Manager- Issuing IOE Europe (selected markets) - Madrid, Madrid, Spain

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Are you detail and process-oriented and enjoy problem solving?  Do you bring curiosity and creativity to your daily role?  Are you self-motivated with a bias for action? Then you could be just the candidate we are looking for.

 

International Operational Excellence (IOE) is a newly expanded organization, responsible for supporting our international issuing and acquiring businesses across 27+ countries and ensuring they have a robust first line of defense. International OE plays an active role in enabling the businesses to meet their growth objectives whilst demonstrating an effective control framework. 

Our organization helps our international businesses manage non-financial risk, respond to new regulation, and develop new products whilst creating and nurturing effective partnerships across multiple key stakeholders across the organization. 

 

Job Responsibilities:

ICS is making changes to the commercial business in certain European countries (Flamingo) to simplify the issuing operations and to enable operating more efficiently and optimizing the business for further growth.

The role reports into the Issuing Operational Excellence Director for Europe (selected markets) and will be responsible for actively supporting the issuing business to deliver on their goals, and to ensure the business is executing effectively against local and central control and compliance expectations.

In addition, this role will be responsible for supporting the broader AEESA Legal entity Committees and Board in ensuring effective and appropriate governance of associated Flamingo Operational Risks.

This will mean being a trusted advisor, supporting the business to assess, mitigate and accept risk. The role will be responsible for ensuring a strong control focus is integrated into day-to-day operations and that the Flamingo’ operational risk processes are appropriately managed. Focus will also be to ensure issues and risks are managed promptly and effectively, with root causes identified and addressed, and to support business initiatives to enable strong business growth.

Responsibilities of the incumbent will include:

• Issue Management: Drive early detection of risks and issues, supporting the business to fix them rapidly, in line with risk appetite and Issue Management timings.
• Legal Entity Governance framework: Ensure that the Governance Framework adopted for the selected markets is effective and streamlined, with the wider AEESA legal entity governance aligned with AXP Governance Standards, effectively supports business processes, and change management and meets external regulatory requirements.
• AML KYC: ensuring an AML KYC framework that can demonstrate, robust sustainable processes with effective controls and business testing, an optimize customer experience and servicing strategy with strong business governance and accountability.
• Enabling business growth and supporting change management: Manage the end-to-end risk assessment process for all new products, platforms, and capabilities locally, supporting and enabling business growth. The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring that the local Change Management program is compliant with the Enterprise AEMP 54 management policy and International OE governing standards.
• Third Party Risk (TLM): Support sound execution of the TLM program for the markets in scope and be mindful of any potential new outsourced activity that might require to be reported to the Bank of Spain. Provide guidance to the business to manage vendor risks by ensuring appropriate risk assessments and the closure of issues in line with the TLM framework.  Effectively engage and leverage the International OE central team for relevant subject matter expertise and program management, to ensure streamlined efforts and efficiencies are gained in management of vendor risk. 
• Audit Engagement: Support the business in managing audits. Educate the respective audit team about proper audit engagement and reviews. The incumbent will provide and recommend pre-audit submissions of management self-identified findings (MSIFs), monitor all audit MAPs to ensure they are closed in a timely manner, participate in all audit meetings, and provide operational risk input into audit findings.
• Process Risk Self-Assessment: Support process owners in creating and documenting their process in addition to the risks and controls using the PRSA methodology. Facilitate the annual Risk Assessment Questionnaire refresh process.
• Regulatory Change Management (RCM): partner with Compliance and Global Counsel’s Office (GCO) to understand requirements for the business, take responsibility for risk assessing the RCM item, assigning a business unit project manager (BUPM), partnering with the business to ensure implementation of requirements, and facilitating legal entity escalation and engagement of key stakeholders.
• Effectively engage and liaise with the Central International OE teams to support and streamline key business process and Business Self Testing programs.
• Training and Awareness: Drive Operational Excellence, control and compliance principles and standards locally, delivering tailored training as required.

Recommended Skills/Qualifications:

• Experience in Operational Excellence, Compliance, Operational Risk, or a related discipline, ideally in more than one of these disciplines.
• Proven program management experience & successful delivery of large-scale initiatives, ideally within financial services
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to produce high quality documentation.
• Must be able to multitask, meet strict deadlines and work well with different areas of the organization.
• Fast learner, able to understand operational processes & capabilities.
• Knowledge of AML/CFT environment useful
• Experience in business process improvement, control design and development of control and process testing.
• In-depth knowledge of issuer products and processes
• Demonstrated ability to partner with a broad network of colleagues to drive effective issue identification and resolution across the three lines of defense.
• Proven ability to develop and enhance local control and compliance frameworks.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills to work across a wide range of teams and build effective working relationships. 
• Strong communicator, with experience of engaging with senior management.
• Desire to learn and continuously searching to understand industry best practices and find creative solutions.
• Ability to thrive in a fast paced and fluid business environment.
• Fluent English, both spoken and written.

We back our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:

• Competitive base salaries 
• Bonus incentives 
• Support for financial-well-being and retirement 
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location) 
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need 
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location) 
• 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

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.