Manager, Community Impact Programs – Project Manager

The American Express Corporate Affairs & Communications (CA&C) team is a strategic function that works to enhance and protect the continued strength of the American Express brand through public relations, social media and content, colleague communications and corporate sustainability (CS).

Corporate Sustainability is hiring a Manager, Community Impact Programs - Project Manager, to report to the Director of Philanthropic Programs on the Community Impact team. This role will lead the day-to-day project management and delivery of complex, multi-stakeholder philanthropic programs, including Shop Small Grants, Backing International Small Restaurants (BISR), the Pop-Up Accelerator, and new grant programs as they are developed and funded. The Manager may also support Leadership Academies, disaster response, activations and related initiatives led by the Director of Events and Partnerships.

The Manager will be accountable for translating program strategy into strong execution, coordinating internal and external stakeholders, and helping strengthen how Community Impact programs are delivered. The role requires rigorous project management combined with an understanding of program objectives and context to exercise judgment, identify opportunities for improvement, and contribute meaningfully to the work.

The ideal candidate is a proactive, highly organized project manager who can create structure in ambiguity, build strong relationships, influence without authority, and drive complex work forward in a fast-paced, matrixed environment. Experience in philanthropy, corporate social impact, nonprofit partnerships, or related work is preferred.

Day-to-day responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Project Management & Program Delivery

• Lead day-to-day project management and execution of assigned Community Impact programs from planning through launch, delivery, and close-out.
• Develop and maintain integrated workplans covering timelines, milestones, dependencies, deliverables, stakeholder responsibilities, partner activities, internal reviews and approvals, and communications.
• Drive work across multiple workstreams, creating clarity around ownership, next steps, and decisions and ensuring commitments translate into action.
• Maintain visibility into program status; anticipate and surface risks, trade-offs, dependencies, and decisions, resolving issues independently where appropriate and escalating when needed.
• Coordinate relevant elements of the grant and program lifecycle with Community Impact Operations colleagues, including due diligence, risk and compliance reviews, approvals, reporting, evaluation, and impact measurement.

Stakeholder & Partner Management

• Coordinate among nonprofit and implementation partners and internal American Express stakeholders across geographies and time zones, including Legal, Communications, Operations, and relevant business teams.
• Establish effective working relationships and operating rhythms that keep stakeholders aligned and work moving forward.
• Support effective decision-making by synthesizing information, clarifying options and implications, and bringing the right stakeholders together at the right time.

Program Improvement

• Develop a strong understanding of program objectives, audiences, partners, and intended outcomes and apply that perspective to improve execution and program effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes and reduce unnecessary complexity.
• Develop practical, repeatable tools and processes that strengthen current execution and can be reused for multiple programs.
• Capture and apply lessons across programs, bringing an informed point of view to discussions about program design, delivery, and the broader Community Impact operating model.

• 4+ years of experience managing complex programs or projects involving multiple stakeholders, workstreams, deadlines, and dependencies; experience in philanthropy, corporate social impact, nonprofit partnerships, community development, or a related field preferred.
• Demonstrated project management excellence, including the ability to create structure in ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and drive work forward with strong attention to detail.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills across functions, organizations, markets, and levels of seniority.
• Sound judgment about risks, priorities, trade-offs, decisions, and when to escalate.
• Ability to quickly understand program context and connect executional details to broader objectives.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information for decisions, presentations, documentation, and reporting.
• Continuous-improvement mindset with the ability to simplify processes and build practical, repeatable ways of working.
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented team player able to operate effectively in a fast-paced, complex, matrixed environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing philanthropic grant programs, nonprofit partnerships, or complex external partner engagements.
• Experience supporting cross-market or international programs.
• Experience in financial services, corporate environments, or other regulated industries.
• Experience in operational planning of multiple large-scale programs or events simultaneously.
• Familiarity with grants management systems and related technology platforms such as Blackbaud and Benevity, and/or relevant project management tools, a plus.

Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.