BSA/AML Operations Manager — Merchant Acquiring (Remote)

Pathward, N.A.; United States; Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) retirement benefits

Life insurance

Disability benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Pathward, N.A. is seeking a Manager, BSA/AML Operations to lead alert review, case investigations, and regulatory reporting across multiple business lines including Issuing, Lending, Tax/Refund, Commercial DDA, Merchant Acquiring, and BaaS.

The role requires deep expertise in BSA/AML, transaction monitoring, and card network compliance. You will mentor analysts, drive QC standards, and align workflows with OCC, FinCEN, and FFIEC guidance while coordinating with risk, sanctions, and fraud teams

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Finance, Criminal Justice, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
• CAMS or equivalent AML certification strongly preferred.
• 5–7 years of experience in BSA/AML investigations, financial crimes compliance, or fraud operations.
• At least 2 years focused on merchant acquiring, payment facilitation, or card network compliance.
• Demonstrated experience managing alert/case production teams and SAR filing processes.

Responsibilities

• Oversee alert review, case investigations, SAR/CTR reporting across Issuing, Lending, Tax/Refund, Commercial DDA, Merchant Acquiring, BaaS, and Partner programs.
• Maintain accountability for the alert-to-SAR lifecycle and CTR accuracy across all business lines.
• Review and disposition partner referrals and escalations across all lines.
• Ensure timely response to 314(a)/(b) requests, law enforcement inquiries, subpoenas, and grand jury processes.
• Develop KPIs/KRIs and contribute to Board reporting and regulatory submissions.
• Provide mentoring and develop a team of BSA/AML analysts and SMEs.

Skills

Team management

Regulatory knowledge

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree (Finance, Criminal Justice, Accounting, Business, or related field)

CAMS certification strongly preferred

Advanced certifications (e.g., CFE) a plus

Tools

Actimize

FCRM or similar

Card network monitoring programs (Visa VFMP, Mastercard BRAM)

Job description

Remote

We are a hybrid, remote-office company dedicated to growing our talent anywhere!

We have onsite locations in: Sioux Falls, SD, Scottsdale, AZ, Louisville, KY, Troy, MI, Franklin, TN, Easton, PA.

At Pathward, we take tremendous pride in our purpose to create financial inclusion for all™.We area financial empowerment company that works with innovators to increase financial availability, choice, and opportunity for all. We strive to remove barriers that traditional institutions put in the way of financial access, and promote economic mobility by providing responsible, secure, high quality financial products.

We are a team of problem solvers and innovators who celebrate our differences and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger and well-positioned for success. We celebrate, and embrace, our team members through our*HUMBLE*HUNGRY*SMARTapproach, and we believe that we are strongest when we embrace the voices of our employees, customers, partners, and the communities we serve.

About the Role:

The Manager, BSA/AML Operations is responsible for leading the alert review, case investigation, and regulatory reporting functions across Pathward's full BSA/AML risk footprint, including Issuing (prepaid, GPR, payroll, government benefit, and gift card programs), Lending (consumer and commercial), Tax/Refund products, Commercial DDA, Merchant Acquiring (sponsored merchants, payment facilitators, ISOs, and acquiring partners), Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), and Partner-managed programs. This role manages a team of analysts who review alerts, investigate cases, and prepare SAR/CTR filings across these business lines. The Manager ensures that investigative workflows align with Pathward's BSA/AML policies, OCC supervisory expectations, FinCEN guidance, FFIEC BSA/AML Manual standards, and applicable card network compliance requirements, and that line-of-business-specific typologies including transaction laundering, structuring, layering, ERO fraud, refund fraud, merchant misclassification, prohibited merchant activity, chargeback fraud, and trafficking-related red flags are effectively detected, investigated, and reported.

Scope of Responsibility:

• Provides direct oversight of analysts responsible for alert review, case investigations, SAR/CTR reporting, and partner referral dispositioning across all BSA/AML business lines, including a dedicated focus on Merchant Acquiring
• Manages operational performance across all assigned workstreams, ensuring adherence to SLAs, quality standards, and production targets
• Serves as a subject-matter expert on BSA/AML financial crime risks across Pathward's business lines, with deep expertise in Merchant Acquiring typologies and card network compliance considerations
• Does not own underwriting, partner onboarding, card network compliance, or first-line product risk management, but coordinates closely with those functions on risk signals and emerging trends
• Escalates high-risk or complex matters, including MATCH list entries, card network monitoring program flags, suspected terrorist financing, undisclosed sub-program activity, structuring, and other systemic concerns
• Maintains current knowledge of BSA/AML and OFAC regulations, FinCEN guidance, card network rules, and evolving fraud and money laundering typologies across all supported business lines
• Collaborates with BSA/AML peers, Sanctions Operations, Fraud Risk Management Operations, Program Risk Management, and FCC Program & Technology Assurance to ensure comprehensive risk coverage

What You Will Do:

• Ensure alerts and cases across Issuing, Lending, Tax/Refund, Commercial DDA, Merchant Acquiring, BaaS, and Partner-managed programs are reviewed, investigated, documented, and dispositioned in accordance with Pathward procedures and regulatory requirements
• Maintain accountability for the alert-to-SAR lifecycle, including SAR identification, narrative quality review, timely filing, and CTR accuracy across all business lines
• Oversee investigation of business-line-specific typologies, including:
  • Issuing: structuring, rapid cycling, dormant account misuse, prepaid layering, GPR/payroll velocity, trafficking-related red flags
  • Lending: loan stacking, early payoff with third-party funds, payment activity inconsistent with borrower profile, ERO fraud
  • Tax/Refund: refund fraud, ERO misuse, inflated withholdings, identity theft indicators
  • Commercial DDA: flow-through of funds, shell company indicators, wire activity inconsistent with stated business purpose
  • Merchant Acquiring: transaction laundering, factoring, MCC misclassification, prohibited merchant activity, chargeback misrepresentation, load balancing, BIN attacks, velocity attacks, and MID-cycling
  • BaaS / Partner Programs: nested account abuse, undisclosed sub-program activity, partner-driven risk deterioration
• Review and disposition partner referrals and escalations across all business lines, including sponsored merchants, sub-merchants, payment facilitators, program managers, and corporate funders
• Ensure timely response to 314(a) requests, 314(b) inquiries, law enforcement inquiries, subpoenas, and grand jury process across all business lines
• Provide investigative insights and trend data across all business lines to inform AML Transaction Monitoring Coverage Assessments, rule-tuning, scenario optimization, and AML Risk Assessment refreshes
• Identify emerging fraud and AML risks based on alert trends, SAR filings, no-file decisions, partner behavior, and external threat intelligence
• Coordinate with the Director, Financial Crime Risk Intelligence on cross-business-line risk narratives and escalation of novel or systemic issues
• Support red flag inventory updates with business-line-specific indicators across Issuing, Lending, Tax/Refund, Commercial DDA, Merchant Acquiring, and BaaS
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of BSA/AML analysts with coverage across multiple business lines, including onboarding, training, and performance management
• Establish and monitor QC standards across all assigned workstreams; identify themes and implement remediation
• Ensure training materials reflect current typologies, regulatory expectations, card network rules, and Pathward product specifications across all supported business lines
• Support analyst development and specialty queue assignment to build SME depth and operational resilience

Governance & Reporting

• Develop and maintain KPIs/KRIs across all supported workstreams (alert volumes, aging, SAR counts, false-positive rates, chargeback-driven referrals, partner referral throughput)
• Contribute to Board reporting, exam responses, validation submissions, and management action plans
• Partner with Program Risk Management, FCC Program & Technology Assurance, and Compliance on partner oversight, deterioration signals, and regulatory commitments

What You Will Need:

• Bachelor’s degree required (Finance, Criminal Justice, Accounting, Business, or related field)
• CAMS or equivalent AML certification strongly preferred
• Advanced certifications (e.g., CFE) a plus
• 5–7 years of experience in BSA/AML investigations, financial crimes compliance, or fraud operations, with at least 2 years focused on merchant acquiring, payment facilitation, or card network compliance
• Demonstrated experience managing alert/case production teams and SAR filing processes
• Strong knowledge of merchant acquiring risks: transaction laundering, MCC misclassification, chargeback fraud, prohibited merchant categories, and card network monitoring programs (Visa VFMP, Mastercard BRAM)
• Familiarity with Actimize, FCRM, or similar transaction monitoring and case management platforms
• Working knowledge of BSA/AML regulations, FinCEN guidance, OCC supervisory expectations, and FFIEC BSA/AML Manual

The responsibilities listed above are not all inclusive and may be changed at any time.

Salary range: $72,000 – $120,000

The salary range reflects the minimum and maximum target for a new hire in this role. Individual pay within the range will be determined by multiple factors which can include but are not limited to a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary for your location during the hiring process. Ranges may be modified in the future.
This role is also eligible for an annual performance-based incentive opportunity. Pathward offers a comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees, including health insurance, 401(k) retirement benefits, life insurance, disability benefits, paid time off, and more.

Don’t have everything listed under qualifications? If you’re excited about this role but your experiences don’t match exactly to everything in the posting, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other Pathward roles. Pathward is an equal employment opportunity employer and considers candidates for roles without regard to their race, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability or any other category protected by law.

Who we are:

Our commitment to inclusion is woven into our DNA. We believe that we are strongest when we embrace the voices of our employees, customers, partners, and the communities we serve.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, pregnancy, national origin, age (age 40 and over), disability, genetic information, marital status, hair texture or hairstyle, ancestry, service in the uniformed services, protected veteran status, status as a victim of domestic violence or any other class protected by federal, state and local laws.

Pleaseclick here to learn more about our benefits and review information about our Privacy Policy, Affirmative Action Plan and other notices. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the terms of the Americans with Disabilities Act and certain state or local laws. For assistance completing an application, please contact a Pathward People & Culture Representative by emailing – [e-mail]

Please click here to view Pathward's Applicant Privacy Notice.

Applications will be accepted for a minimum of 3 days after posting, and there is no predetermined date by which applications should be submitted.

Knowingly submitting false information will result in disqualification for consideration of future positions, termination of employment and forfeiture of other rights.

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