Audit Director - Financial Crimes

At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviors, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. As part of Team Amex, you'll experience this powerful backing with comprehensive support for your holistic well-being and many opportunities to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and grow your career.

Here, your voice and ideas matter, your work makes an impact, and together, you will help us define the future of American Express.

About the Role:

This role is based in New York and will be supporting the Vice President of Global Financial Crime. This is a senior role in the department and will be responsible for providing global leadership in IAG and American Express more broadly.

About the Team:

The Financial Crimes Internal Audit Team is part of the broader Internal Audit function and provides independent assurance over the firm’s ability to prevent and detect financial crime. The team focuses on key risks such as anti-money laundering, sanctions, and anti-bribery/corruption, assessing whether governance, risk management, and control frameworks are effective and aligned with regulatory expectations. Through risk-based audits, the team evaluates both the design and operating effectiveness of financial crime compliance programs, while also offering insights to strengthen controls and promote a culture of compliance. By delivering objective assurance to senior management and the Board, the team helps safeguard the institution’s integrity and reputation in a complex global regulatory environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development of the American Express International IAG Financial Crime Coverage Strategy.
• Support oversight of Global Financial Crime team coverage for both home and away audits.
• Develop and maintain collaborative senior stakeholder relationships across the enterprise to perform effective business monitoring.
• Execute and oversee audits of international Financial Crime audits and issues validations ensuring adequate workpaper quality and effective stakeholder challenge or escalation where necessary.
• Effectively coach, mentor and develop colleagues and co-sourced across all aspects of their role, the audit and analytic lifecycle, and audit methodology.
• Maintain the team's resource calendar, training program and recruiting pipeline, and execute the screening and selection process.

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience
• Fluent understanding and experience with Audit methodology within internal/external audit, including independently leading audit work streams.
• Financial services industry experience and an understanding of related products, services, features, economics and key regulations
• Understanding of regulatory, accounting, and financial industry best practices relevant to the business, including technology and data implications
• Experience and understanding of Financial Crime risks, regulation, and best practices.
• Ability to break-down a complex problem into components, process knowledge and risk/control knowledge, and communicate issues and control recommendations with transparency, integrity and impact
• Strong written and verbal communication skills that deliver quality, actionable and beneficial feedback to management on potential control issues and solutions to close gaps
• Effectively works independently, within a team and across teams in a fast-paced environment to drive business results, utilizing related project management skills, employing creative thinking, and the ability to work on competing priorities
• Proven ability to lead and manage multiple projects and provide developmental feedback across deliverables
• Proven ability lead team members in a way that encourages, develops, and delivers results.
• BA, BS, or equivalent degree in accounting or finance related field

  Preferred Qualifications

• Background in Compliance would be a plus
• Qualification in Financial Crime prevention (e.g., ACAMs or ICA Diploma)

Salary Range: $130,000.00 to $205,000.00 annually + bonus + equity (if applicable) + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we’ll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• 6% Company Match on retirement savings plan
• Free financial coaching and financial well-being support
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• 20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy
• 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

For a full list of Team Amex benefits, visit our Colleague Benefits Site.

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law. American Express will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with arrest or conviction records, in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including, but not limited to, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. For positions covered by federal and/or state banking regulations, American Express will comply with such regulations as it relates to the consideration of applicants with criminal convictions.

We back our colleagues with the support they need to thrive, professionally and personally. That's why we have Amex Flex, our enterprise working model that provides greater flexibility to colleagues while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite, in a hybrid model (combination of in-office and virtual days) or fully virtually.

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