DescriptionAmerican Express is seeking a skilled Regulatory Change & Inventory Management Director – Vendor Strategy & Third-Party Oversight responsible for defining and executing the vendor strategy and third-party oversight framework supporting regulatory change initiatives. The Director will ensure that external partners, professional services firms, technology providers, and other third parties are selected, governed, and managed in a manner that supports regulatory commitments, business objectives, risk-management expectations, and sustainable delivery.
This role will serve as a strategic partner across Compliance Regulatory Change, Procurement, Legal, and Technology providing centralized leadership over vendor strategy, third-party performance, commercial effectiveness, and associated risks.
ResponsibilitiesVendor Strategy & Operating Model
- Develop and maintain an enterprise-aligned vendor strategy for the regulatory change portfolio, including decisions regarding strategic partners, specialized capabilities, capacity augmentation, and insourcing versus outsourcing.
- Assess current and future vendor capabilities against regulatory change priorities and identify capability, capacity, concentration, and dependency risks.
- Drive opportunities to rationalize the vendor landscape, strengthen strategic partnerships, reduce unnecessary complexity, and improve value from external spend.
- Partner with senior leaders to forecast third-party resource and capability requirements based on the regulatory change portfolio.
Third-Party Oversight & Risk Management
- Establish robust governance and oversight of vendors supporting regulatory change activities throughout the third-party lifecycle.
- Ensure third-party engagements comply with applicable internal policies, risk-management standards, contractual requirements, and regulatory expectations.
- Develop risk-based oversight mechanisms for critical and high-impact vendors, including performance monitoring, issue management, escalation, and remediation.
- Identify and manage third-party risks, including operational, compliance, technology, information security, data, concentration, resiliency, and delivery risks.
- Maintain clear accountability and evidence demonstrating effective oversight of third-party activities supporting regulatory obligations.
Vendor Performance & Governance
- Establish standardized performance measures, service-level expectations, scorecards, and governance routines for key vendors.
- Implement mechanisms to identify emerging performance concerns and ensure timely corrective action.
- Establish clear escalation pathways for significant vendor issues and provide transparent reporting to senior management.
- Partner with program and initiative leaders to ensure third-party deliverables meet agreed quality, timing, and regulatory requirements.
Commercial & Financial Management
- Partner with Global Supply Management on vendor selection, contracting, renewals, statements of work, and commercial negotiations.
- Ensure commercial decisions appropriately balance cost, capability, regulatory risk, delivery timelines, and long-term strategic value.
Qualifications- Significant leadership experience in regulatory change, third-party risk management, vendor management, strategic sourcing, transformation, risk, compliance, or a related discipline.
- Demonstrated experience operating in a highly regulated financial-services environment.
- Strong understanding of third-party lifecycle management, vendor governance, risk assessment, contracting, performance management, and commercial management.
- Proven ability to establish governance frameworks, executive reporting, performance measures, and escalation processes.
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and navigate complex, matrixed organizations.
- Excellent judgment, communication, negotiation, and executive presentation skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience leading vendor strategy or third-party oversight for large-scale regulatory or enterprise transformation programs.
- Knowledge of financial-services third-party risk management and operational resilience expectations.
- Demonstrated success improving vendor performance while reducing cost, complexity, or third-party risk.
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or relevant professional certifications preferred.
