You Lead the Way. We’ve Got Your Back.
With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.
At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact - every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.
American Express has a rich history of progressive workplace strategy and workspace design, heralding back to the early 2010s with the launch of our flexible workplace program, BlueWork. Amex believed giving colleagues the choose their work environment a couple times a week is empowering leading to longer retention, better talent, and more productivity, all while saving money on underutilized real estate.
Today, with the pandemic sparking a global discussion on workplace strategy and its value to company success, Amex continues its tradition of leading the conversation through its evolution of BlueWork, coined as AmexFlex. While the purpose and goals for the workplace have evolved, AmexFlex’s chief cornerstone remains the same – giving colleagues choice pays dividends. With that choice now comes greater responsibility to make the workplace a worthwhile and purpose-driven destination. This role plays an integral role in bringing that “workplace as a destination” vision to life though the discipline of space programming and design. Our current workplace design ambition encapsulates this vision, among other key value drives for Amex, such as our focus on embedding climate transition based ESG commitments and healthy, inclusive and accessible spaces and experiences that allow everyone to work at their best. The culmination of all these drivers and ambitions will require a team of workplace professionals across sectors to create iconic, thoughtful, and flexible design that accommodates our differences while consistently imbuing our Amex brand and Blue Box Values into the spaces and experiences we create.
We are seeking the best and brightest to join us in this exciting endeavor. Join Team Amex and let's lead the way together. #LI-Hybrid
Join our GREWE Team
The Global Real Estate and Workplace Experience (GREWE) at Amex leases, designs, builds and operates Amex’s offices around the world. Today Amex has over 70,000 colleagues in over 100 properties across 41 countries. Our real estate portfolio consists of large operating center campuses, office buildings, sales offices and airport lounges. GREWE partners closely with stakeholders in Colleague Experience Group (CEG), Technology, Global Security and Corporate Sustainability as well as rely extensively on our network of vendor partners to deliver high quality and engaging workspaces and experiences that bring the Amex brand and culture to life for our colleagues and guests.
Unleash your analytical skills to define the future of how we serve our customers.
Reporting to the Vice President of GREWE’s Planning & Administration Team, this dynamic and influential position will lead the strategy, program management and team building of Amex Workspace Design team.
This position will play an integral role in relationship building and stakeholder engagement across the strategic partners involved in bringing the Amex brand to life for our colleagues coming to the workplace each day. Stakeholders include Amex Technology, Security, Advertising & Brand Management, Colleague Experience Group, GREWE Senior Leadership, GREWE Planning & Administration, GREWE Space Management and GREWE Design & Construction
Beyond the core responsibilities of establishing masterplanning, programming and design guideline tools, this position will also be responsible for maintaining other global workspace-related programs. This includes our colleague home office furniture discount program, evolving artwork curation & management program and workspace design digital capabilities roadmap.
Workspace Design Strategy
- Lead the strategic visioning and alignment of stakeholders around a common set of workspace design ambitions and principles.
- Represent Amex on workspace design calls for major office projects to ensure hired project architects are clear on Amex’s design ambition, principles, and pre-requisites.
- Comment on details of workspace design concepts & drawing proposals to ensure adherence to Amex workspace design guidelines.
- Demonstrate critical thinking and experience by identifying value engineering / cost savings opportunities in architectural designs without compromising workspace principles.
- Refine workspace design based on colleague feedback, past project learnings and understanding of industry-leading workspace design trends.
Workspace Design Program Management
- Create and share workspace masterplanning, programming and design guideline checklist tools to help project design & construction teams deliver on the workspace design ambitions and principles.
- Develop an iterative design operating model that enables learnings from recently completed projects to be woven back into the design guidelines for future projects.
- Lead the coordination of global sourcing events for contracting key workspace design services and components, such as furniture, fixtures, and equipment.
- Act as a central point of contact for ad hoc and escalated programming & design issues. Drive timely resolution with decisiveness and clarity, while balancing stakeholder inclusivity and a global perspective.
Workspace Design Team Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
- Lead a small team of workplace programming & design professionals to guide their tactical workload, goals, learning & career development, succession plans, and performance reviews.
- Plan internal team meetings and set the agenda to ensure timely decision-making and ownership of team outcomes.
- Propose an operating model and hire internal/external workspace design team resources to ensure current and future strategies are supported.
- Share insights and recommendations with the global real estate team for how to improve operational efficiency and elevate the colleague experience. When decisions are made, ensure messaging is communicated effectively and embraced across different markets.
Work Experience
- Significant experience working within Interior Design, with a focus on high profile corporate offices.
- Significant experience working within Project Management, with a focus on high profile corporate offices.
- Significant experience of direct report managerial experience, which includes managing career development plans, resourcing strategies, and ongoing coaching & performance management.
- Experience working on global real estate portfolio with understanding of design sensitivies and nuances.
- Experience designing workspaces to meet sustainable and healthy building design certification standards (LEED, WELL, BREEAM).
Leadership Skills
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills with experience presenting & preparing materials for design concept workshops, design review sessions, workspace focus groups and executive stakeholder meetings.
- Strong qualitative and quantitative problem-solving skills with an ability to see the broader picture and offer proactive solutions.
- Ability to work well in a fast-paced environment, adapt to changing circumstances, and make decisions quickly and effectively.
- Advanced understanding of industry-standard workspace planning & collaboration tools to inform technology strategy (i.e. Revit, BIM, AutoCAD, etc). Self-sufficient in preparing high quality presentation materials via tools like PowerPoint and Excel.
Travel & Workstyle
- Must be willing to travel globally when necessary. Approximate around 30 working days / year.
- Must be willing to adhere to AmexFlex workplace program. This role is designated as hybrid – individual is expected to come into the office 2 days a week most week at minimum.
- Experience working for top 20 global architecture firm preferred, focused on high profile corporate client workspaces.
- University degree in interior design or architecture or equivalent experience preferred
- NCIDQ certification, LEED or WELL AP accreditations preferred.
- Architectural license preferred.
We back our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:
- 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 work arrangements and schedules with hybrid and virtual options with Amex Flex
- 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
At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact - every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.
Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.
To complete your application, please click on the links below. However, if you require any assistance with the completion of this process – or need any reasonable adjustments to be made – then please contact the Recruitment Team on recruitment.support.uk@aexp.com