At American Express, our culture is built on a 175-year history of innovation, shared values and Leadership Behaviors, and an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities, and colleagues. From delivering differentiated products to providing world-class customer service, we operate with a strong risk mindset, ensuring we continue to uphold our brand promise of trust, security, and service.

As part of Team Amex, you'll experience this powerful backing with comprehensive support for your holistic well-being and many opportunities to learn new skills, develop as a leader, and grow your career. Here, your voice and ideas matter, your work makes an impact, and together, you will help us define the future of American Express.

Our Internal Audit Group is a worldwide function with 300+ team members and offices across nine countries within American Express. Our mission is to protect and enhance organizational value by providing independent, objective, risk-based assurance, advisory services and to influence the way the company manages risk.

We are committed to growing our audit staff significantly as we continue to expand and enhance the Internal Audit Group. Our assurance and risk professionals have diverse backgrounds including internal controls, consumer compliance, technology, operational risk, financial accounting, data analytics, and banking operations. Our audit teams align to key risk areas and business units to ensure IAG can provide comprehensive and risk-based audit coverage. In addition, IAG has a Professional Practices group responsible for managing audit operations, quality, and standards; regulatory relations; reporting; training and professional development; and key internal capabilities and technologies.

This Senior Auditor role is within the IAG International Financial Crime Audit Team. This role requires hybrid working with our office based in Madrid. Organizationally, this role will report directly into the Director based in Madrid.

While the role is based in Madrid, it will involve working with fellow IAG colleagues and client stakeholders located in countries globally. Although the role focuses on Financial Crime in the European region, the role will include supporting certain US, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Enterprise activities.

How will you make an impact in this role?

• Participate as a key team member on audit projects, independently owning audit tasks such as documenting processes under review, developing workpapers, and executing audit tests in accordance with policies and procedures .
• Assist Senior Managers / Managers in the execution of assigned audit tasks in line with American Express' Internal Audit procedures, internal policies and standards, and regulatory expectations throughout the audit lifecycle with guidance; maintain audit proficiency through ongoing professional development, including data analytics literacy skills, technology, and banking best practices.
• Participate in walkthroughs with relevant stakeholders to understand, credibly challenge, assess, and document relevant compliance and financial crime related processes, risks, and controls.
• Execute testing of process and control design and operating effectiveness across global, US, and international market audits, across first and second line of-defense business functions, with particular focus upon financial crime and compliance risk domains.
• Review prior audit results and relevant business monitoring materials to support Audit Planning activities; executes and actively participates in walkthroughs by asking thoughtful questions, leveraging effective challenge and critical thinking.
• Execute audit tests (e.g., process, governance, oversight testing) and clearly document test results in accordance with internal policies and procedures to evaluate the control design and effectiveness; draft work papers, demonstrating the ability to use automated work papers and other department and company tools.
• Identify and escalate issues as appropriate throughout testing and audit execution; draft audit issue documentation.
• Develop an understanding of American Express' business model, products, services, and organizational units.
• Document and evaluate audit observations; support routine client status meetings, audit request, and other administrative tasks.
• Understand how internal audit issues and regulatory issues are impactful and sustainable; execute validation of internal and regulatory issues.
• Understand and be able to speak to rules requirements and regulations (e.g. Bank secrecy act, AML, financial crimes regulations).
• Communicate task status, roadblocks, challenges, and potential solutions to Senior Managers/Managers and leadership as appropriate.
• Demonstrate ability to work proactively and take initiative on next steps.
• Provide guidance to staff auditors and review and provide feedback on work as appropriate.
• Understand how to draft test steps, audit findings, and the audit report and drafts as needed with guidance.

Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years of audit experience (ideally within financial crime and/or compliance roles).
• Bachelor of Science, or equivalent degree.
• Prior experience working at a Big Four and/or large financial institution experience.
• Strong written & verbal communication skills that deliver quality, actionable and beneficial feedback to management on potential control issues & solutions to close gaps/deficiencies.
• Works independently, within the team and across various teams in a fast-paced environment to drive business results, employing creative thinking, and the ability to work on competing priorities.
• Demonstrated experience and competency in the assessment of risks & controls.
• Data-driven mindset and experience in the manipulation, assessment, interpretation, and presentation of data to support a conclusion.
• Demonstrated integrity, innovation, teamwork, and excellence.
• Develops understanding of regulations, regulatory risks, accounting, and industry best practices, related products, services, features, including technology and data implications.
• Learns how to break-down problems into components, and solve using data analysis, process, risk control knowledge, and experience to drive risk-based conclusions and decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Attained, working or willing to work towards any of the following certifications:ACAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist).
• International Compliance Association (ICA) Diploma in Financial Crime Prevention.
• Other relevant professional certifications (e.g. CIA, ACA, ACCA, CISA, CPA, CISM, CAP, other technology-focused certification).
• Experience with data analytic tools, data visualization, key risk indicators (KRIs), key performance indicators (KPIs), information systems / technology, and scorecards / dashboards, etc.
• Aptitude for working with data, interpreting results, business intelligence and analytic best practices. Ability to break down complex and unstructured problems into components, solve them using data analysis, process knowledge and risk/control knowledge, and communicate data analysis, issues & control recommendations with transparency & integrity.
• Knowledge & experience in the application of control theory and professional auditing practices & methodology, including the audit life cycle.

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

We back you with benefits that support your holistic well-being so you can be and deliver your best. This means caring for you and your loved ones' physical, financial, and mental health, as well as providing the flexibility you need to thrive personally and professionally:

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• Support for financial-well-being and retirement
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location)
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location)
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
• Career development and training opportunities

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.