Director & Counsel, Privacy & Data Law - job 1 of 2

You Lead the Way. We’ve Got Your Back.

With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.

At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.

Join Team Amex and let's lead the way together.

How will you make an impact in this role?

We have an exciting opportunity for a Director & Counsel within the General Counsel’s Organization (GCO) at American Express. The Director & Counsel will report to the Vice President & Senior Counsel, U.S. Products & Services and will be a member of the Privacy & Data Law Group (PDLG).

The Director & Counsel is responsible for providing practical, timely, strategic, and high-quality legal advice on U.S. privacy and data matters across the organization on a broad range of matters. You will work directly with business teams, compliance, and operational teams to provide day-to-day advice, serving as the primary lawyer on a variety of strategic initiatives, including new product launches, regulatory change management projects, and novel uses of data.

Examples of what you will do in this role:

• Advise B2C and B2B businesses with day-to-day data protection and privacy queries across the U.S. region, including across nascent and developing areas.
• Provide guidance for new product launches, strategic initiatives, and practical risk mitigation strategies.
• Support digital advertising initiatives by advising on data use/disclosure issues and leading strategic negotiations with media companies.
• Draft and negotiate commercial agreements relating to data protection and privacy, including co-brand and business partner agreements and data processing agreements.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of data privacy related policies and guidance, including reviewing and drafting privacy notices and disclosures.
• Draft and uplift data protection and privacy templates and guidance documents/playbooks.
• Provide legal support for regulatory change management projects.
• Support data privacy training and awareness across the organization.

Minimum Qualifications

• Qualified to practice law in the U.S.
• Minimum of 6+ years of relevant data protection and privacy experience at a law firm, government agency, and/or in-house.
• Excellent knowledge of U.S. privacy laws (and adjacent laws), including GLBA, CCPA, COPPA, CAN-SPAM, and FCRA.
• Strong drafting, analytical, and negotiation skills and the ability to provide clear, precise, and pragmatic advice.
• A team player with great stakeholder management skills who can effectively collaborate and build relationships with lawyers and business clients throughout the organization.
• Ability to work with a high degree of autotomy and re-prioritize workload as new projects and matters arise.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Strong commercial acumen and solutions-oriented mindset.
• Willingness and flexibility to take on new responsibilities as American Express and its businesses continue to evolve.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior tech, fintech and/or financial services experience.
• Experience with managing data protection and privacy issues for multinational companies.
• Familiarity with business and products across the banking/financial services industry and relevant legal issues affecting them.
• CIPP/US certification.

Salary Range: $170,000.00 to $255,000.00 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 our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:

• 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.

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

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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