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

At American Express, we know that with the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. Whether we’re supporting our customers’ financial confidence to move ahead, taking commerce to new heights, or encouraging people to explore the world, our colleagues are constantly redefining what’s possible —and we’re proud to back each other every step of the way. When you join #TeamAmex, you become part of a diverse community of over 60,000 colleagues, all with a common goal to deliver an exceptional customer experience every day. 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.

Who are we?

American Express is one of the most recognised brands on the planet. Since its early beginning as a freight forwarding company in 1850, change has been the only constant in its 150+ year history. American Express has literally seen and been it all. We practically invented the traveller’s cheque; we made credit cards cool and travelling easy. And all along the way one thing has remained our constant and singular focus –providing the world’s best customer experience every day.

We are an inclusive workplace with collaboration at our heart, committed to serving the communities in which we live and work. As much as we are driven to win, we strongly believe in winning the right way.

The current moment sees financial services and payments in a state of intense disruption, innovation and competition. Driven by new technology, the regulatory environment struggles to keep pace. We need people who can help our business teams get in front of the commercial, legal and regulatory change that typifies this moment. There has never been a better time to be a lawyer at American Express.

What does the job look like?

One of the great things about working in our team, is that you’ll get to try your hand at almost everything if you stay here long enough (and we all do!). We like people who put their hand up.

This is a generalist role with the opportunity to support multiple parts of American Express. Initially however, the focus will be on our commercial services and merchant services teams.

Types of work that you will be required to do include:

• Drafting, negotiating, and advising on commercial contracts – in particular large partnership agreements with corporate clients, and regional and global merchant, acquiring, sponsorship, and marketing agreements as well as some technical processing agreements.

• With support, leading negotiations with corporate and merchant partners on a range of significant and complex deals.

• Provide general legal and regulatory advice across a range of commercial matters (with support from senior lawyers) – including on novel legal issues.

• Reviewing and updating a range of Terms & Conditions, Privacy Statements and Contract Templates.

• Monitoring, researching, and providing clear and succinct advice to the business on legal and regulatory changes that impact American Express and assisting with strategies to deal with them.

• Supporting the launch of new products, services, and capabilities in Australia as well as Internationally.

• Coordinating and managing legal advice and support on multi-jurisdictional projects (including liaising with our lawyers in other countries).

• Delivering training and developing tools and guidance to help business colleagues make sense of the legal and regulatory world around them.

We’re looking for an energetic, creative, and pragmatic lawyer to join our Sydney legal team. This role suits a lawyer with broad, general commercial experience, ideally with some financial services practice thrown in. Above all, we need a self-starter who is intellectually curious, collaborative and can be relied upon to get the job done.

Who are you?

You are you, and that’s how we like it. But it’s also important that you have some of the following:

Must Haves

• 2 – 5 years PQE & a current Practising Certificate

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal (i.e. the ability to communicate complex things in a concise way and provide clear choices)

• Sound commercial contract drafting and negotiating skills

• Pragmatic

• Good commercial judgment

• Confidence working in the grey

• Sufficient nous and resourcefulness to thrive in areas where you have limited or no experience

• Great collaboration skills with demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and efficiently

• Highest standards of ethics and professional integrity

Great to Haves

• Some relevant regulatory experience in payments, financial products, privacy, AML/KYC and other financial industry regulation

• Experience working in-house

• Some big deal and negotiation experience and passion for getting the deal done

• Experience managing a diverse workload with multiple stakeholders

Good to Haves

• Interest in payments, financial services and the legal and regulatory issues impacting those areas

• Experience managing multiple time zones and burning the candle at both ends

• Interest in contributing to the social enterprise goals outside of core legal role (e.g. Pro Bono work, Corporate Sustainability, volunteering and community engagement)

If this sounds like something you are interested drop us your CV. Don’t sell yourself short - it’s ok if you don’t tick all of our boxes, we value people who give things a go.

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.

Why American Express?

There’s a difference between having a job and making a difference.

American Express has been making a difference in people’s lives for over 160 years, backing them in moments big and small, granting access, tools, and resources to take on their biggest challenges and reap the greatest rewards.

We’ve also made a difference in the lives of our people, providing a culture of learning and collaboration, and helping them with what they need to succeed and thrive. We have their backs as they grow their skills, conquer new challenges, or even take time to spend with their family or community. And when they’re ready to take on a new career path, we’re right there with them, giving them the guidance and momentum into the best future they envision.

Because we believe that the best way to back our customers is to back our people.

The powerful backing of American Express.
Don’t make a difference without it.
Don’t live life without it.

#LI-Remote, #LI-Hybrid, #LI-Onsite