📌 Core Information
🔹 Job Title: Manager, Marketing Contractor Program Office
🔹 Company: American Express
🔹 Location: Phoenix, Arizona, United States; Sunrise, Florida, United States; New York, New York, United States
🔹 Job Type: Full-time
🔹 Category: Marketing
🔹 Date Posted: 2025-07-31
🔹 Experience Level: 5-10 years
🔹 Remote Status: Hybrid
🚀 Job Overview
Key aspects of this role include:
- Managing vendor relationships and workforce planning for the Marketing Operations Analyst (MOA) program
- Ensuring operational rigor and delivering high-impact results across the MOA population
- Serving as a strategic advisor to capability and marketing teams, aligning MOA staffing with evolving business needs
- Overseeing the MOA candidate pipeline and ensuring all new hires are set up for success
ASSUMPTION: This role requires a strategic operator with experience leading third-party vendors or agency partnerships, strong cross-functional leadership, and comfort with KPIs and performance data.
📋 Key Responsibilities
✅ Lead vendor relationships, establish consistent contract terms, and act as the primary escalation point between MOA leaders and vendor contacts
✅ Serve as a strategic advisor to capability and marketing teams, aligning MOA staffing with evolving business needs, managing turnover, and supporting pathways for conversion to FTE where appropriate
✅ Oversee the MOA candidate pipeline in coordination with vendor partners, streamline interview processes, and ensure all new hires are fully set up for success from Day 1
✅ Define and manage performance KPIs across the MOA population, facilitate regular touchpoints with team leaders, and address trends or challenges to ensure program excellence and accountability
✅ Lead the MOA Program Office strategy, ensuring structure, governance, and best practices are embedded across the entire MOA lifecycle. Champion continuous improvement and alignment across internal stakeholder groups
ASSUMPTION: This role involves a high degree of cross-functional collaboration and requires strong communication skills to drive clarity and alignment across teams.
🎯 Required Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
Experience: 5-10 years of relevant experience in program management, operations, marketing strategy, or workforce planning
Required Skills:
- Proven experience leading third-party vendors or agency partnerships
- Strong cross-functional leadership and ability to influence without authority
- Clear communicator with the ability to synthesize complex information and drive clarity across teams
- Comfort with KPIs, dashboards, and performance data to manage workforce outcomes
- Process-minded leader who balances speed with structure and rigor
Preferred Skills:
- Experience in the financial services industry
- Fluency in additional languages
ASSUMPTION: Candidates should have relevant experience in program management, operations, or marketing strategy, with a proven track record of improving operational effectiveness. Strong analytical and communication skills are essential, along with experience managing external vendors or staffing partners.
💰 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: $80,000.00 to $155,000.00 annually + bonus + benefits
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: Full-time (40 hours per week)
ASSUMPTION: The salary range provided is based on the information given in the job description. However, the actual salary may vary based on factors such as the candidate's experience, skills, and the company's internal compensation structure.
📌 Applicant Insights
🔍 Company Context
Industry: Financial Services
Company Size: 10,001+ employees
Founded: 1850
Company Description:
- American Express is a globally integrated payments company that provides customers with access to products, insights, and world-class experiences to enrich lives and build business success
- The company is known for its powerful backing promise to customers and colleagues, supporting their financial confidence and helping them progress in incredible ways
- American Express has a long history of innovation and resilience, having helped evacuate travelers during World Wars, ensured the safety of customers' funds during the Great Depression, created the Shop Small® movement, and provided aid to communities impacted by natural disasters
Company Specialties:
- Financial Services
- Business Travel
- Corporate Card
- Network Services
- Merchants Services
Company Website: americanexpress.com
ASSUMPTION: American Express is a well-established company with a strong brand and a long history of innovation and resilience in the financial services industry.
📊 Role Analysis
Career Level: Mid-level to Senior-level
Reporting Structure: This role reports directly to the Head of Marketing Operations
Work Arrangement: Hybrid (combination of in-office and virtual days)
Growth Opportunities:
- Potential to advance to a senior leadership role within the Marketing Operations team
- Opportunities to gain exposure to various aspects of marketing operations and strategy
- Possibility to transition to a full-time role within the company
ASSUMPTION: This role offers growth opportunities for the right candidate, with the potential to advance to a senior leadership role and gain exposure to various aspects of marketing operations and strategy.
🌍 Location & Work Environment
Office Type: Hybrid (combination of in-office and virtual days)
Office Location(s): Phoenix, Arizona; Sunrise, Florida; New York, New York
Geographic Context:
- Phoenix, Arizona: A major city in the southwestern United States, known for its warm climate and outdoor activities
- Sunrise, Florida: A city in the Miami metropolitan area, known for its diverse cultural scene and proximity to beaches
- New York, New York: A major global city, known for its fast-paced lifestyle and cultural attractions
Work Schedule: Full-time (40 hours per week), with a flexible working model that allows for hybrid or virtual arrangements depending on the role and business need
ASSUMPTION: The hybrid work arrangement allows for a balance between in-office collaboration and remote work flexibility, catering to different preferences and needs.
💼 Interview & Application Insights
Typical Process:
- Online application submission
- Phone or video screen with the hiring manager
- On-site or virtual interview with the team
- Final round interview with senior leadership
Key Assessment Areas:
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
- Cross-functional leadership and communication skills
- Analytical and data-driven decision-making abilities
- Cultural fit and alignment with American Express values
Application Tips:
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight relevant experience and skills for this role
- Prepare for behavioral and situational interview questions that focus on your problem-solving skills and leadership style
- Research American Express and the Marketing Operations team to demonstrate your understanding of the company and the role
ATS Keywords: Marketing Operations, Program Management, Vendor Management, Workforce Planning, Strategic Advisory, Cross-functional Leadership, Communication Skills, Analytical Skills, Performance Management, Continuous Improvement, Scalable Programs
ASSUMPTION: The interview process for this role is likely to be comprehensive, focusing on strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, and cultural fit. Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate their problem-solving skills and alignment with American Express values.
🛠️ Tools & Technologies
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello, Jira)
- Data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)
- Vendor management platforms (e.g., Coupa, Jaggaer)
- Applicant tracking systems (e.g., Taleo, Workday)
ASSUMPTION: The tools and technologies required for this role may vary depending on the specific needs of the Marketing Operations team and the company's internal systems.
👔 Cultural Fit Considerations
Company Values:
- Customer Centricity: Putting customers first in all that we do
- Integrity: Upholding the highest ethical standards
- Quality: Delivering excellence in everything we do
- Inclusion: Fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and respected
- Collaboration: Working together to achieve common goals
Work Style:
- Data-driven decision-making
- Agile and adaptable approach to work
- Strong focus on collaboration and teamwork
- Results-oriented and action-oriented mindset
- Continuous learning and improvement
Self-Assessment Questions:
- How do you ensure that your work aligns with the company's customer-centric approach?
- Can you provide an example of a time when you had to adapt to a significant change in your work environment, and how did you handle it?
- How do you approach working with diverse teams and stakeholders to achieve common goals?
ASSUMPTION: American Express values a customer-centric approach, integrity, quality, inclusion, and collaboration. Candidates should be able to demonstrate their alignment with these values and work style preferences.
⚠️ Potential Challenges
- Managing a large and distributed MOA population across multiple locations
- Balancing the need for operational rigor with the need for flexibility and agility
- Ensuring consistent quality and performance across a diverse vendor landscape
- Navigating a complex and matrixed organizational structure
- Managing stakeholder expectations and competing priorities
ASSUMPTION: This role presents unique challenges related to managing a large and distributed MOA population, balancing operational rigor with flexibility, and navigating a complex organizational structure.
📈 Similar Roles Comparison
- This role is unique in its focus on managing the MOA program office and vendor relationships, rather than being a part of the MOA population itself
- Unlike traditional marketing roles, this position requires a strong background in program management, operations, and vendor management
- Career progression in this role may differ from that of a typical marketing career path, with opportunities to advance to senior leadership roles within the Marketing Operations team
ASSUMPTION: This role is distinct from traditional marketing positions, requiring a unique blend of skills and experience in program management, operations, and vendor management.
📝 Sample Projects
- Developing and implementing a new vendor onboarding process to streamline the MOA hiring pipeline
- Creating and maintaining performance dashboards to track MOA population metrics and identify trends or challenges
- Designing and executing a comprehensive review of the MOA program office strategy to ensure best practices and continuous improvement
ASSUMPTION: These sample projects illustrate the strategic and operational nature of the Manager, Marketing Contractor Program Office role, focusing on process improvement, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement.
❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview
- Can you describe the current state of the MOA program office and the key challenges facing the role?
- How does this role collaborate with other marketing teams and stakeholders to ensure alignment and success?
- What opportunities are there for growth and development within the Marketing Operations team and the broader marketing organization?
- How does American Express support work-life balance for employees in this role?
- Can you provide an example of a time when the company demonstrated its commitment to inclusion and diversity?
ASSUMPTION: These key questions help applicants understand the current state of the MOA program office, the role's collaboration with other teams, growth opportunities, work-life balance, and the company's commitment to inclusion and diversity.
📌 Next Steps for Applicants
To apply for this position:
- Submit your application through the link
- Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your relevant experience and skills for this role
- Prepare for behavioral and situational interview questions that focus on your problem-solving skills and leadership style
- Research American Express and the Marketing Operations team to demonstrate your understanding of the company and the role
- Follow up with the hiring manager one week after your final interview to express your continued interest in the position
⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.
