Director, Product Development - Agentic Commerce Platform & Product Strategy

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Director, Product Development - Agentic Commerce Platform & Product Strategy

Company: American Express

Location: New York, NY, United States

Job Type: Full time

Category: Product Development / Strategy (Fintech/Payments Operations)

Date Posted: 2026-06-22

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the definition and execution of product strategy for Agentic Commerce, a transformative initiative within American Express's digital innovation arm.

• Drive the development of foundational platform capabilities and customer experiences necessary for secure and scalable agent-driven commerce.

• Translate the overarching Agentic Commerce vision into a concrete, multi-year product strategy and actionable roadmap.

• Leverage American Express's unique position as a trusted network to integrate AI-powered commerce experiences with robust authentication, authorization, and identity frameworks.

• Foster deep collaboration and alignment across diverse cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, risk management, policy, operations, legal, network, and commercial organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title specifies "Product Development," the core responsibilities and focus on strategy, platform capabilities, and cross-functional leadership align strongly with high-level GTM operations and strategic product operations roles. The emphasis on scaling, operating models, and ecosystem governance suggests a critical need for robust operational frameworks.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Define and articulate the multi-year product strategy and roadmap for Agentic Commerce, aligning with Amex Digital Labs' mission and broader business objectives.

• Identify and define the core platform capabilities, customer experiences, and operating models essential for enabling agent-driven commerce securely and at scale.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of the competitive landscape, emerging technologies (AI, agent technologies), and industry trends impacting digital and agentic commerce.

• Drive the conceptualization and design of trust frameworks, authentication, authorization, and identity solutions to ensure secure and controlled agent-initiated activities.

• Collaborate closely with engineering and architecture teams to ensure platform designs are scalable, robust, and aligned with Amex's technology standards and risk appetite.

• Work with Risk Management, Policy, Legal, and Compliance teams to establish robust governance and regulatory frameworks for agentic commerce.

• Partner with Commercial and Network teams to define go-to-market strategies and operational readiness plans for new agentic commerce features and platforms.

• Champion the Agentic Commerce vision internally, building consensus and driving alignment among senior stakeholders across various business units.

• Oversee the product lifecycle from ideation and strategy to execution and ongoing iteration, ensuring successful delivery of value for Card Members, merchants, and partners.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities heavily imply a need for deep operational understanding in scaling new business models, managing complex stakeholder relationships, and ensuring operational readiness for innovative payment solutions. This role requires a strategic operator who can bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and scalable business execution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Master's or postgraduate degree in Business Administration, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Experience:

• 10+ years of progressive product leadership experience, with a significant focus on payments infrastructure, digital commerce, fintech, or emerging technology platforms.

• Proven track record of successfully developing and launching "0 to 1" products or platforms in complex, regulated environments.

• Demonstrated experience in defining and executing multi-year product strategies and roadmaps. Required Skills:

• Product Strategy & Vision: Ability to conceptualize, define, and articulate a compelling long-term product vision and strategy for new markets or technologies.

• Platform Development Expertise: Deep understanding of platform architecture, API design, and the development of scalable, resilient technology solutions.

• Agentic Commerce & AI Understanding: Familiarity with agentic commerce concepts, AI/ML applications in commerce, and their implications for payments and customer experience.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Exceptional ability to lead, influence, and align diverse stakeholders across product, engineering, risk, legal, operations, and commercial teams without direct authority.

• Roadmap Development & Execution: Proven experience in translating strategic objectives into detailed product roadmaps and driving execution through agile methodologies.

• Risk Management & Compliance Acumen: Understanding of payment industry regulations, risk management principles, and the ability to integrate compliance into product design.

• Stakeholder Management: Strong executive presence and the ability to effectively communicate complex technical and strategic concepts to senior leadership and various business units.

• Market Intelligence & Customer Research: Ability to gather and synthesize market insights, competitive analysis, and customer research to inform product decisions.

Preferred Skills:

• Payments Infrastructure Knowledge: In-depth understanding of card networks, payment processing, tokenization, and related technologies.

• Fintech Innovation: Experience within the rapidly evolving fintech landscape.

• Technical Tradeoff Evaluation: Ability to assess technical feasibility and make informed decisions on tradeoffs between different architectural approaches or feature implementations.

• Ecosystem Governance: Experience in defining governance models for complex technology ecosystems or partnerships.

• Product Lifecycle Management: Comprehensive understanding of the end-to-end product lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "0 to 1" product development and navigating ambiguity suggests a need for candidates with strong operational problem-solving skills and the ability to build processes and frameworks from the ground up. Experience in defining operating models for new technologies is highly valued.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Strategic Roadmap Development: Showcase examples of multi-year product roadmaps developed, including the strategic rationale, key initiatives, and alignment with business objectives.

• Platform Capability Definition: Present case studies or project descriptions detailing the definition of core platform capabilities, including how scalability, security, and interoperability were addressed.

• "0 to 1" Product Launch Experience: Include detailed examples of products or platforms conceptualized, developed, and launched from inception, highlighting the challenges overcome and key learnings.

• Cross-functional Alignment & Execution: Demonstrate instances where you successfully aligned diverse stakeholders (e.g., engineering, risk, legal, marketing) towards a common product goal and drove successful execution.

• Risk & Compliance Integration: Provide examples of how you integrated risk management, security protocols, or regulatory compliance requirements into product design and development processes.

Process Documentation:

• Operationalizing Innovation: Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they operationalize novel technologies and business models, including defining operating procedures, workflows, and performance metrics.

• Scalability & Governance Frameworks: Document processes for scaling platform capabilities across different channels, partners, or use cases, including the establishment of governance structures.

• Agile Development & Product Management: Showcase experience with agile methodologies, sprint planning, backlog management, and iterative development processes for complex technology products.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role of this caliber, a portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, execution capabilities, and the ability to build and scale complex systems is crucial. Candidates should be ready to articulate the operational processes behind their product successes, not just the outcomes.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for Director-level Product Development roles in New York City with 10+ years of experience in Fintech/Payments, the estimated salary range is $144,250 - $256,250 USD per year. This range reflects the seniority, strategic impact, and specialized knowledge required for this position. Benefits:

• Competitive base salaries

• Bonus incentives

• 6% 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 Working Hours:

• Standard 40-hour work week, with flexibility expected to meet project deadlines and business needs, characteristic of a Director-level role in a dynamic technology environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is estimated based on data for Director-level positions at large financial institutions in New York, considering the specialized nature of Agentic Commerce and AI in payments. Benefits are sourced directly from the provided company information.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Fintech / Payments Technology

Company Size: Large Enterprise (American Express operates globally with tens of thousands of employees), indicating a structured environment with significant resources and established processes, yet with dedicated innovation labs like Amex Digital Labs focusing on cutting-edge development.

Founded: 1850, reflecting a long history of innovation, trust, and customer commitment that underpins its current strategic initiatives.

Team Structure:

• Amex Digital Labs: This division focuses on building the future of payments and membership, leveraging emerging technologies. The Director will report to the VP of Product Development, Agentic Commerce.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role necessitates close partnerships with Product, Engineering, Risk Management, Policy, Operations, Legal, Network, and Commercial organizations, highlighting a matrixed and collaborative operational environment.

• Innovation Focus: The team operates with a strong emphasis on innovation, customer needs, and driving deeper engagement and loyalty through technology.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Decisions are informed by market intelligence, customer research, and performance metrics.

• Agile & Iterative Development: The team likely employs agile methodologies to rapidly develop and iterate on new products and platforms.

• Risk-Minded Approach: A strong risk mindset is integral to all operations, ensuring trust, security, and service standards are maintained.

• Customer-Centricity: The core mission is to create value for Card Members, merchants, and partners.

Company Website: https://www.americanexpress.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture balances a legacy of trust and stability with a forward-looking approach to innovation through dedicated labs. For operations professionals, this means opportunities to build and implement new processes within a robust framework, impacting a global customer base.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Director, Product Development - This is a senior leadership role responsible for strategic product vision, platform development, and cross-functional execution. It sits at the intersection of technology, product management, and business strategy within the critical domain of Agentic Commerce.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to the Vice President of Product Development, Agentic Commerce, indicating a clear line of sight to executive leadership within Amex Digital Labs. This structure provides visibility and direct access to decision-makers.

Operations Impact: This role has a profound impact on the future of American Express's commerce offerings. By defining and scaling Agentic Commerce capabilities, it will influence:

• Customer Experience: Enhancing how members engage with merchants and services.

• Revenue Generation: Opening new revenue streams and deepening existing ones through innovative payment solutions.

• Ecosystem Growth: Extending Amex's trusted network into new AI-driven commerce paradigms.

• Operational Efficiency: Establishing scalable operating models for agent-driven transactions.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership: Opportunity to shape a nascent but critical area of future commerce for a global financial services leader.

• Technology Innovation: Work at the forefront of AI, agent technologies, and payments infrastructure.

• Cross-functional Influence: Develop and hone skills in influencing and leading complex, matrixed organizations.

• Career Progression: Potential pathways to VP-level roles within Amex Digital Labs or broader product/strategy functions within American Express.

• Skill Development: Deepen expertise in product strategy, platform architecture, AI applications in commerce, and operationalizing new business models.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role offers significant growth potential for individuals looking to impact the strategic direction of a major financial institution in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. The emphasis on "0 to 1" development and scaling suggests a strong need for operational leadership and process creation.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, allowing for flexibility while maintaining in-person collaboration. American Express emphasizes preserving its unique in-person culture.

Office Location(s): World Financial Center, 200 Vesey Street, New York, NY. This is a prime location in a major financial hub, facilitating access to talent and industry networks.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role requires extensive interaction with product, engineering, risk, legal, and commercial teams, suggesting a dynamic and collaborative workspace.

• Access to Technology: As part of Amex Digital Labs, the team will have access to cutting-edge tools and technologies necessary for developing advanced commerce platforms.

• Innovation Hub: The workspace is designed to foster innovation, creativity, and strategic thinking, supporting the development of new-to-world products.

Work Schedule:

• Professional, typically 40-hour work week, with expectations of flexibility to manage ambitious project timelines and strategic initiatives in a fast-paced innovation environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model offers a balance of autonomy and collaboration. For operations professionals, understanding how to drive efficiency and collaboration in a hybrid setting, especially for complex product development, will be key.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and application, focusing on relevant product development, strategy, and payments experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion on strategic vision, leadership philosophy, and alignment with Amex's culture and mission. Expect questions around "0 to 1" product development and navigating ambiguity.

• Cross-functional Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with leaders from Engineering, Risk, Legal, Operations, and Commercial teams to assess collaboration skills, technical understanding, and ability to influence.

• Product Strategy & Case Study: Candidates may be asked to present a strategic approach to a hypothetical Agentic Commerce challenge or a deep dive into a past successful product launch, focusing on strategy, execution, and operational considerations.

• Executive Interview: Final interview with senior leadership (e.g., VP or higher) to assess overall fit, strategic impact, and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Quantify Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the business outcomes, key metrics (e.g., revenue growth, adoption rates, efficiency gains), and AI/agent technology impact.

• Showcase Strategic Thinking: Detail the thought process behind product strategy and roadmap development. Explain the "why" behind your decisions.

• Highlight Operationalization: Demonstrate how you translated strategic vision into scalable operational processes, including cross-functional alignment and risk mitigation.

• Emphasize "0 to 1" Experience: Clearly present your role in bringing new products or platforms from concept to market, detailing the challenges and solutions.

• Narrative and Clarity: Present your work in a clear, concise, and compelling narrative. Be prepared to walk through your portfolio items and answer in-depth questions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Agentic Commerce Scenarios: Think through potential use cases, benefits, risks, and operational challenges of agent-driven commerce. Consider how Amex's existing infrastructure can be leveraged.

• AI & Payments Integration: Prepare to discuss the interplay between AI technologies and payment systems, including security, privacy, and ethical considerations.

• Stakeholder Management Scenarios: Anticipate questions about managing conflicts, gaining buy-in from diverse teams, and influencing senior leaders.

• Operational Readiness: Be ready to discuss how you ensure operational readiness for new product launches, including process definition, team training, and performance monitoring.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize strategic thinking, leadership acumen, and the ability to operationalize complex, innovative concepts. A portfolio that clearly demonstrates these capabilities, especially in the context of new technology adoption and scaling, will be a significant advantage.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Product Management Platforms: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Aha! for roadmap planning, backlog management, and documentation.

• Collaboration Tools: Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom for day-to-day communication and virtual meetings.

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD (for collaborating with design teams on user experience).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Visualization Tools: Tableau, Power BI, Looker for creating dashboards and reporting on product performance, user adoption, and business impact.

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics for understanding user behavior on digital platforms.

• BI Tools: SQL, Python/R for data extraction, analysis, and generating insights from large datasets.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: Salesforce (likely used by commercial teams), potentially custom internal CRM solutions for managing customer relationships and partner interactions.

• Workflow Automation: Familiarity with concepts of workflow automation is crucial, even if specific tools aren't listed, given the focus on agentic commerce and operational efficiency.

• API Management Platforms: Understanding of API gateways and management tools is essential for platform development and integration.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools may vary, a strong understanding of the principles behind product management, data analytics, and automation technologies is paramount. The ability to integrate diverse systems and drive efficient workflows is key for this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Trust & Security: A foundational value, especially critical for a financial institution handling sensitive data and transactions. This translates to rigorous operational controls and security protocols.

• Customer Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and meeting customer needs, driving innovation that enhances Card Member and partner experiences.

• Innovation & Agility: A drive to explore and implement new technologies and business models, balanced with a structured approach to execution.

• Data-Driven Excellence: A culture that relies on data and analytics to inform strategy, measure performance, and optimize operations.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Emphasis on working effectively across teams and with external partners to achieve shared goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role demands proactive and continuous collaboration with diverse departments, requiring strong communication and negotiation skills to ensure alignment and progress.

• Feedback & Continuous Improvement: An open culture for providing and receiving feedback to drive iterative improvements in products, processes, and team dynamics.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement of sharing insights, best practices, and learnings across teams to foster collective growth and innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The blend of established values like trust and security with a drive for innovation is key. Operations professionals will thrive by demonstrating how they can build efficient, secure processes that support cutting-edge technology and enhance customer experience.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Defining and building a new product category like Agentic Commerce in a large, established organization presents inherent ambiguity and requires strong leadership to chart the course.

• Technical Complexity: Integrating AI and agent technologies into existing, robust payment infrastructure while ensuring security, scalability, and compliance is a significant technical challenge.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Gaining and maintaining consensus across numerous departments with potentially competing priorities requires exceptional communication and influence skills.

• Operationalizing Novelty: Translating cutting-edge concepts into reliable, scalable, and compliant operational processes for a global enterprise.

• Pace of Innovation: Keeping pace with rapid advancements in AI and agent technologies while ensuring strategic alignment and product stability.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Expertise in AI & Agentic Commerce: Opportunity to become a thought leader in a nascent but rapidly growing field within financial services.

• Strategic Product Leadership: Develop advanced skills in defining and executing product strategy for disruptive technologies.

• Influence & Stakeholder Management: Hone abilities to influence at all levels of a large, matrixed organization.

• Industry Conferences & Training: Access to industry events, workshops, and training programs focused on AI, payments, and product management.

• Mentorship: Opportunities to learn from senior leaders within Amex Digital Labs and the broader American Express organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are significant but offer immense opportunities for growth. Candidates who are comfortable with ambiguity, possess strong problem-solving skills, and are eager to drive innovation will find this role highly rewarding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to defining a multi-year product strategy for a new, transformative technology like Agentic Commerce within a large enterprise." (Focus on market analysis, vision setting, roadmap creation, and stakeholder buy-in.)

• "How would you operationalize AI-powered agentic commerce to ensure scalability, security, and compliance across a global network like American Express?" (Prepare to discuss operating models, process design, risk frameworks, and cross-functional collaboration.)

• "Walk us through a time you successfully launched a '0 to 1' product or platform. What were the biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Emphasize your role in strategy, execution, and overcoming ambiguity.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about American Express and this specific role in Agentic Commerce?" (Research Amex's mission, values, and recent innovations; connect your skills to the role's strategic impact.)

• "How do you foster collaboration and alignment among diverse teams with different priorities (e.g., Engineering, Risk, Legal, Commercial)?" (Provide specific examples of your influence and communication strategies.)

• "How do you measure the success of a new product strategy, especially one involving emerging technologies?" (Discuss key performance indicators (KPIs), metrics, and ROI analysis relevant to product and operational impact.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: Begin with the strategic objective, detail your role in defining the product/platform and its operational framework, showcase key challenges and solutions, and conclude with the measurable impact and learnings.

• Quantify Achievements: Use numbers and data to demonstrate the impact of your work (e.g., "Increased adoption by X%", "Reduced processing time by Y%", "Generated Z revenue").

• Highlight Operational Processes: For each case study, be prepared to explain the operational processes you designed or refined to ensure scalability, efficiency, and compliance.

• Focus on Strategic Contribution: Articulate your strategic thinking and how your decisions contributed to the overall business goals.

• Be Ready for Deep Dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your technical understanding, strategic rationale, and operational execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic product leadership, operationalizing complex technologies, and influencing across a large organization. Candidates should be ready to discuss not just the "what" but the "how" and "why" of their successes, with a strong emphasis on operational implementation.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Director, Product Development - Agentic Commerce Platform & Product Strategy position:

• Submit your application through the American Express careers portal via the provided link.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight your experience in product strategy, platform development, "0 to 1" product launches, and working within the fintech or payments industry. Emphasize your leadership in cross-functional environments and any experience with AI or emerging technologies.

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate a selection of your most impactful projects that demonstrate strategic thinking, roadmap development, operationalization of new technologies, and successful cross-functional execution. Be ready to articulate the operational processes behind your successes.

• Research Agentic Commerce: Gain a deeper understanding of agentic commerce concepts, potential use cases, and the specific challenges and opportunities within the payments ecosystem. Consider how American Express's unique position can be leveraged.

• Practice Your Narrative: Rehearse your responses to common interview questions, focusing on clear, concise, and impactful communication. Prepare to present your portfolio and discuss your strategic approach to product development and operational scaling.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.