Vice President, Global Financial Crimes Compliance, Independent Compliance Testing

American Express•Charlotte, NC

About The Position

American Express’s Global Compliance & Ethics (GC&E) organization oversees the company’s compliance with regulatory expectations through monitoring and testing activities. The Vice President in the Deputy Compliance Office will lead the global financial crimes independent compliance testing program within the second line of defense. The role ensures testing assesses the design and operating effectiveness of financial crimes compliance controls across business lines, including credit cards, banking, and payment services. The position leads a global testing program, manages testing professionals, and reports results to senior leadership and governance bodies.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in finance, business, law, or a related field.
10+ years of financial crimes compliance, risk, or audit experience in financial services, with demonstrated expertise in compliance risk.
Deep understanding of the regulatory environment and industry best practices, particularly consumer compliance, including UDAP, AML, BSA, and Fair Lending.
Experience leading governance functions within the second line of defense at a financial services institution, preferably a bank.
Strong experience interacting with regulatory agencies and managing regulatory exams.
Experience with data analytics and risk management practices.
Experience assessing risks, control design and effectiveness, and business processes.
Experience analyzing data, interpreting results, identifying discrepancies or risks, and using data analytics and visualization tools.
Extensive financial services business process experience, including understanding related products, services, features, economics, and key regulations.
Strong knowledge of compliance risk management frameworks, monitoring methodologies, and regulatory expectations.
Professional experience handling policy governance objectives.
Strong leadership, interpersonal, and organizational capabilities, including the ability to influence and collaborate across organizational levels.
Exceptional problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills, balancing business objectives with regulatory requirements.
Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively and navigate a complex organization.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills for reports, presentations, and policy documents.
Ability to deliver high-quality work products with attention to detail; self-motivated, dependable, adaptable, innovative, and flexible.
Advanced analytics, PowerPoint, and Excel skills, and ability to learn new tools quickly.
Eligibility to work in the U.S.; American Express will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications such as CRCM, CAMS, or CCEP.

Responsibilities

Develop and manage the global financial crimes compliance testing strategy, methodology, and annual plan to provide coverage of high-risk regulatory areas.
Oversee testing engagements and ensure work papers and reports are timely, high-quality, and well documented.
Prioritize testing based on regulatory requirements, risk assessments, and emerging compliance issues, including AML, UDAP, Fair Lending, BSA, Privacy, and Complaints.
Identify control gaps and root causes, and provide actionable recommendations.
Monitor remediation activities to confirm timely closure.
Support regulator and internal audit reviews and exams, and present testing results and methodologies.
Provide regular updates and comprehensive reports on testing outcomes to senior management, governance committees, and the Board.
Lead, coach, and develop compliance testing professionals.
Foster a culture of accountability, independence, and excellence.