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ICS Governance & Control sits within International Card Services (ICS) which comprises of all the issuing functions across all 28 international markets excluding the US - colleagues operate across a variety of geographies and disciplines. ICS issues products to our Consumer and Commercial customers – the organization is an integral part of the global growth strategy for American Express; offering differentiated products and services is critical to our success and promises to drive significant growth and value through the delivery of innovative products, tailored to the needs of our customers. Our organization helps our international businesses manage risk, respond to new regulation, and develop new products while creating and nurturing effective partnerships across multiple key stakeholders across the organization.  

The objective of the ICS Control Management Japan Legal Entity Team is to provide specialized and strategic operational risk advisory to the business on product and service areas to ensure an effective control environment exists that delivers on all operational risk obligations supporting the Legal Entity. The role will involve extensive collaboration with multiple partners across numerous business units, functional areas, and geographies.

ICS Control Management organization is looking for a Director of ICS Control Management Japan Legal Entity to lead a diverse team of high-performing professionals focused on ensuring risk and control management is embedded in the day-to-day operations of our business.

The Director, ICS Control Management Japan Legal Entity will:

• Lead Control Management delivery of RCSA implementation across ICS market processes in partnership with local business teams and central teams (including assessment of Legal Entity expectations)

- Execution: Facilitate Risk Assessment Unit (RAU) workshop/sprint execution

- Risk Identification & Assessment: Identify risks, and assess likelihood and impact using risk rating criteria, ensuring risks are clearly articulated, appropriately classified and mapped to business processes

- Control Assessment: Ensure controls design and operating effectiveness assessment including providing recommendations of where control enhancements are needed

- Stakeholder Engagement: Ensure clear accountability of risk and control ownership, control testing, monitoring and reporting in compliance with company standards and policies

- Perform QA/QC programs to ensure regulatory and internal program standards are met (e.g., periodic RCSA reviews and update assessment criteria to align with regulatory updates

• Partner with business process owners to support discovery of additional risks or control deficiencies across business processes and products (including off cycle RCSA program activities)
• Serve as the in-market RCSA program framework subject matter expert
• Support Legal Entity market VP to ensure risks and issues are effectively identified, assessed, prioritized, and managed across all control deliverables to deliver on regulatory and Legal Entity obligations
• Execute timely and accurate reporting and governance activities in the market / Legal Entities (i.e. risk committees, issues management program and RPR ensuring the appropriate risk identification, and management of operational risks.
• Act as the central point for the business for consultation on all operational risk programs to enable BU to strengthen and embed relevant ORM considerations into processes
• Advise topical risk strategies and procedures to align with changes in the business environment and regulatory landscape, and frequently review
• Be a key leader for sharing insights, better practices, themes, etc. through engagement with the central program teams and other Legal Entity governance teams to support the operational risk programs and streamline processes.
• Lead a high performing team, driving career talent progression through ongoing leadership engagement as well as a proactive and energized colleague engagement program.

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ Years experience in operational (non-financial) risk management (preferably in 1LOD risk management capacity)
• Strong technical expertise implementing/managing Risk & Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) program
• Strong risk assessment expertise with ability to write risks and controls statements and process documentation (Visio)
• Demonstrated ability to lead and facilitate risk and control workshops, effectively collaborating across business stakeholders, and lines of defense 
• Excellent project management, communication, and interpersonal skills, with an ability to interact and obtain buy-in from senior BU/tech counterparts
• Verbal and written fluency in both Japanese and English

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in finance, Business, Risk Mgmt., or related field; advanced degrees (e.g., MBA, MSc) or certifications are advantageous
• Experience within financial services industry
• Experience in at least one of the following:

- Serving as the go-to subject matter expert pertaining to specific operational risk types

- Ensuring activities are aligned with standards set by specialist risk-stripe teams

- Complying with enterprise policies and programs pertaining to specific risk types and supporting with design/enhancement of procedures/standards by providing topic-specific insight

- Advising decentralized risk types into broader operational risk policies and programs

ORMCM

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 
• 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.