Director, GMS International Compliance – EMEA; Secondment

The Global Risk & Compliance (GRC) organization serves as American Express’ independent risk management function. GRC maintains the enterprise risk framework, provides oversight and challenge, and monitors key risks. By embedding risk discipline into strategy and operations, GRC enables responsible growth, innovation, and long-term value creation while protecting customers and shareholders.

The Global Risk & Compliance (GRC) organization serves as American Express’ independent risk management function. GRC maintains the enterprise risk framework, provides oversight and challenge, and monitors key risks. By embedding risk discipline into strategy and operations, GRC enables responsible growth, innovation, and long-term value creation while protecting customers and shareholders. This position is based in London and follows a hybrid working model, currently requiring three days per week in the office.

The role is responsible for leading the management and oversight of an effective second-line regulatory compliance program for American Express Global Merchant Services (GMS) across Europe (EMEA) and the UK, while also supporting and, where appropriate, leading selected GMS International Compliance initiatives that require cross regional coordination, consistency and governance. It will provide strategic Compliance oversight, effective challenge and practical guidance to support the business in identifying, assessing, managing and mitigating compliance risks across multiple markets.

The Global Compliance & Ethics team plays a critical role in protecting American Express, our brand and colleagues through practical, solution-focused guidance on regulatory and ethics-related matters. Within Global Merchant Services Compliance, the GMS International Compliance team performs second-line oversight of merchant acquiring activities outside the United States, ensuring a robust and sustainable compliance risk management framework. Reporting to the Vice President, Compliance GMS International, the Compliance Director will be responsible for maintaining a comprehensive and sustainable Compliance program for GMS in EMEA, providing oversight of regional risk management activities, and partnering with business, legal and control stakeholders to support compliance with applicable laws, regulations, enterprise policies and internal standards.

The role will also contribute to the design, coordination and execution of broader GMS International Compliance priorities, including cross-market risk assessments, governance, oversight and issue management activities.

• Lead the second-line Compliance program for GMS in EMEA, ensuring regulatory compliance risks are identified, assessed, monitored, controlled and escalated appropriately.
• Develop and implement a strategic risk assessment, monitoring and oversight framework for GMS International, with particular focus on the EMEA region, and help drive consistency in approach across international markets where common standards, methodologies or governance are required.
• Provide effective challenge and oversight of GMS risk reduction and mitigation activities, as required under the Compliance Risk Management Program and the broader Operational Risk Program.
• Act as a point of escalation for GMS Line of Business Compliance regional teams, GMS and Compliance stakeholders, ensuring timely and appropriate resolution of risks and issues.
• Lead strategic Financial Crimes initiatives across GMS International, including cross regional projects, regulatory change programmes, issue management activities, remediation efforts and governance enhancements, ensuring consistent execution and effective risk management across markets
• Lead or coordinate selected…