Let’s get started
By clicking ‘Next’, I agree to the Terms of Service
and Privacy Policy, and consent to receive emails from Rise
Jobs / Job page
Director & Counsel, National Client Group (Retail) image - Rise Careers
Job details

Director & Counsel, National Client Group (Retail) - job 12 of 20

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?

The General Counsel’s organization at American Express is seeking a Director & Counsel to support National Client Group (NCG) teams within the Global Merchant Services business (GMS).  The successful candidate will provide strategic legal support and advice to NCG teams on policy, regulatory, transactional, and other matters related to merchant acceptance of the American Express Card. This role will involve broad collaboration and coordination within the business and with relevant stakeholders and will serve as a subject matter expert on industry rules and/or standards. The position will report to Vice President & Senior Counsel in the GMS practice group of the General Counsel’s Organization (GCO) of American Express.

The GMS business is a core business of American Express and fundamental to the operation of the American Express global payments network. GMS builds and maintains relationships with merchants that choose to accept the American Express Card and financial services companies who enable merchants to accept the Card, simultaneously delivering differentiated products and services and driving revenue growth for both merchants and American Express.  The GMS business is responsible for signing merchants to accept the Card, processing Card transactions, and providing marketing and other innovative programs and services to grow our merchant and Card acceptance relationships.

Role & Responsibilities

  • Provide primary legal support for NCG business teams managing key merchant relationships, working on a wide variety of matters such as commercial contracting, risk identification and mitigation, data issues, disputes handling, and new product offerings.
  • Draft, negotiate, and ensure execution of all types and aspects of commercial agreements relating to major national merchants, including complex Card acceptance agreements, working in close collaboration with the business and across the GCO.
  • Provide legal advice and strategic support to GMS business teams on legal and policy matters, business negotiations, marketing and information services, issues and programs, and regulatory and legal risks.
  • Coordinate with and support others in the GCO, Compliance, Operational Risk, and the business to ensure the most effective support and relevant expertise is applied to matters.
  • Participate in a small team of seasoned attorneys and legal managers offering thought leadership for cross-subject matter practice group issues and projects.
  • Support GMS Compliance and GMS OpsExcellence in a wide range of initiatives, from operational risk event responses to ongoing support of compliance monitoring and implementation.
  • Build and provide strong linkages across US and global teams to ensure consistency of approach and sharing of knowledge, best practices and current regional trends/developments.

Minimum Qualifications

  • J.D. with admission to practice law in the U.S.
  • 6+ years of relevant work experience in a law firm and/or in-house corporate legal environment.
  • Significant experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in the payments industry and merchant acquiring space.
  • Strong project management and coordination skills.
  • Ability to communicate complex issues clearly and persuasively, in both oral and written format.
  • Excellent collaboration and teamwork skills and ability to work well in cross-functional team settings.
  •      Ability to manage and prioritize competing demands while maintaining high attention to detail and meeting deadlines.

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.

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.

US Job Seekers - Click to view the “Know Your Rights” poster. If the link does not work, you may access the poster by copying and pasting the following URL in a new browser window: https://www.eeoc.gov/poster

American Express Glassdoor Company Review
4.2 Glassdoor star iconGlassdoor star iconGlassdoor star iconGlassdoor star icon Glassdoor star icon
American Express DE&I Review
4.4 Glassdoor star iconGlassdoor star iconGlassdoor star iconGlassdoor star icon Glassdoor star icon
CEO of American Express
American Express CEO photo
Stephen J Squeri
Approve of CEO

Average salary estimate

$212500 / YEARLY (est.)
min
max
$170000K
$255000K

If an employer mentions a salary or salary range on their job, we display it as an "Employer Estimate". If a job has no salary data, Rise displays an estimate if available.

Similar Jobs
Photo of the Rise User
Inclusive & Diverse
Empathetic
Collaboration over Competition
Growth & Learning
Transparent & Candid
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Mental Health Resources
Life insurance
Disability Insurance
Child Care stipend
Employee Resource Groups
Learning & Development

Join American Express as a Director to drive operational risk management and enhance compliance through strategic leadership in New York.

Photo of the Rise User
American Express Hybrid Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Posted 10 days ago
Inclusive & Diverse
Empathetic
Collaboration over Competition
Growth & Learning
Transparent & Candid
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Mental Health Resources
Life insurance
Disability Insurance
Child Care stipend
Employee Resource Groups
Learning & Development

Join American Express as a Sales Development Representative to help generate new business for Resy while developing your sales skills in a dynamic environment.

Sia Hybrid Salesforce Tower, 415 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
Posted 5 days ago

Elevate your career as a Manager in Legal Risk & Compliance at Sia, where you'll lead projects and foster client relationships to drive transformational success.

Photo of the Rise User
Kroll Hybrid Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Posted 13 days ago

Step into the role of Director with Kroll’s Compliance Consulting team, where your regulatory expertise will guide asset management firms and shape best practices.

Photo of the Rise User
Inclusive & Diverse
Growth & Learning
Mission Driven
Diversity of Opinions

We are looking for a strategic Associate General Counsel specializing in Labor, Employment & Litigation to drive legal initiatives at Included Health.

Photo of the Rise User

Be part of iCapital’s innovative approach in financial technology by joining us as a Compliance Assistant Vice President or Vice President focused on KYC and regulatory compliance.

Looking for a seasoned legal expert to advise on government contracting at Outside GC, a rapidly expanding remote law firm.

Posted 11 days ago

Join Devoted Studios as the Head of Legal and lead legal strategies for an innovative company transforming the game development industry.

Posted 10 days ago

Join Wiz as a Procurement Counsel and help shape the legal landscape in a rapidly growing cloud security startup.

Photo of the Rise User
Aon Hybrid New York, New York, United States
Posted 3 days ago

Join Aon as a Vice President in Tax Insurance, leveraging your expertise in law to contribute to a leading firm in M&A and transaction solutions.

Photo of the Rise User
Monroe Group Hybrid Denver, Colorado, United States
Posted 13 days ago

Join Monroe Group as a Regional Compliance Specialist to manage compliance for their growing portfolio of affordable housing projects.

Photo of the Rise User
City of New York Hybrid New York City, NY
Posted 8 days ago

Become a pivotal Staff Counsel at DCWP, where you'll tackle critical licensing issues and help enforce consumer protection laws in New York City.

Photo of the Rise User
Posted 3 hours ago

Join the New York City Department of Sanitation as a Compliance & Audits Manager, ensuring adherence to commercial waste regulations and managing audit operations.

Posted 11 days ago

Join a leading employment law firm as a Special Counsel, working remotely to manage complex litigation with a competitive salary and no business development duties.

Photo of the Rise User
Posted 10 days ago
Inclusive & Diverse
Empathetic
Collaboration over Competition
Growth & Learning
Transparent & Candid
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Mental Health Resources
Life insurance
Disability Insurance
Child Care stipend
Employee Resource Groups
Learning & Development

Become a pivotal leader at American Express in managing Enhanced Due Diligence for high-risk customers within the Financial Crimes Compliance team.

American Express is a multinational financial services corporation and global leader in providing personal, small business, and corporate credit cards.

5486 jobs
MATCH
Calculating your matching score...
BADGES
Badge Family FriendlyBadge Office VibesBadge Work&Life BalanceBadge Rapid Growth
CULTURE VALUES
Inclusive & Diverse
Empathetic
Collaboration over Competition
Growth & Learning
Transparent & Candid
BENEFITS & PERKS
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Mental Health Resources
Life insurance
Disability Insurance
Child Care stipend
Employee Resource Groups
Learning & Development
FUNDING
SENIORITY LEVEL REQUIREMENT
TEAM SIZE
EMPLOYMENT TYPE
Full-time, hybrid
DATE POSTED
April 20, 2025

Subscribe to Rise newsletter

Risa star 🔮 Hi, I'm Risa! Your AI
Career Copilot
Want to see a list of jobs tailored to
you, just ask me below!
LATEST ACTIVITY
Photo of the Rise User
Someone from OH, Dayton just viewed Plant Engineer I - HVAC at Pfizer
Photo of the Rise User
Someone from OH, Dayton just viewed Entry Level Industrial Engineer at Boeing
Photo of the Rise User
Someone from OH, Dayton just viewed Manufacturing Engineer Intern at Marvin
Photo of the Rise User
Someone from OH, Dayton just viewed Assessment Engineering Intern at Learning A-Z
C
Someone from OH, Dayton just viewed Project Engineer at CRB
Photo of the Rise User
Someone from OH, Dayton just viewed Manufacturing Engineer III at Agile Space Industries