Senior Manager - Risk Management (Merchant Operations)

American Express; Gurugram District; Hybrid; INR 1,200,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Bonus incentives

Hybrid/onsite/virtual options

Parental leave benefits

Wellness and health programs

Career development opportunities

Job summary

American Express is seeking a senior program leader to drive Merchant Account Operations & Resilience initiatives in a global, matrixed environment. You will shape the strategy, governance, and execution of remediation and transformation programs across multiple functions and markets.

The role requires strong leadership, stakeholder management, and a proven ability to deliver measurable improvements in data quality, controls, and efficiency through AI-powered solutions and automated processes.

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex, cross-functional programs in a global or matrixed setting.
• Strong program-governance across planning, ownership, dependencies, risk, escalation and outcome measurement.
• Experience in operations, servicing, risk, controls, remediation, transformation, or other operationally intensive environments.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and shape process improvements involving AI, automation, analytics, or workflow redesign.
• Strong analytical fluency to translate complex challenges into structured recommendations and executable plans.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a prioritized roadmap to simplify, standardize, automate, and modernize Merchant Hierarchy review processes in partnership with governance and delivery teams.
• Translate pain points into improvement opportunities to reduce manual effort, speed turnaround, and improve data quality and controls.
• Coordinate cross-functional dependencies, decisions, and governance for enterprise-wide program uplift.
• Identify and prioritize AI, automation, analytics, and workflow opportunities; collaborate with Product, Technology, Analytics, and Operations to implement.
• Lead remediation and strategic program execution, establishing clear scope, milestones, ownership, and risks.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with stakeholders across business, Operations, Servicing, Pricing, Client Management, Product, Technology, Analytics, Risk, Compliance, Policy, and Control Management.

Skills

Program governance

Cross-functional leadership

Operational risk

AI & automation

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Executive presence

Excel & PowerPoint

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SQL

Python

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

You Lead the Way. We’ve Got Your Back

At American Express, our culture is built on a long history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviours, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. We operate with a strong risk mindset while continuously improving how we serve merchants and manage critical business processes.

Job Description

At American Express, our culture is built on a long history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviours, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. We operate with a strong risk mindset while continuously improving how we serve merchants and manage critical business processes.

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

How Will You Make Impact In This Role

Merchant Account Operations & Resilience supports critical merchant-data, operational-risk, remediation, and transformation activities. Accurate merchant data and effective operational processes are essential to pricing, servicing, risk management, reporting, and decision-making.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a prioritized roadmap to simplify, standardize, automate, and modernize Merchant Hierarchy review processes in partnership with the teams responsible for governance and operational delivery.
• Translate operational pain points into structured improvement opportunities that reduce manual effort, improve turnaround times and data quality, strengthen controls, and create scalable capabilities.
• Coordinate cross-functional partners, dependencies, decisions, operating-model changes, and adoption activities required to deliver sustainable enterprise-wide process uplift.

Advance AI, automation, and analytics

• Identify and prioritize opportunities to use AI, automation, analytics, workflow tools, external data, and emerging technologies to improve operational processes and outcomes.
• Partner with Product, Technology, Analytics, and Operations teams to evaluate solutions and progress them from problem definition through implementation, adoption, and benefits measurement.
• Ensure new capabilities address clear business needs and are supported by appropriate data, controls, ownership, governance, and performance monitoring.

Lead remediation and strategic program execution

• Lead or provide PMO support for complex remediation, operational-risk, control-enhancement, and strategic-change initiatives across functions and markets.
• Establish effective program governance, including clear scope, milestones, ownership, decision rights, dependencies, risks, escalation paths, and success measures.
• Drive change management, operational readiness, and executive reporting while maintaining accountability through implementation, stabilization, and benefits realization.

Strengthen stakeholder partnerships and team effectiveness

• Serve as a trusted stakeholder anchor across business, Operations, Servicing, Pricing, Client Management, Product, Technology, Analytics, Risk, Compliance, Policy, and Control Management.
• Demonstrate executive presence and influence senior leaders and cross-functional partners without direct authority through structured thinking, sound judgement, constructive challenge, and clear communication.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team with strong capabilities across program governance, remediation, operational transformation, analytics, automation, and stakeholder management.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience leading complex, cross-functional programs in a global or highly matrixed organization.
• Strong program-governance capability across planning, ownership, dependencies, risk management, escalation, and outcome measurement.
• Experience within operations, servicing, risk, controls, remediation, transformation, or another operationally intensive environment.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and shape process improvements involving AI, automation, analytics, workflow redesign, simplification, or operational efficiencies.
• Strong analytical fluency and the ability to translate complex or ambiguous challenges into structured recommendations and executable plans.
• Strong executive presence, credibility, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and influence senior partners without direct authority.
• Proven people-leadership experience, including setting direction, coaching talent, and building team capability.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within merchant operations, onboarding, account maintenance, servicing, pricing, payments, or a related function.
• Knowledge of merchant account structures, hierarchy processes, data enrichment, or Know Your Customer processes.
• Experience delivering operational transformation, AI, automation, workflow, analytics, or technology-enabled process improvements.
• Experience supporting operational-risk events, corrective-action plans, remediation, or control-enhancement programs.
• Familiarity with analytical and visualization tools such as SQL, Python, Tableau, Power BI, or comparable platforms.
• Experience working across multiple markets or global teams.

Critical Factors To Success

• Apply strong program governance and execution discipline across transformation and remediation initiatives.
• Convert AI, automation, analytics, and process‑improvement opportunities into scalable and sustainable operational capabilities.
• Deliver measurable improvements in efficiency, data quality, controls, and operational outcomes.
• Bring structure, transparency, and accountability to complex cross‑functional programs.
• Build trusted partnerships and influence decisions without direct authority.

Leadership Behaviors

The successful candidate should consistently demonstrate the American Express Leadership Behaviours by:

• Defining What Winning Looks Like: Establishing clear priorities, outcomes, delivery plans, and success measures.
• Putting Enterprise Thinking First: Balancing business value, merchant and customer outcomes, colleague impact, operational feasibility, and the control environment.
• Making Collaboration Essential: Building trusted partnerships while maintaining clarity on ownership, accountability, and decision rights.
• Seeking and Providing Coaching and Feedback: Strengthening team capability through regular, candid, and actionable development conversations.
• Communicating Frequently, Candidly, and Clearly: Providing transparent information on progress, risks, issues, dependencies, benefits, and required actions.
• Making Decisions Quickly and Effectively: Evaluating alternatives and balancing speed, business value, data, implementation effort, risk, and sustainable outcomes.
• Demonstrating Courageous and Authentic Leadership: Raising concerns proactively, challenging assumptions, and creating an environment where colleagues can speak up.
• Leading with a Digital and Improvement Mindset: Challenging how work is performed and identifying scalable opportunities to simplify, automate, and improve operational outcomes.

About Us

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. From delivering differentiated products to providing world‑class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service.

As part of Team Amex, you’ll experience our 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 Team

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

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.

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.