Manager & Counsel – Global Merchant and Network Services, Merchant Relationships

You Lead the Way. We’ve Got Your Back.

With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.

At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.

Join Team Amex and let's lead the way together.

Manager & Counsel – Global Merchant and Network Services, Merchant Relationships

The General Counsel’s Organization (GCO) at American Express is seeking a Manager & Counsel to support contractual and other legal work for merchant relationships within the Global Merchant and Network Services division (GMNS).  The successful candidate will be responsible for providing strategic legal support and advice on policy, regulatory, transactional, and other matters related to merchant acceptance of the American Express Card by our largest and most significant global merchants, including leaders in the retail, online, lodging and airline space.  This position requires regularly navigating novel business and legal issues across a broad range of matters and working seamlessly with other GMNS colleagues.  It also provides the opportunity to contribute to other legal workstreams within the GMNS organization.

The GMNS business is a core business of American Express and fundamental to the operation of the American Express global payments network. GMNS builds and maintains relationships with merchants that choose to accept the American Express Card, simultaneously delivering differentiated products and services and driving revenue growth for both merchants and American Express.  The GMNS business is responsible for signing merchants to accept the Card, processing Card transactions and providing marketing and other innovative programs and services to grow our merchant relationships.

How will you make an impact in this role?

• Provide legal and strategic advice on a range of matters impacting key merchant relationships, such as commercial contracting, risk identification and mitigation, data issues and disputes handling.  
• Support drafting, negotiation and implementation of Card acceptance agreements and other commercial contracts, working in close collaboration with legal and business colleagues and other subject matter experts.
• Participate in a team of seasoned attorneys, offering thought leadership for, and engagement on, cross-subject matter practice group issues and strategic projects.
• Identify and support process improvements to promote agility in legal and related business operations, including contract template enhancements.
• Coordinate with colleagues from a broad range of internal teams, including the GCO, the business, Compliance and Risk, to ensure the most effective support and relevant expertise is applied to particular matters.

Minimum Qualifications

• Admitted to the New York bar or eligibility to do so.
• 3+ years of relevant work experience in a law firm and/or in-house corporate legal environment.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements, transactions, and relationships.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with passion for generating creative and innovative solutions.
• Ability to communicate complex issues clearly and persuasively, in both written and oral format, and to synthesize complex issues.
• Excellent collaboration and teamwork skills and ability to work well in cross-functional team settings.
• Ability to manage and prioritize competing demands while maintaining high attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to understand and integrate details of business operational/systemic environment in applying legal and policy requirements.
• Self-motivated, high level of personal energy and commitment.

Preferred Qualification

• Strong preference for experience in an M&A, financing or heavily transactional practice group.

Salary Range: $110,000.00 to $190,000.00 annually + bonus + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we’ll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

We back our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:

• Competitive base salaries 
• Bonus incentives 
• 6% Company Match on retirement savings plan 
• Free financial coaching and financial well-being support 
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits 
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need 
• 20+ weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, offered for pregnancy, adoption or surrogacy 
• 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

For a full list of Team Amex benefits, visit our Colleague Benefits Site.

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law.

We back our colleagues with the support they need to thrive, professionally and personally. That's why we have Amex Flex, our enterprise working model that provides greater flexibility to colleagues while ensuring we preserve the important aspects of our unique in-person culture. Depending on role and business needs, colleagues will either work onsite, in a hybrid model (combination of in-office and virtual days) or fully virtually.

US Job Seekers/Employees - Click here to view the “Know Your Rights” poster and the Pay Transparency Policy Statement.

If the links do not work, please copy and paste the following URLs in a new browser window: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/posters to access the three posters.

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