Company: American Express
Position: Director & Counsel
Location: NYC Campus
Description: The General Counsel’s Organization’s (GCO) mission is to protect and strengthen American Express through legal 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. Given the dynamic nature of the global payments industry and the valued partnership between our team and the business, we see it as imperative to attract and develop talented people by:
- Providing rich work experiences and opportunities for professional development
- Recognizing and rewarding those who drive and deliver results
- Respecting and valuing diversity, integrity, and personal accountability
Role & Responsibilities:
The Corporate Governance Team of the General Counsel’s Organization is seeking a Director & Counsel, Assistant Secretary to advise on a variety of corporate governance and related matters at the parent level.
Here’s just some of what you’ll do in this role:
- Provide legal counsel and strategic support on a variety of corporate governance matters and disclosure control processes
- Provide legal counsel and strategic support on a wide range of disclosure issues and corporate transactions
- Assist the Corporate Secretary in all corporate secretarial functions with respect to the American Express Company, the publicly traded parent company
- Monitor, review and advise colleagues worldwide on key policy and regulatory issues and evolving disclosure trends
- Assist drafting the American Express Proxy Statement and manage the shareholder proposal process
- Assist preparation for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders
- Provide support for the Board of Directors and executive leadership team on governance- and shareholder-related matters
- Benchmark securities and governance issues providing proactive updates and e-mails/memos to team members
- Draft governance policies, including committee charters and related policies
- Advise on insider trading and Section16 issues
- Act in a leadership role in relation to corporate governance developments and drafting corporate policies and public disclosures
- Advise with respect to executive compensation matters
- Advise on ISS and Glass Lewis and other proxy advisory service positions and corporate responses
- Act as a people leader of certain legal professionals in support of AXP corporate secretarial functions
- Assist with managing Board materials, including agendas, review of presentations, drafting materials for Board and Committee meetings, and taking minutes
Contact: mario.a.magana1@aexp.com
Qualifications:
Minimum qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree & J.D.; good standing member of a State Bar Association
- 7+ years of related legal experience, ideally at least two years in an in-house legal role
- Demonstrated strong knowledge of board governance, best practices, protocols and procedures
- Expertise on issues of corporate and U.S. securities laws
- Experience with coordination and filing of timely and continuous disclosure documentation with the U.S. SEC, the Federal Reserve and the New York Stock Exchange
Preferred qualifications:
- Business oriented approach to problem solving
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Superior legal and analytic skills
- Excellent legal judgment and drafting skills
- Detail oriented
- High level of personal accountability
- Ability to work well under pressure and to manage heavy workload in a challenging and fast-paced environment
- Ability to build relationships
- Executive presence and excellent oral communication skills