Manager, KYC Programs- Vendor Management

Global Merchant & Network Services (GMNS) powers the American Express global payments network, enabling more than $1.7 trillion in annual spend across 170+ markets.Within GMNS, the Global Governance, Risk, Remediation, & Operations (GRRO) team drives strategy, governance, and execution to enable a profitable, compliant, and vibrant network.

Global Merchant Financial Crimes Delivery team is part of GRRO and the team is looking to hire a manager of vendor management, responsible for end-to-end ownership of third-party vendor relationships supporting onboarding and refresh capabilities across GMNS. This role drives strategic vendor engagement, ensures compliance with AEMP10 and related policies, and maximizes enterprise value through effective contract management, cost oversight, and cross-functional partnership.

This position plays a critical role in consolidating vendor strategy across the business unit to reduce duplication, control costs, and leverage scale to negotiate stronger outcomes.

• Vendor Strategy & Governance:

  • Develop and execute an overarching vendor management strategy for GMNS

  • Identify and rationalize enterprise and multi-market vendor relationships to drive consistency across the Blue Box

  • Lead pre-contract activities including due diligence, data source evaluation, and internal approvals

  • Identify opportunities to enhance vendor capabilities, including adoption of new technologies and automation

• Third-Party Relationship Management

  • Build and manage strategic vendor partnerships to drive long-term value and innovation

  • Lead and influence without direct authority across global, matrixed teams

  • Communicate complex concepts clearly to key stakeholders

  • Act as the designated Third-Party Relationship Manager (TRM) with full accountability for vendor lifecycle management

  • Own and manage all activities across the vendor lifecycle, including onboarding, ongoing oversight, and offboarding

  • Ensure compliance with all applicable policies

• Financial Oversight & Reporting

  • Collaborate with market contacts on vendor budgets, forecasts, and actuals, ensuring alignment with financial targets

  • Identify and mitigate risks related to cost overruns and fragmented vendor engagements

  • Drive cost efficiencies by consolidating vendor usage across teams and business unites

• Vendor Performance & Oversight

  • Conduct regular service reviews to assess vendor performance, SLAs, and cost efficiency

  • Ensure vendors deliver expected capabilities and adhere to contractual obligations

  • Oversee ongoing due diligence, compliance monitoring, and issue remediation

• Cross-Functional Partnership

  • Partner with Product and Technology teams to define and support technical requirements

  • Act as a central point of coordination for all vendor-related engagements within scope

• 4+ years of relevant experience with a strong understanding of vendor management, third-party risk management, procurement, and sourcing

• High attention to detail, proven problem-solving, analytical, communication skills, and proficiency with Excel or reporting tools, and PowerPoint.

• Strong understanding of contract negotiation and lifecycle management.

• Strong familiarity with regulatory and policy frameworks.

• Experience working cross-functionally with global teams to drive process improvements, streamline workflows, and implement operational best practices.

• Proven ability to manage budgets, forecasts, and financial reporting.

• Strong stakeholder management skills across product, technology, and business teams.

• Analytical mindset with ability to develop frameworks, make strategic decisions, and drive efficiency and scale.

• Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment and balance execution with strategy.

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