VP, International Resilience Risk Management

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 Technical Risk Management (TRM) team safeguards the enterprise, globally, by identifying, assessing, monitoring & reporting risks across Information & Cyber Security Risk, Technology Risk, Data Risk, Resiliency Risk, and AI Risk.

The Resiliency Risk Management (RRM) organization within TRM provides independent second-line risk management oversight of resiliency risks across American Express globally. RRM is responsible for establishing and maintaining the enterprise resiliency risk management framework and providing independent oversight and credible challenge across the interconnected capabilities that enable American Express to prepare for, withstand, respond to and recover from operational disruptions. These capabilities include Business Resiliency, Technology and Cyber Resilience, Third-Party Risk, Site and Workforce Resiliency, Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management. RRM identifies, assesses, monitors and reports resiliency risk and partners across the enterprise to promote effective risk management, governance and adherence to applicable regulatory requirements and supervisory expectations.

The Vice President, International Resilience Risk Management is a newly established leadership role responsible for leading independent second-line risk oversight of operational resilience across American Express’ International businesses and Legal Entities. Reporting directly to the Global Head of Resiliency Risk Management Oversight, the incumbent will lead the international implementation and ongoing oversight of the enterprise resiliency risk management framework, while ensuring appropriate consideration of local regulatory requirements and supervisory expectations.

This role will provide independent oversight and credible challenge across the interconnected disciplines that contribute to operational resilience, including Business Resiliency, Technology and Cyber Resilience, Third-Party Risk, Site and Workforce Resiliency, Disaster Recovery, Crisis Management, Business Continuity Management and broader Operational Risk Management. This role will partner extensively with International Risk Officers, Legal Entity leadership, first-line resilience teams, Global Process Owners, Technology, Cybersecurity, Third-Party Risk Management and other risk partners to establish a consistent, scalable and locally relevant approach to resilience risk management.

• Lead independent second-line oversight of operational resilience risk across International businesses and Legal Entities, ensuring alignment with enterprise frameworks and standards while addressing applicable local regulatory requirements.
• Lead the international implementation and ongoing application of the enterprise resiliency risk management framework, providing effective oversight and credible challenge across Business Resiliency, Business Continuity Management, Disaster Recovery, Crisis Management, Technology and Cyber Resilience, Third-Party Risk, and Site and Workforce Resiliency.
• Establish and communicate a consolidated International resilience risk profile through the identification, assessment, monitoring and reporting of material risks, vulnerabilities, control weaknesses and emerging risk themes.
• Provide independent review and challenge of key operational resilience activities, including critical and important business service identification, dependency mapping, impact tolerances, scenario testing, controls and remediation.
• Partner with International Risk Officers, Legal Entity leadership and enterprise risk teams to translate enterprise requirements into effective local oversight while maintaining consistency across jurisdictions.
• Lead International resilience risk governance and reporting, including risk appetite, metrics, executive reporting and escalation of material risks to senior management and relevant governance committees.
• Lead and develop locally based International risk colleagues, providing functional direction and promoting consistent standards of risk oversight, credible challenge and escalation across markets.
• Monitor evolving global regulatory requirements and supervisory expectations, including DORA, PRA, OCC and FFIEC guidance, and lead or support resilience-related regulatory examinations, audits and supervisory engagements.
• Provide independent risk oversight during significant operational disruptions and partner across RRM, GRC, and the first line to identify lessons learned, strengthen resilience capabilities and promote a strong risk-management culture.

• Experience within banking, payments or broader financial services, particularly within a large, internationally regulated organization; relevant experience in other highly regulated industries with directly transferable resilience expertise will also be considered.
• Experience within a second-line-of-defense risk management function, with demonstrated responsibility for independent risk oversight, credible challenge, risk assessment and escalation.
• Experience leading resilience risk oversight across multiple countries or Legal Entities, including critical business services, dependency mapping, impact tolerances, scenario testing and remediation.
• Experience overseeing significant operational disruptions, technology outages, cyber events or other resilience events.
• Relevant professional certifications in Operational Resilience, Business Continuity Management, Disaster Recovery, Risk Management, Technology Risk or Cybersecurity.

• Advanced degree in business, risk management, technology, engineering or a related discipline is preferred.

   

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