Director, Complaint Operations ANZ

American Express; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

American Express is seeking a senior leader to guide Complaints Operations across the Australian market. The role focuses on delivering strong outcomes for customers and colleagues while maintaining high standards of quality, service, and risk management.

You will build high-performing teams, foster inclusive leadership, and drive continuous improvement through data-led governance and cross-functional collaboration with global partners.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading operations, servicing, complaints or backoffice functions.
• Experience leading leaders and building inclusive, colleague-focused culture.
• Track record in driving performance, transformation and efficiencies.
• Ability to operate within risk, control and regulatory frameworks.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders across functions and markets.
• Strong strategic, analytical and communication capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead Complaints Backoffice Operations for the market, delivering strong customer and colleague outcomes while ensuring consistent performance across quality, service, productivity and operational risk.
• Build and inspire high-performing teams, creating an inclusive, colleague-focused environment that develops talent, strengthens leadership capability and empowers colleagues to take ownership and deliver their best.
• Drive operational excellence and transformation, identifying opportunities to simplify processes, improve capacity and productivity, leverage automation and deliver sustainable efficiencies while protecting the customer experience.
• Own operational performance and governance, using data and insights to anticipate trends, address emerging issues and ensure appropriate controls, accountability and continuous improvement across the operation.
• Build trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders across the market and global organization, influencing priorities, navigating competing requirements and ensuring strong alignment between operational delivery and broader business objectives.
• Serve as the face and voice of Complaints Operations for the market, representing the function in senior leadership forums, championing market and colleague perspectives, and using complaint insights to influence decisions and drive improvements across the customer journey.
• Represent Complaints Operations in regulatory and senior leadership forums, acting as the market representative for Complaints as required, engaging directly with regulators and senior leaders, providing clear visibility of operational performance, risks and remediation, and ensuring appropriate follow-through on commitments and regulatory expectations.

Skills

People leadership

Operational excellence

Regulatory & risk management

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Job description

• Lead Complaints Backoffice Operations for the market, delivering strong customer and colleague outcomes while ensuring consistent performance across quality, service, productivity and operational risk.
• Build and inspire high-performing teams, creating an inclusive, colleague-focused environment that develops talent, strengthens leadership capability and empowers colleagues to take ownership and deliver their best.
• Drive operational excellence and transformation, identifying opportunities to simplify processes, improve capacity and productivity, leverage automation and deliver sustainable efficiencies while protecting the customer experience.
• Own operational performance and governance, using data and insights to anticipate trends, address emerging issues and ensure appropriate controls, accountability and continuous improvement across the operation.
• Build trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders across the market and global organization, influencing priorities, navigating competing requirements and ensuring strong alignment between operational delivery and broader business objectives.
• Serve as the face and voice of Complaints Operations for the market, representing the function in senior leadership forums, championing market and colleague perspectives, and using complaint insights to influence decisions and drive improvements across the customer journey.
• Represent Complaints Operations in regulatory and senior leadership forums, acting as the market representative for Complaints as required, engaging directly with regulators and senior leaders, providing clear visibility of operational performance, risks and remediation, and ensuring appropriate follow-through on commitments and regulatory expectations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead Complaints Backoffice Operations for the market, delivering strong customer and colleague outcomes while ensuring consistent performance across quality, service, productivity and operational risk.
• Build and inspire high-performing teams, creating an inclusive, colleague-focused environment that develops talent, strengthens leadership capability and empowers colleagues to take ownership and deliver their best.
• Drive operational excellence and transformation, identifying opportunities to simplify processes, improve capacity and productivity, leverage automation and deliver sustainable efficiencies while protecting the customer experience.
• Own operational performance and governance, using data and insights to anticipate trends, address emerging issues and ensure appropriate controls, accountability and continuous improvement across the operation.
• Build trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders across the market and global organization, influencing priorities, navigating competing requirements and ensuring strong alignment between operational delivery and broader business objectives.
• Serve as the face and voice of Complaints Operations for the market, representing the function in senior leadership forums, championing market and colleague perspectives, and using complaint insights to influence decisions and drive improvements across the customer journey.
• Represent Complaints Operations in regulatory and senior leadership forums, acting as the market representative for Complaints as required, engaging directly with regulators and senior leaders, providing clear visibility of operational performance, risks and remediation, and ensuring appropriate follow-through on commitments and regulatory expectations.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Significant experience leading operations, servicing, complaints or backoffice functions, preferably within financial services or another highly regulated environment.
• Demonstrated people leadership experience, including leading leaders, developing high-performing teams and building an inclusive, colleague-focused culture.
• Strong track record of driving operational performance and transformation, including process improvement, productivity, capacity management and sustainable efficiencies.
• Proven ability to operate within a strong risk, control and regulatory framework, with sound judgment and experience managing complex operational issues and escalations.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and partner with senior stakeholders across multiple functions, markets and/or global teams.
• Strong strategic, analytical and communication capabilities, with the ability to translate operational insights into clear priorities, influence senior-level decisions and effectively represent the market in leadership forums.