Compliance Manager

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.

Reporting to the Director in the EMEA Regional Financial Crimes Organization, this position sits under the Program Governance team under Global Financial Crimes Compliance (GFCC) department. The role is accountable for driving the governance and oversight of the EMEA Financial Crimes Compliance Program (Anti-Money Laundering, Sanctions, and Anti-Corruption), ensuring that frameworks, systems, controls, and procedures are effectively designed, implemented, and aligned with Enterprise standards, Legal Entity policies, and local regulatory requirements.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to lead key Financial Crimes Compliance governance initiatives in a dynamic environment, driving compliance excellence and contributing to the integrity of financial systems.

Role Includes:

• Audit Management – Drive and continuously enhance the audit management framework, working collaboratively with key stakeholders on the management of internal and external audits. Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of internal and external audits, ensuring timely delivery, robust challenge, and accountability of GFCC data.
• Regulatory Interactions – Support regulatory interactions across the EMEA Financial Crimes programme. Coordinate GFCC responses to regulatory exams, audits, and inquiries, ensuring clear, consistent, and well-governed communication.
• Regulatory Reporting – Own and execute delivery of MLRO-related regulatory reporting. Ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness by overseeing collaboration with Regulatory Reporting teams, MCOs/LECOs (Market Compliance Officers/Legal Entity Compliance Officers), LOBCO (Line of Business Compliance Officers), and First Line of Defence teams. 
• Issue Management – Drive a robust issue management framework covering issue and events. Oversee tracking, reporting, and remediation, holding stakeholders accountable and escalating risks where required. 
• Risk Assessments – Steer the delivery of Money Laundering, Sanctions, and Terrorist Financing risk assessments across markets and legal entities. Ensure methodologies are effectively designed and executed in partnership with the Risk Management Office (RMO) and MCOs/LECOs.
• Reporting – Lead the delivery of consistent, high-quality Financial Crimes reporting across regions and legal entities. Ensure reporting provides clear, actionable insights for senior stakeholders and governance forums.
• Data Analysis and Validation – Govern the review, analysis, and validation of complex data sets to support regulatory and internal reporting. Drive improvements in data quality, governance, and control effectiveness.
• Policies and Procedures – Drive consistency across regional policies and procedures to meet regulatory and enterprise expectations. Ensure alignment with evolving regulatory expectations and enterprise standards, driving continuous improvement.
• Effective Challenge and Accountability – Act as a senior governance authority providing effective challenge to both First and Second Line of Defence. Hold stakeholders accountable for risk management practices, ensuring appropriate escalation and resolution of key risks.

• Bachelor or Master’s Degree in finance, law, business, or a related field preferred. Relevant certifications (e.g., ACAMS, ICA) are an advantage.

• Minimum 3+ years of experience in AML/CTF/Risk governance or project management within a compliance, risk management or audit role.

• Strong data analysis and reporting skills, with the ability to extract actionable insights from diverse data sources.

• Decisive self-starter with high degree of accountability, curiosity, solution-oriented approach, able to manage competing long-term and short-term priorities in fast paced environments.

• Strong project and relationship management, collaboration, organisational, and interpersonal skills with ability to influence and engage partners.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to communicate confidently and effectively with senior stakeholders.

• Outstanding organisational skills and an extremely positive “can-do” attitude, with ability to work independently.

• Have a global mindset; able to work well across time zones and work cultures.

• Advanced proficiency in analytics tools, Gen-AI, Excel and PowerPoint, with the ability to quickly adopt new technologies and platforms.

Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the UK is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.