Senior Manager-Strategic Planning

American Express•New York, NY

About The Position

Global Commercial Services (GCS) serves business customers worldwide, offering payment and cashflow tools, financing, and digital solutions. The Senior Manager – Strategy and Governance will support Oculus, a high-priority American Express enterprise transformation program, by leading executive and stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, and program governance. The role activates and manages the program’s stakeholder engagement model, develops executive messaging and communications, and promotes alignment across cross-functional teams, senior leaders, and regulators. Working closely with leaders and teams across the organization, this highly visible role synthesizes complex information into compelling executive narratives and helps facilitate decisions, strengthen governance, and keep stakeholders informed and aligned on priorities, progress, risks, and outcomes. The position requires strong communication, strategic thinking, organization, and cross-functional collaboration.

Requirements

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to independently develop executive-ready PowerPoint presentations, compelling storylines, and concise messaging for senior leaders.
Strong strategic thinking and synthesis skills, including the ability to absorb complex information, ask insightful questions, connect disparate inputs, and produce structured narratives, recommendations, and actionable materials.
Demonstrated experience engaging with senior executives, with the confidence, judgment, and executive presence to participate effectively in leadership discussions and communicate complex topics clearly.
Strong program governance, strategic planning, and stakeholder management capabilities, including experience supporting complex cross-functional initiatives.
Proven ability to build relationships, influence stakeholders, and drive alignment across teams without direct authority.
Highly organized, proactive, and detail-oriented, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and deliver high-quality work under tight timelines.
Bachelor's degree required.
Eligibility to work in the United States for American Express; the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting large-scale enterprise transformation programs or strategic initiatives within a complex organization.
Experience in strategy, business management, chief of staff, or PMO roles with significant exposure to executive communications, stakeholder engagement, and governance.
Advanced PowerPoint and executive storytelling capabilities, including independently building presentations from unstructured inputs and developing clear, visually compelling materials.
Experience developing stakeholder engagement strategies, executive messaging, and communications for diverse audiences, including senior leadership and regulatory stakeholders.
Experience establishing and managing executive governance forums, leadership operating rhythms, and cross-functional decision-making processes.
Strong business acumen and sound judgment, with the ability to anticipate leadership needs, proactively identify gaps, and connect strategic priorities to execution.

Responsibilities

Lead executive and stakeholder engagement and communications for the Oculus program, activating and managing its stakeholder engagement model across cross-functional teams, senior leadership, and regulatory audiences.
Develop executive communications and strategic storytelling, including presentations, leadership updates, key messaging, and decision materials that explain program strategy, progress, risks, and priorities.
Translate complex discussions and stakeholder inputs into concise executive narratives, structured storylines, and polished presentation materials.
Partner with senior leaders to understand strategic priorities, anticipate communication needs, and prepare materials for executive discussions, stakeholder engagement, and decision-making.
Lead program governance and executive reporting, coordinating leadership forums, governance routines, executive reviews, and processes that support transparency, accountability, and timely decisions.
Drive alignment across Product, Technology, Marketing, Sales, Compliance, Finance, GCO, Operations, and other teams by connecting stakeholders, surfacing dependencies, and supporting consistent messaging.
Develop and coordinate communications for internal stakeholders, executive leadership, and regulatory engagements, ensuring content is accurate, consistent, appropriately tailored, and aligned with program objectives.
Synthesize updates, risks, dependencies, and emerging issues across workstreams to identify themes, elevate decisions, and provide actionable insights to leadership.
Facilitate meetings and working sessions with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders, driving clarity and translating discussions into actions and deliverables.
Serve as a trusted partner to program leadership by identifying communication and governance needs, strengthening stakeholder relationships, and driving execution in a fast-paced, highly matrixed environment.