Job Description

About the Organization

Global Merchant & Network Services (GMNS) is responsible for managing American Express’ relationships with millions of merchants and partners around the world, expanding acceptance of American Express products, and enabling the day-to-day operation of the company’s global payments network.

Within GMNS, the Global Merchant & Network Pricing (GMNP) team develops and implements global pricing strategies designed to our coverage objectives and optimize our Discount Revenue. This revenue stream is the single largest source of American Express’ revenue and Merchant Pricing strategies play a key role in driving financial performance.

The Global Discount Rate Planning & Insights team provides senior leadership with a global perspective on the trends shaping Discount Rate, such as merchant negotiations and shifts in Card Member spending across markets, industries, and merchants. The team partners globally to synthesize these dynamics into a clear narrative explaining current performance and a forward-looking forecast of how Discount Rate is expected to evolve.

The Role

The Director of Global Discount Rate Planning & Insights leads the team responsible for analyzing, forecasting, and shaping the executive narrative around this critical revenue driver. The Director serves as a strategic thought partner to senior leaders across Pricing, GMNS, and Finance, translating complex business and financial trends into insights that inform decision-making.

Lead Global Discount Rate results analysis, planning, and forecasting

• Monthly Results Analysis: Lead the team’s analysis of monthly Discount Rate results, ensuring a thorough understanding of the drivers of year-over-year performance and variance to forecast. Present updates to the SVP of Pricing and produce reporting and insights for the GMNS President and leadership team.
• Forecasting: Spearhead all Global Discount Rate planning and forecasting processes, including the Annual Plan, long-range planning, and periodic forecasts. Provide Discount Rate inputs supporting enterprise-wide financial planning, target setting, and external financial guidance.
• Design and develop materials for the GMNS President and American Express Executive Committee that communicate key trends, projections, and business implications. Develop Discount Rate inputs for Board meeting materials.
• Maintain and refresh Standard Operating Procedures, including process maps and risk and control documentation.

Serve as a strategic thought partner and the voice of Pricing

• Provide senior stakeholders across Finance, GMNS, and Pricing with clear perspectives on the trends and events impacting Discount Rate. Help leaders understand how enterprise decisions and broader business dynamics may affect merchant economics and financial performance.
• Partner closely with Pricing planning teams around the world to understand regional trends, investigate key variances, challenge and validate assumptions, ensure consistent reporting across regions, streamline processes, and synthesize local developments into a coherent global perspective.
• Work closely with Finance leadership to align on planning processes and provide insights that inform business and financial decision-making.

Develop new analytics and insights that strengthen the Discount Rate story

• Leverage expertise within and outside Pricing, along with emerging technologies including SQL-based analytical resources and generative AI, to develop new insights that help explain how cardmember trends, such as shifts to spend across markets, industries, and merchants impact DR. Help connect the dots between how Amex’s card-issuing business and Discount Rate interact.
• Translate new analyses into enhanced reporting and executive insights, continually raising the quality and clarity of the team's work.

Build and develop a talented and versatile team

• Lead and grow a team of four colleagues. Provide meaningful development opportunities that help team members grow toward their career aspirations and grant meaningful ownership and visibility to individuals while ensuring consistently high-quality output.
• Excellent strategic, financial analysis, and problem-solving skills with demonstrated ability to understand complex business economics, identify the most important drivers, and translate analysis into actionable insights for a senior audience.
• Intellectual curiosity is essential. This role places a premium on having a newshound mindset that wants to understand all events impacting DR globally.
• Initiative. This role favors a candidate with a bias toward action and continuous improvement, with a knack for identifying opportunities and independently driving them from idea through execution.
• Able to engage, motivate and develop a team of four high-performing, high-energy colleagues.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively across teams and time zones in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.
• Superior written and oral communication and presentation skills as well as executive presence – must be able to clearly articulate the story of Discount Rate.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple high-profile deliverables and meet critical deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• 5+ years’ experience in pricing or business/financial analysis or related discipline. Prior experience in Planning & Forecasting and/or P&L Management a plus.
• Knowledge of SQL, TM1, Cornerstone/Lumi advantageous. Familiarity with emerging AI-related tools is also valued.
• MBA or other professional qualification preferred.

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