Senior Governance & Control Manager

Job Description

Senior Manager, Corporate Functions Governance | American Express

The Tone:
Enterprise Shared Services (ESS) is central to American Express’s operations, delivering services that power safe, resilient, and efficient functions globally. This includes Global Real Estate, Supply Management, Business Resilience, and Corporate Functions Governance & Control. The Senior Manager, Corporate Functions Governance role is critical within the ESS Corporate Functions Governance & Control team. This position ensures robust risk governance and control management across several key corporate groups, including ESS, Corporate Affairs, Colleague Experience, and the General Counsel’s Organization, by establishing structures to identify, assess, manage, and report on various enterprise risks.

The TL;DR
• Role: Senior Manager
• Location: United States

• Team: Corporate Functions Governance & Control team within Enterprise Shared Services (ESS)
• Mission: Enable risk governance and control management for Corporate Functions, through a structure that governs, identifies, assesses, manages, and reports on enterprise, operational, and compliance risks.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Govern: Govern and manage enterprise, operational, and compliance risks for Corporate Functions.
• Lead: Lead and oversee complex cross-functional initiatives related to governance and control across highly matrixed organizations.
• Design: Design and implement governance processes and operating models, ensuring adherence to policy, regulatory, and operational risk management requirements.
• Develop: Develop and enhance risk and control management practices to improve operational effectiveness and drive continuous improvement.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Senior Manager with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Risk Management, or Legal Studies.
• Experience: 7+ years of experience in program management, governance, operational risk, or consulting, with a proven track record of leading complex cross-functional initiatives and implementing governance processes and operating models.
• Skills: Strong program and project management capabilities including planning, governance, change management, stakeholder management, execution tracking, and executive reporting; exceptional analytical, structured problem-solving, and communication skills to navigate ambiguity, synthesize complex information, and influence decision-making; highly collaborative, adaptable, and execution-oriented.
• Bonus: An advanced degree (e.g., MBA, JD) or relevant certifications; experience supporting or leading governance, operational risk, regulatory, or compliance initiatives; expertise in implementing governance frameworks or developing risk and control management practices; a solid understanding of operational risk management concepts including risk assessments, issues management, risk appetite, key risk indicators (KRIs), governance forums, and regulatory requirements.