Specialist - Grants & Operations

About the position 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. Position Summary: The American Express Corporate Affairs & Communications (CA&C) team is a strategic function that works to enhance and protect the continued strength of the American Express brand through public relations, social media and content, colleague communications and corporate sustainability (CS). Corporate Sustainability is hiring a Specialist, Grants & Operations, to report to the Director, Systems, Operations & Controls on the Community Impact team. This role will support the administration of Corporate Sustainability grants and enterprise-wide nonprofit payments, as well as the management of systems and third-party partners. The Specialist will play a key role in ensuring grants and nonprofit contributions are processed accurately, compliantly, and efficiently in alignment with governance, risk, and operational oversight requirements. The ideal candidate brings experience in grant administration and operational processes within a compliance-driven environment and has a strong understanding of the grantmaking lifecycle. They are highly organized, solutions-oriented, and flexible, with strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to navigate complexity and ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Execute daily administration processes for Community Impact grantmaking and enterprise-wide nonprofit contributions, including:
• Reviewing requests for completeness and following up with stakeholders to secure required information;
• Conducting due diligence, vetting, and operational risk assessments, including in coordination with third-party providers;
• Tracking grants through approval workflows, generating grant agreements for signature, and monitoring compliance with grant terms;
• Supporting documentation, reporting, and record retention in accordance with governance requirements;
• Maintaining and updating management systems to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and standardization;
• Working collaboratively with the Manager, Finance & Grants to ensure accurate accounting and timely payment processing.
• Coordinate reviews for nonprofit contribution requests from across the enterprise and manage timely responses.
• Support oversight of third-party vendors related to grantmaking and donation platforms.
• Identify opportunities to enhance grants management systems and processes, coordinate updates, and facilitate user testing and feedback.
• Engage stakeholders across the enterprise to coordinate governance, risk, controls, and compliance assessments that ensure audit readiness.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in grant administration, preferably within a corporate philanthropy setting.
• Experience and comfort project managing multiple priorities in a matrixed, compliance-driven environment.
• Experience managing complex approval workflows across internal stakeholders.
• Familiarity with grants management systems and related technology platforms such as SmartSimple, Benevity and Ariba a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for stakeholder engagement, documentation, presentation, and reporting.
• Strong analytical and data management skills.
• Team player with a collaborative approach.
• Strong attention to detail.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in third-party vendor management.
• Experience supporting system implementations or enhancements.
• Experience in financial services or other regulated industries.
• Relevant educational or professional certifications.

Benefits

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• 6%25 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

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