VP Tech Risk & Control

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.

How will you make an impact in this role?

To support its continued evolution, American Express is seeking an experienced risk professional to help ensure safe and sound banking & business operations by creating embedded partnerships focused on reducing technology and operational risk.

The VP will lead a team of risk and control professionals, each assigned to a member of the Enterprise Technology Services Senior Leadership Team and corresponding Business Unit reflecting American Express’ Revenue and Corporate Services.

The ability to deliver measurable outcomes and results in a fast-paced, large-scale environment while building lasting partnerships and credibility is essential.

The Risk and Control Lead works closely with the control management pillar functions to deliver end-to-end risk and control management for ETS verticals, delivering a tailored version of core activities such as reporting, risk assessment, control design, and remediation for the supporting portfolio. The Risk and Control Lead builds subject-matter expertise in their domains and execute the day-to-day management of risk reduction campaigns, risk identification, BU risk committee reporting, action plan management, and reporting. Successful Risk and Control Leads are sufficiently embedded to help proactively identify risks and serve as a single point of contact to ETS leadership and the business units they support.

The ideal candidate will have the following characteristics:

• Experience working with large-bank Regulators and in complex global environment.
• Broad understanding of information security disciplines with emphasis on vulnerability management, data protection, infrastructure security, application security, identity and access, incident management, risk management, and data analytics.
• Broad understanding of operational risk management principles.
• Initiative and energy to go beyond minimum requirements of effort and activity; a bias for action and for getting things done. Broad understanding of operational risk management principles.
• Calm and decisive under pressure. Natural operational leadership in stressful situations.

·       Experience in developing high performing talent.

·       Proven ability in extending and maintaining strong relationships in a complex multi-national corporation. Ability to translate technical cyber security concepts to non-technical business leaders.

• Strong problem solver with the ability to use analytical methods to affect change.
• Effective organizational skills (including attention to detail) along with the ability to collaborate and influence in a matrix environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish strong partnerships with key stakeholders across technology organizational towers and lines of business to provide consultation on IT/IS and operational risk.
• Provide tailored risk reporting on an ongoing basis to each technology group with tactical consultation on risk identification, measurement, and treatment.
• Partner closely with Information Technology and Information Security standard owners and control owners on risk remediation prioritization efforts to influence risk reduction across the organization.
• Act as a bi-directional advocate representing business unit and technology leadership interests in control owner and policy discussions.
• Elevate operational risk management practices through the risk advisory function, leading to improved documentation, enhanced controls, timely issue management, and overall improved risk culture.
• Drive other Technology Risk related activities which arise based on the needs of the Technology Risk mission.

Critical Leadership Capabilities

Strategic Thinking

·        Explains specifically how changes in competitors, clients, and market segments affect our own business or institution.

·        Informed by an external industry perspective that includes awareness of “over the horizon cyber risk.”

·        Translates broad corporate strategies into clear, specific objectives and plans for units and individuals.

·        Creates plans that address specific segments or contrasts local market with other locations or segments.

·        Thinks 2-3 years ahead.

Driving Results

·        Works to achieve goals while overcoming obstacles and/or planning for contingencies.

·        Shows strong feelings (i.e., urgency) about reaching targets.

·        Reviews performance and progress on a regular basis to ensure team is achieving results. Benchmarks own performance against industry best practices for security.

·        Tests to see if goals are sufficiently challenging and implements corrective action based on deviations.

Collaborating And Influencing

·        Will bring a passion to change the culture within the technology organization alongside an ability to enter a culture where influence and collaboration is critical to driving change constructively.

·        Negotiates with a genuine give-and-take approach and decisions are shared.

·        Spends time identifying all stakeholders necessary and meets or connects with all of them, neglecting no one to shape a collective consensus.

·        Identifies opportunities to build relationships that will help others achieve their objectives and reaches out to those people or new people.

Building People Capability

·        Serves as a talent magnet for American Express.

·        Dedicates time and energy to maintaining and growing followership of high-caliber, highly motivated talent.

·        Gives critical feedback in behavioral terms and discusses suggestions for improvement.

·        Uses existing institutional programs and brings new practices and strategies to support

employees’ career growth in individual ways.

·        Uses a regular assessment and feedback process to focus the development effort

Minimum Qualifications

• 5 years experience working within Information Security disciplines
• Proven communication skills with an ability to translate technical cybersecurity concepts to non-technical business leaders.
• Working understanding of operational risk management and control management principles

Preferred Qualifications

·        Cism

·        Crisc

·        Cet

Salary Range: $176,750.00 to $282,000.00 annually + bonus + equity (if applicable) + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we’ll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

• Competitive base salaries 
• Bonus incentives 
• 6% 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

For a full list of Team Amex benefits, visit our Colleague Benefits Site.

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law. American Express will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including, but not limited to, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. For positions covered by federal and/or state banking regulations, American Express will comply with such regulations as it relates to the consideration of applicants with criminal convictions.

We back our colleagues with the support they need to thrive, professionally and personally. That's why we have Amex Flex, our enterprise working model that provides greater flexibility to colleagues while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite, in a hybrid model (combination of in-office and virtual days) or fully virtually.

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