Analyst-Compliance: GFCSU Investigations

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. 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.

American Express’s Global Financial Crimes Surveillance Unit (GFCSU) and the US Investigations Unit (USIU) are part of the broader Global Risk & Compliance organization, operating within Global Financial Crimes Compliance (GFCC). Together, they provide end-to-end oversight and support of global financial crimes investigations. In partnership with GFCC, GFCSU and USIU develop and implement transaction monitoring rules, reports, and other tools to detect potential criminal activity. They investigate suspicious financial behavior and, when necessary, file Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) or refer cases to internal compliance partners for global reporting. These teams also manage risk related to politically exposed persons (PEPs) through sanctions screening and enhanced due diligence processes, as well as improper payments that may signal bribery, corruption, or other illicit conduct. GFCSU and USIU play a vital role in ensuring compliance with key regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), USA PATRIOT Act, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. They also support law enforcement by providing critical information to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, credit card fraud, identity theft, and other financial crimes.

The GFCSU and USIU also investigate potentially suspicious financial activity and, when appropriate, file suspicious activity reports (SARs) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which is part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and/or refers matters to internal compliance partners for review and reporting globally. In addition, the GFCSU and USIU manage risk associated with politically exposed persons and persons and entities on core sanctions and risk lists through regular screening, and manage risk associated with improper payments that could be indicative of bribery, corruption, or other illicit activity by reviewing internal American Express payments and expenditures. The GFCSU and USIU together perform a critical role in ensuring that American Express complies with all applicable laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the USA PATRIOT Act, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and provides law enforcement with key information for the investigation and prosecution of money laundering and terrorist financing, credit card fraud, identity theft, and other criminal activity.

The successful candidate will work in our hub in Spain to mitigate risk to the American Express enterprise through research and analysis of financial activity for suspicious patterns along with the review of records. Candidates must be flexible and willing to change responsibilities to meet business needs, should be comfortable reading and reviewing records from multiple jurisdictions, and be able to work with various teams across American Express, including international Market Compliance Officers, line of business representatives, and project teams, among others.

How will you make an impact in this role?

Conduct time-sensitive, meticulous financial crime investigations, analyzing each instance of potential suspicious financial activity across multiple jurisdictions and countries, utilizing a wide variety of research and analytical tools.

Demonstrate a keen attention to detail in investigation, analysis, and writing.

Produce well-written reports detailing and analyzing potentially suspicious activity.

Review other analysts' investigations and provide constructive feedback.

Ability to pivot smoothly between the different GFCSU workflows: AML, EDD, Screening and Anti-Corruption.

Meet performance expectations: productivity and quality goals.

Compliance with SLAs.

Collaborate on additional projects to assist the various CGFCSU teams.

To develop and maintain an adequate knowledge of the financial crime environment.

Build strong relationships with strategic partners across to ensure effective coordination of investigations.

Minimum Qualifications

At least two years of experience in one of the following areas is mandatory: AML compliance, transaction monitoring, sanction screening, EDD, regulatory compliance, law enforcement, fraud investigations and other financial crime investigations (two years minimum).

Knowledge of AML legislation and specific financial crime, sector and geopolitical issues.

Fluency in English (spoken and written).

Microsoft Excel proficiency.

Proficiency in researching information for business related purposes.

Proven ability to work with and analyze large amounts of data in order to report critical information.

Effective communication and excellent writing skills.

High level of professionalism, self-motivation, and sense of urgency.

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of languages other than English would be a plus.

Certification in Compliance, AML or Financial Crime related fields.

Experience working in KYC, Transaction monitoring, Sanctions or EDD departments

Highly preferred bachelor’s degree (or equivalent). Ideally in one of the following, or similar, fields of study: Law, Justice Studies, Criminology, Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Accounting, or Government & Public Services,

Knowledge of data processing and visualization, dashboarding and reporting, process automation and optimization.

SQL queries and scripts / Python / Data Analysis / Power BI

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.