Associate Counsel

The General Counsel’s Organization (GCO) is American Express’ legal and government affairs departments, along with the Corporate Secretary's Office (which is responsible for interactions with our Board of Directors). They are responsible for protecting and strengthening American Express through world-class expertise and strategic advice that helps our business partners manage risk, identify opportunities, and deliver on the Company's promise of exceptional products and services.

We are seeking a regulatory lawyer to join the General Counsel’s Organization (GCO) at American Express to take the position of Associate Counsel (Financial Services Regulatory) in a multi-disciplinary Global Legal Policy and Strategy function. The role will be based in London in the Global Legal Policy & Strategy team, which comprises both competition and financial services lawyers. The role will report into a senior lawyer in the team.

The role will advise on, track and report on payment services regulation for American Express in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region and partner with colleagues to advise on analogous strategic regulation and emerging regulatory and policy trends globally.

The role will support all lines of business within American Express. Key business areas include card issuing, merchant acquiring and payments generally, all with the overlay of a dynamic environment involving emerging and evolving digital/mobile and data-driven technologies and capabilities.

The role will partner closely and interface with other GCO lawyers, business colleagues, Compliance, Operational Risk, Government Affairs, and external bodies, local regulators, and industry trade groups.

How will you make an impact in this role?

The ideal candidate would be a strategic thinker with strong analytical and communication skills. You will have the ability to track, interpret and report relevant developments quickly, understanding the strategic implications, translating them into concise clear updates for a range of internal stakeholders and proactively anticipating their needs. You will also have the ability, working in partnership with internal stakeholders, to support the development and communication of company positions in response to regulatory consultations and potentially other forums.

The ideal candidate would be someone who has some experience in areas of law and policy, which are closely interconnected with payments regulation including payments systems, data/digital policy, strong customer authentication requirements, open banking/finance, e-commerce, money transfer, digital currencies, cryptoassets and financial crimes.

You will need to demonstrate an aptitude for interpreting and applying technically complex regulations. You will need to be confident and able to work closely with business clients, managing conflicting priorities and tight deadlines. You will also need to be confident in interacting with and supporting engagement with local and European regulators.

• Supporting senior lawyers in the team on regulatory change management processes by monitoring regulatory developments at UK, EU and global level relating to financial services, payment services, payment schemes and financial crimes through internal, external and desktop resources and reporting these developments internally.
• Advising on and supporting compliance with the requirements of key financial services legislation including UK payment services regulations, EU PSD2 and PSD3/PSR1, Interchange Fee Regulation, legislation related to financial crimes, digital currencies, cryptoassets and environmental, social and governance, and supporting regulatory engagement activities in these areas.
• Supporting senior lawyers in advising on licensing, prudential regulation, ongoing governance and conduct regulation under the regimes established by PSD2/PSD3. This includes playing a role in licensing matters such as advising on license applications, passporting submissions and appointment of agents.
• Supporting senior lawyers in advising on cross-border structures, passporting and arrangements with third parties (group companies and external partners), including outsourcing and agency arrangements.
• Supporting senior lawyers in advising on FCA authorisation and supervision generally, assisting with relevant UK/EU regulatory reviews and inspections and responding to requests for information.
• Supporting engagement with regulators, trade associations and other stakeholders on proposed regulatory developments in the UK, EU and other regions, and helping assess their impact on the business. .
• Supporting regulatory aspects and overall strategy on new product launches and business expansion.
• Briefing colleagues and clients on significant developments and projects. This will include preparing and supporting the delivery of trainings or presentations as appropriate.
• Supporting senior lawyers in instructing and finalising legal opinions/advice from outside counsel as needed.
• Attending relevant training courses.
• Supporting the work of the Global Payments Systems Regulation Centre of Excellence, as required.

• Qualified to practise law in the UK with experience advising on regulatory matters in the UK and EU.
• Professional experience ideally in financial services regulation matters in a law firm, regulator or in-house.
• Familiarity with one or more of the following areas would be ideal - payment services, payment schemes, e-money, AML, FSMA. Willingness to learn and become an expert in these fields.
• Fluency in English.
• Solid drafting, research and negotiation/influencing skills.
• Solid analytical skills and high attention to detail.
• Applications are also welcome from experienced career paralegals with substantial financial services regulatory background.

Personal Attributes

• High engagement – passionate about payments and regulatory matters.
• Strong organizational skills - able to manage and prioritise a wide variety of matters and stakeholder relationships, and comfortable working autonomously.
• Commercial awareness – able to interpret and apply regulation in a pragmatic manner.
• Communication skills – personable, able to communicate clearly, concisely, effectively and persuasively with clients, all levels of business, legal management and external regulators.
• Comfortable with speaking up in meetings and briefing stakeholders orally and in writing.
• Process-management skills - strong knowledge-management and organisational skills, and willingness to help identify and implement improvements in work process to enhance efficiency and productivity.
• Adaptable and collaborative - able and willing to work both as part of a team and independently, under supervision of more senior lawyers where appropriate.
• Willingness to learn and grow - willing to learn business sectors relevant to American Express as well as the applicable regulatory environment and to leverage experience gained in this position to expand skill set for future career growth at American Express.
• Strong relationship focus - able to build solid working relationships with clients, colleagues and external parties. Enjoys getting to know people.
• Commitment to integrity and American Express values, with high personal work standards.
• Strategic thinker with good analytical skills, attention to detail even under time pressure.
• Intellectually strong - rapid grasp of key issues.

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