Director & Counsel, Digital Innovation & Design

Business Unit Overview

The General Counsel’s Organization’s Enterprise Innovation & Technology Law Group provides legal and strategic counsel across a broad range of enterprise technology, digital, innovation and operational matters. 

This role provides legal counsel and subject matter expertise at the intersection of digital experiences, emerging technology and design. The team partners across American Express to help enable innovative, accessible and differentiated digital products and experiences while developing scalable legal frameworks, standards and guidance that support responsible innovation and effective risk management.

Job Description

As a member of the GCO’s Digital Innovation & Design Legal team, this position will provide legal and strategic counsel to business clients and GCO colleagues in the U.S. and globally on a broad range of digital, design, technology and internet law matters.

The Director & Counsel will serve as a trusted advisor on the legal issues shaping American Express digital experiences, with a particular focus on translating legal and regulatory requirements into simple, accessible, differentiated and scalable customer experiences and capabilities. The role will also support the Company’s broader digital platform and emerging technology priorities and help develop practical legal frameworks that enable innovation, consistency and effective decision-making across the enterprise.

This position will report to a Senior Counsel and is based in New York, NY.

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to teams that design, build and operate American Express digital experiences and public-facing platforms, including mobile applications, websites, e-communication channels, AI- and agent-enabled experiences, MCP, APIs, developer platforms and other customer- and partner-facing digital products and services.
• Develop and maintain deep subject matter expertise across a broad range of digital law and design topics, including Legal UX, digital accessibility, paperless experiences, electronic signatures and contracting, domain names, digital identity and access, open banking and data access, APIs, artificial intelligence and emerging technology, electronic communications, connected commerce and related areas.
• Advise on digital UX, customer journeys, customer-facing experiences and marketing initiatives, partnering with product, design, technology, marketing, controls and legal colleagues to develop practical solutions and integrate legal requirements effectively into digital experience and design.
• Develop and enhance reusable legal design patterns, standards, guidance, playbooks and other scalable frameworks that promote consistency, clarity and efficient decision-making across digital products and experiences.
• Draft, negotiate and review NDAs, contracts and other contractual provisions supporting digital products, platforms, technology, capabilities and third-party relationships.
• Lead or contribute to legal research, strategic initiatives and special projects relating to digital, design and emerging technology matters, including identifying developing legal issues, translating recurring issues into scalable guidance and helping the Company anticipate and respond to evolving digital and technology trends.
• Provide thought leadership, guidance and training to business partners, executives and GCO and non-GCO colleagues on digital, design, internet and emerging technology legal issues.
• Partner across businesses, markets and legal teams to identify common issues, promote consistent enterprise approaches and develop practical solutions that help the Company move efficiently and responsibly.

Minimum Qualifications

• J.D. and admission to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 6+ years of relevant legal experience in a law firm and/or in-house legal department, including experience advising on technology, digital products, commercial transactions, regulatory matters or other related areas.
• Strong analytical, legal research, drafting, negotiation and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex legal and regulatory issues and translate them into clear, practical and actionable advice.
• Demonstrated ability to gain credibility, manage expectations and develop strong working relationships with legal colleagues, business clients and other stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across legal, product, design, technology, marketing, controls and other cross-functional teams.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple complex and competing matters in a fast-moving and deadline-intensive environment.
• Strong judgment, communication skills, personal accountability and a practical, solutions-oriented approach.
• Ability to maintain an enterprise perspective, identify connections across businesses and markets and help develop consistent and scalable approaches to legal issues.
• Willingness and ability to take on new responsibilities and develop expertise in evolving areas of digital experience, technology and law.

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant experience advising clients that design, create or maintain mobile applications, websites, digital products, social media channels or other public-facing digital platforms and customer experiences.
• Experience advising an innovation or “labs” team, Fintech, digital bank, open banking-related service, AI- or agent-enabled product or service, product or design organization, or customer-facing digital experience/UX team.
• Experience with Legal UX, customer journey design or the integration of legal and regulatory requirements into digital products and experiences.
• Knowledge of or experience advising clients on digital accessibility and the design of accessible digital experiences for people with disabilities.
• Strong interest in and/or experience with data-powered digital products, artificial intelligence, agentic technology, digital identity, APIs, connected commerce or other emerging technologies.
• Experience developing and maintaining policies, standards, procedures, playbooks, guidance, legal design patterns or other scalable legal frameworks relating to digital, internet, design or technology law matters.
• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial contracts relating to digital products, platforms, technology or third-party relationships.
• Experience providing thought leadership, guidance and training to executives, business partners and other lawyers on digital, design, internet or emerging technology topics.
• Experience identifying recurring legal or process issues and developing practical solutions, tools or frameworks that improve consistency, efficiency and scalability.
• Experience within a financial institution or other highly regulated industry.

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