BI to drive transparency and decision-making
Prior Chief of Staff, business operations, strategy, or technology program management experience

Responsibilities

Bring together and manage the GMNST Workforce Plan to ensure affordability to meet Supply Targets – liaising with the Technology Portfolio Team, GMNST Leadership, and Manager Assistants
Own and maintain a consolidated GMNST hiring plan tracker that integrates headcount caps, approved hiring requests, location strategy, role prioritization, and key milestones to enable leadership visibility and decision-making.
Validate affordability and alignment (e.g., HC caps, funding, workforce strategy, location mix) prior to posting approvals; ensure outputs feed Technology Business Enablement (TBE) Portfolio and Workforce Strategy processes and routines.
Develop impactful presentations, content, agendas, and internal processes for key meetings and events (e.g. SVP site visits, round tables, Town Halls, leadership meetings, employee engagement events, team build activities, networking sessions, etc.)
Draft communications to be sent by members of the GMNST Executive Office
Host regular meetings within GMNST, track minutes and action items, and follow up with owners on respective action items
Collaborate with enterprise partners and other centers of excellence on key initiatives
Collect, consolidate, and quality-check deliverables across the organization
Increase transparency and enable faster decision-making through the development of consistent, replicable reports with actionable insights
Develop relationships across GMNST to understand the pulse of the team, assess colleague engagement and development, and propose recommendations to address and optimize key themes and priorities
Develop and implement new processes and improve existing procedures to increase efficiencies and enhance the organization’s internal capacity

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