Director, Talent Acquisition Modernization

The Colleague Experience Group (CEG) is responsible for all colleague-related benefits and programs globally, including career growth and development, leadership and learning, total rewards and well-being, recruitment, labor relations, colleague servicing, and more. CEG’s vision is to provide the best colleague experience every day to fuel growth, and they are committed to ensuring all of Team Amex has the resources and support they need to be and deliver their best.

How will you make an impact in this role?

The vision for the Colleague Experience Group (CEG) at American Express is to provide the best colleague experience to fuel growth. We'll achieve this by attracting, developing, and engaging a future-ready workforce and delivering a differentiated value proposition that enables all colleagues to be and deliver their best.

Talent Acquisition (TA) sources and hires top talent for American Express around the world. The function, with approximately 500 colleagues, supports early career, experienced, and executive hiring, as well as our New to Blue onboarding experience.

Reporting to the Head of Talent Acquisition and serving as a key member of the Talent Acquisition Leadership Team, the Director, Talent Acquisition Modernization will shape the long-term strategy, operating model, and transformation agenda for the Talent Acquisition experience. This role will partner with the Head of Talent Acquisition to define and deliver a multi-year transformation roadmap to modernize how we attract, source, and hire talent globally.

The Director will lead enterprise-wide initiatives to simplify and automate recruitment processes, scale AI-enabled capabilities responsibly, improve operational effectiveness, and enhance candidate, hiring leader, and recruiter experiences. Working across Talent Acquisition, Colleague Services, the General Counsel’s Office (GCO), Corporate Affairs & Communications (CA&C), Product and Technology, this leader will translate strategy into execution, building alignment across a complex global organization and delivering measurable business value.

Success in this role will require an innovative, execution-oriented leader who can translate Talent Acquisition strategy into a modern, global operating model and move effectively from design to implementation. The Director will navigate ambiguity, build alignment across a complex enterprise environment, and partner closely with the Head of Talent Acquisition to shape the transformation strategy, governance model, operating approach and multi-year roadmap.

This leader will position Talent Acquisition as a data-driven, AI-enabled function that delivers exceptional experiences and measurable business value. By combining strategic thinking with disciplined execution, the Director will simplify and automate processes, strengthen governance and risk management, improve recruiter capacity for high-value talent engagement, enhance hiring manager and candidate experiences, accelerate hiring outcomes and build the capabilities needed to support the future workforce.

Minimum Qualifications

- 10+ years of experience developing and delivering large-scale business, technology, or Talent Acquisition transformation strategies from concept through implementation and measurable value realization within complex, global organizations.
- Strong understanding of Talent Acquisition operations, end-to-end recruiting processes, recruiting technologies, and workflow automation.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional change, influence executive stakeholders, build alignment without direct authority, and deliver measurable outcomes in complex, fast-paced environments.
- Exceptional program management, strategic planning, and organizational leadership capabilities.
- Strong analytical mindset with experience defining success metrics, tracking benefits, and leveraging data to drive continuous improvement.
- Outstanding written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience leading or implementing AI-enabled solutions within Talent Acquisition, HR, or broader business operations.
- Experience implementing responsible AI practices, including governance, ethical considerations, and risk management.
- Experience leading digital transformation initiatives that leverage emerging technologies, intelligent automation, or AI to improve operational efficiency and business outcomes.

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